La Musique

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Man In The Mirror

Man In The Mirror by Michael Jackson

I'm gonna make a change,
For once in my life
Its gonna feel real good,
Gonna make a difference
Gonna make it right

As I, turn up the collar on
My favourite winter coat
This wind is blowing my mind
I see the kids in the street,
With not enough to eat
Who am i, to be blind?
Pretending not to see their needs

A summers disregard,
A broken bottle top
And a one man's soul
They follow each other on the wind ya know
'Cause they got nowhere to go
Thats why I want you to know

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself, and then make a change

I've been a victim of a selfish kind of love
Its time that I realize
That there are some with no home, not a nickel to loan
Could it be really me, pretending that theyre not alone?

A willow deeply scarred,
Somebody's broken heart
And a washed-out dream
They follow the pattern of the wind, ya see
Cause they got no place to be
That's why I'm starting with me

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could've been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and
Then make that . . .
Change!

(Shortened version of lyrics.)

I just went to send my dad off to work, and as usual, Class 95.0 FM always gives me good company while on the road. There's nothing better than good music to start the day with. It feels really good to hear all your favourite songs ninety percent of your time. And then, Michael Jackson's 'Man In The Mirror' just came on the radio, and that was it. I just remembered how I had aspirations to bring a smile to everyone's face. In good times, bad times, it was my lifelong dream. And this song really fueled me for a very long time. Just read the lyrics, and you'll probably agree with me that, yeah, he's right. Before you can even make something good out of the world, you have to make something good out of yourself first. People who understand this are contributors with a true heart and intent. Walking around in orchard with a tin can (or in recent cases, a long plastic tube) to collect money for charity doesn't make you any better. If you think that you're just doing it for charity, then you're not grasping the meaning of it.

Here's my take on doing charity. In your mind, you should be thinking of the needy and sickly old people who were abandoned or thrown aside by their children. You should be thinking of the kids elsewhere in the world who are cut off from proper education and the wonders that it offers, something you already have, fortunately. You should be thinking of nations that have poor sanitation and shortage of food, a basic necessity that you bask in everyday, in the clear, clean waters filtered by technology and warm, scrumptious food that is laid on your table everyday. You should be thinking of the kids, who suffer at early stages in their lives, because they do not have the comfort of living like you. Envision skinny little kids from Africa. That always makes me realise that we live in a not-so-equal world. Just thinking of charity organisations clouds the reality.

I'm always reminded of these when I do the simplest of things. Like how my favourite Hotcakes Value Meal can actually feed three kids, and make them extremely happy. How my small collection of Roald Dahl books can make literacy a progress if I were to share and read with the children of the world. All these simple things. I dream of making it big in the future, and, with the large amount of money I earn, contribute to the needy, not through charity organisations, but through self-initiated acts, objectively to make people's lives better. A dream is still a dream, so I hope, with enough power, I can do that someday. For now, I have to settle with that man in the mirror first.

9:41 AM