“This is It” is what Michael Jackson decided to call his final concert tour.  Instead, because of his death, I sat watching the movie compiled of camera footage of highlights of the tour’s practice taken for Michael’s personal library.  Michael’s passion was evident in the film and some say that passion is what killed him.  Michael needed help to endure what once came naturally and some say he found that help with pain and sleep medication.  Can passion drive someone to destruction?

 

     Passion is a force I find fascinating.  My own passion has often driven me to places of dissatisfaction and discouragement.  My passion links me to a desire for excellence that is unstoppable in me.  However, this passion for excellence can be substituted for a need for perfection, if I allow myself to be persuaded by the thoughts of others.  I believe it is the desire for perfection that leads to destruction.  I believe excellence always uses what is at hand to its maximum capabilities so there is no need for substitutions.

 

     Michael desired to give the fans what they wanted.  It was his desire that his fans hear their favorite songs and he was going to perform them in the most spectacular manner. I admired his attitude and his desire for an original performance. However, it was the film his fans experienced not the concert. 

 

     Michael did get the film he wanted for his library. The film documented the experience Michael desired for his fans and the process it took to get it done. I walked away knowing Michael cared about his music and his fans; I am not so sure a live concert would have made the same impact on me.

 

     This film made me realize the importance of doing what you need to do for yourself; knowing others can still benefit from it in the process. It all starts and ends with the person in the mirror.