Dust in the Wind, Baby. Dust in the Wind.

The line between acceptable and unacceptable behavior in our society has been seriously blurred. Never in my lifetime has this truth been more evident than it is today.

I’ll never forget hearing the news about Princess Di. Even though I wasn’t really a fan of hers, I was shocked and saddened by her untimely death. Perhaps it was because I was a young mother and I felt for her sons. Or maybe it came from knowing some of the adversities she’d overcome and feeling like we’d lost a tremendous asset to humanity. Whatever the reason, her death affected me in a profound way, if only momentarily.

For that reason, I don’t want to judge those who are mourning Michael Jackson. I truly don’t. But, I am concerned about what this really says about our society. How can a man, talented or not, be as out of touch with reality as he so obviously was and yet be exalted to the point that he is called the “prince of peace” and a “hero?”

I can accept that he may never have harmed a child. I can accept that his motives may have been borne of his own adolescent short-comings. I recognize that he was probably abused himself as a child and never received the necessary guidance to fully mature into a well-adjusted man. But this extravagant show of love and adoration for someone who admitted to a host of inappropriate behaviors with children is beyond my comprehension. Frankly, it’s beyond acceptable.

I’ve visited the Père Lachaise cemetery and have seen the headstones and tombs of some of the most famous people of all time. It’s quite sobering to consider the impact some had both during their lives and beyond only to realize that no one who actually knew them is still alive. In fact, with each passing generation, fewer people are alive who even care about their accomplishments. One day, they’ll all be just some “dead guy” or “dead gal” that no one gives a hoot about.

This, too, will become of the pop singer known as Michael Jackson. Not even his future great, great, great grandchildren will give him too much thought (that is, if he will really have claim to any) . I hope he’s now in heaven, free from his tormentors, I really do.