This is it

I went to a conference in Morioka (the capital of my prefecture) on Monday and Tuesday. Since it was work, the Board of Education paid for my train tickets. I decided since I was already in Morioka (and I actually wasn't broke like I usually am) that I would stay the Tuesday night and watch a movie.

Since I am a movie-a-holic, a movie turned into two. I decided to see "A Christmas Carol" since we might put on a puppet show about it for the kids in town. When that was over, I went to see the Michael Jackson movie.

First off, to call it a movie is really misleading.It suggests some element of fiction, and "This is it" is anything but fiction. It was like watching a concert on tape, and yet it wasn't.

He didn't sing out, like he could have, because he was conserving his voice. And unlike the polished feel of a concert, with this documentary you could see the imperfections. It was interesting to see who an artist is behind the scenes. At the end of the film, he talked to his crew about saving the planet.

It suddenly occurred to me how many "message" songs MJ has sung over the years: Man in the Mirror, Heal the World, Earth Song, Black or White, etc. But sometimes when you package something too nicely, people get all caught up with the package and don't notice the content.

I also noticed that MJ was passionate about some good causes. But somehow being too passionate about something, even a good thing, makes you a weirdo...

It kinda made me wonder what would happen if Jesus were to come down to Earth right this minute and uphold the causes he's always stood for, how he would he be received?

As I walked back to the hotel with thoughts about the public views of people and standing up for what you stand for, I realised that I had some choices to make. I had to pick my path, and follow it; make it clear to the world where I stand. People disagree about what happens after we're gone, but one thing's for certain, we don't have forever in this life. We have to live it right, because we only get one chance. This is it!