Since it’s all over the news. Michael Jackson died of a heart attack yesterday. I was in shock when I found out–one of my friends sent me a text about it, and then another called me, and when I turned on the news, it was confirmed. I was never a Michael Jackson enthusiast or anything. I didn’t follow the news surrounding him, I haven’t heard any of his songs except some of the more famous ones (”Thriller” comes to mind), and of course I heard about the pedophilia rumors (I don’t know if he really did molest anyone or not, but it’s not really my business to know. I don’t know enough about it. I doubt the rumors are true, though). Still, I was always aware of his success, his talent, and his impact on the musical world. Some referred to him as the “King of Pop”, and millions of people looked up to him as an inspiration. It’s awful that he died at only fifty–it’s awful for anyone to die so young (also keep Farrah Fawcett in mind, who also died yesterday at 62. I had never heard of her before yesterday, but still, may she rest in peace. From what I heard, she dealt with her cancer with admirable bravery).

It’s great shocks like this that make you realize how short life truly is. Nobody saw that coming, probably not even Michael Jackson himself. I asked my dad if it was anything like this when Elvis died, and he said yes, the incidents were similar. Mr. Jackson may have died young, but he left his mark on the world. He followed what he was passionate about, and boy was he good at it. What I’m saying is, don’t wait. If you want to do something, don’t put it off till tomorrow or next week or next year. Do it now. You don’t know when death’s going to snatch you. For all I know, I could be dead tomorrow. That’s terrifying to think about, but it’s also reality. You need to pursue your passion, put some meaning into your life. If you don’t know your passion yet, trust me, you’ll find it. Doesn’t matter whether you’re young or old. If you find something you’re talented at and that you love, get down to business and hone your skill. So much good can come out of it, so much more good than sitting it home and watching TiVo or wasting your life on some website, gossiping about the latest celebrity scandal. If you love cooking, bake a cake, and if you don’t know how but you want to know, learn.

One thing that struck me when I was watching people gather around the hospital in Michael Jackson’s honor on the news yesterday was…are these people that really care about him? Are they upset that such talent has been lost to the world? Are they worried about his family? I hope so. I hope they weren’t congregated in the area because of the reason I fear many people were interested in his death–it’s something to gossip about. That’s one thing about humans that bothers me. We all have some sort of strange attraction to gossip. The worst of it is when people do it for the sake of gossiping, making a big, dramatic show, feigning all the emotions they’re supposed to feel–such as sadness over a death, or happiness over a wedding–when they’re not really feeling it at all.

Long story short, may Michael Jackson rest in peace, and I send all my condolences to his family, friends, and all that loved him (although I doubt anything would comfort them right now). He will be very, very missed.