Before I begin, I must issue a warning to my readers. If you expected a meditative reflection when you clicked on my blog today, stop reading now. You will be disappointed. Today’s post is more of a rant.

I grew up on the music of Michael Jackson. He was an amazingly talented musician and entertainer who crossed all socio-economic and cultural barriers; a person who exploded the music video industry and took the entertainment business to a new level. He was and is an icon. With all of that said, however, I am getting increasingly irritated with the media frenzy surrounding his life and death. The situation is not solely the fault of the media. They would not report on such things if the public were not watching. Michael’s story sells. We, in the United States, seem to be fascinated with drama; the more sensational, the better. We are obsessed with scandal and gossip. We want the media to investigate and report all the dirty details of any given situation.

Wait. Perhaps I should take that back – not ANY given situation. There was a military coup in Honduras this week, ousting their democratically elected President. This situation had huge implications for the democracy of our Central American neighbors and yet we heard little, if nothing, about it. No, instead our airtime was wasted speculating the contents of Michael Jackson’s will, the “secret” rooms of the Neverland ranch, the true paternity of Michael Jackson’s children and who will be given permanent custody. We have completely lost our sensibilities. We would rather feed the media frenzy than a hungry child. It is more comfortable for us to watch such stories than to hear the details of poverty, homelessness, human rights violations, and the lack of adequate healthcare for millions of U.S. citizens, not to mention deadly diseases like AIDS and malaria that are killing millions in the global community. The list goes on and on while we idly watch yet another interview with the Jackson family attorneys. It is easier for us to do this than to be held accountable and called to task for our failure to live out the Great Commandment. Stop the insanity. Turn off the TV.

OK, I am done ranting … for now. Until next time, peace …