He is just as much in the news today as he was back in June when he passed away from what we all now know was in relation to his drug addiction. We know that you do not have to be poor or homeless or living in a rough neighborhood. Drug addiction does not discriminate: wealthy, high class people can and do succumb to it all the time.
Michael Jackson was very talented, there is no disagreeing with that, yet his greatest legacy isn’t only his music, but also a lesson. What can Michael Jackson’s drug addiction teach us? It can teaches us many things if we will open our eyes to them. For doctors, it could teach them that having a celebrity for a patient is not worth going against the oath one gave, in which you put your patients health first, and risk losing your medical license in the process. For boys and girls, it can teach them that they can use their talents to follow their dreams and reach their goals, yet never forget that drugs can take it all away in the blink of an eye. It can teach us all that drugs are never worth their short-lived benefits.
He will always be known for his talent, but sadly also for how he died. It was not as a brave warrior like Farrah Fawcett who died battling cancer on the very same day, or as some of our bravest soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan.
We learn many lessons in hindsight. The “king of pop” doesn’t have that luxury anymore. Despite his controversial life and the way he died, I believe there was a heart in there that was filled with kindness on many levels. I think that if Michael Jackson could say anything to us now, it might be how honoured he would be if someone learned from his mistakes, and picked up the phone to get help before it was too late for them too. If his drug addiction helps anyone realize that they have a problem, and took steps to help themselves, then Michael’s death would not have been in vain. Perhaps that could be his greatest legacy after all.
Nick Hayes is a graduate of the Narconon drug rehab program in 2005. Nick takes much enjoyment in writing, and feels there needs to be more information about drugs and alcohol provided to the people of the world. He believes nobody should have to go through an addiction.