Michael Jackson: Misunderstood Man in the Mirror – Neverland Ranch
by To understand the actions of Michael Jackson you will have to take a closer look at his life.
Image via Wikipedia
Since his death Michael Jackson’s life has been put on display for all to see. Everyone from bloggers to the media have examined every facet of the pop star’s past. Though some of his behavior could be considered strange by societal standards, only within the context of Jackson’s life can they be truly understood.
Neverland Ranch
By the end of the 1980’sMichael Jackson had everything that anyone would want. Fame, fortune and worldwide recognition were all his. The only thing that was missing was a place to call home so in 1988 he bought the Sycamore Valley Ranch in beautiful Santa Barbara County California and renamed it Neverland Ranch.
Jackson named it for the mythical place in Peter Pan, a place where children never grow up. Why was he so taken with the story about a land where children stay young forever? To understand you must take a look at his life.
Michael Jackson was introduced to the world of entertainment at the tender age of five. His older brothers had already been singing in a group that their father had formed called the Jackson Boys when it was discovered that Michael could sing also. He soon joined the group along with his brother Marlon and the Jackson 5 was born.
From that time on, Michael was onstage performing. Going to school, long hours of rehearsal, recording sessions and performing left Jackson with literally no time to enjoy the things of childhood. In a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Jackson recalled a playground that was across the street from the recording studio and how much he wanted to go over there to play.
Unlike his brothers, Michael Jackson was denied many of the pleasures of early childhood. Jermaine, Tito and Jackie were several years older and had gone through most of their adolescence when their singing group was formed. Michael was just a boy and as he grew older he never forgot about all the things he missed out on.
When Jackson began to put his signature on Neverland he did not hold back. When he was finished it had it’s own zoo, theme park, ferris wheel, super slide, kiddie roller coaster and more. A kid’s dream…..Jackson’s dream.
It was evident that Michael wanted to try to recapture a part of his childhood. Did he go overboard? Maybe a little but who are we to judge? Who is to say how we would react if most of our childhood experiences had been stripped away. As it is, many adults who had a normal childhood revert back to childlike behavior when they have the chance. And how many would do almost the same thing if they had the means and opportunity?
Michael Jackson missed out on his childhood and he wasn’t afraid to say it and he wasn’t afraid to do something about it. He showed courage in the face of worldwide criticism for “acting like a kid”.
The truth is, we are all kids at heart when it gets down to it. I, for one, would love to be able to live like a kid with no responsibilities. How many people play the lottery everyday in hopes of winning, so that they could do the same thing as Jackson…..live like a king.
Many times when adults attend children’s parties they end up having more fun than the children themselves.
Michael Jackson was not as strange as he was made out to be, he just had the means and the opportunity to go to a different level than most people.
He knew what he wanted and he went out and got it.
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