I think one of the biggest lessons Michael Jackson's life and death provides is that fame isn't all it's cracked up to be.
This little, incredibly talented 10 year old boy was never taught how to handle the fame his talent brought him effectively. I suspect that's very much because there were adults who were using him through which they could live vicariously -- first his dad ("your nose is too big" may have been Michael's most powerful and destructive Gremlin), then later his brothers and sisters (good for Janet for taking responsibility for her own life), the fans who felt entitled to more than just being entertained, the "doctors" and sycophants who surrounded him and fed off him, and the business people who were not necessarily operating with win/win intention. It would not have been in those people's best self-interest for Michael to have been able to effectively handle fame.
I think being inundated by all that is more than we can reasonably expect a little kid to have the inner resources to handle effectively. Even far less talented or well-known grown-ups have a hard time accessing their inner resources when they're dealing with the effects of such influences.
The same kind of thing is happening with many young, "successful" people right now -- famous young people who don't have a clue about effectively accessing their own inner resources, and are as vulnerable as dandelions to the world they live in that simultaneously bleeds them dry and urges them on to more "success" so that they can be further bled. How surprised is the world going to be when these kids go a similar route as MJ?
I think the biggest lesson is: Let's empower children, not pimp them out.
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