Patrick Swayze passed away yesterday. I am sad about that. He seemed to be such a kind soul -- staying out of the fray of mainstream Hollywood. I can't ever recall him saying anything negative -- not one thing. I am sure he did, but he kept himself somehow apart from the Hollywood circus. Perhaps a gentleman and a gentle man. He hadn't even reached 60, but somehow I get the feeling that he felt as ease with his passing -- not leaving behind a trail of life unlived or things undone. Speedy passage to him.
Other notables have passed recently also. Farrah Fawcett -- she railed against the cancer that eventually took her. She was older than Mr. Swayze, but I feel as if she fought so hard perhaps because of her son. As a mother of my own troubled children, I know that she could not have passed easily knowing that her son had yet again fallen prey to his addictions. Redmond is lucky to have his father still, but Ryan battles his own demons.
Walter Cronkite -- there was a man who lived life fully. Although we may miss him, there doesn't seem to be a trail of things left undone or messes that need to be cleaned in order for him to pass easily.
Items left undone and messes to be cleaned. Little children left without their father. Hundreds of cast and crew members plus an entourage left suddenly and unexpectedly without a job. That is just a part of what Michael Jackson left behind when he was murdered.
As a parent, I feel for all children when their parents pass, but it is somewhat more comforting when the children are grown and have a set of coping skills to deal with the loss. This isn't the case of Paris, Prince, and Blanket. Stories flow over the internet of Blanket not understanding his father's death, and crying each night asking for his Daddy.
I know this isn't the only case of children left suddenly without the presence of parents, but it is full force in your face, and it leaves me with a sick feeling in my stomach. These children who have been in the spotlight since birth, have been thrust into another world. While the measures their father took to protect them from the circus that he lived in as a child may seem extreme or strange to us, I am know that protective nature that can overwhelm a parent in an attempt to keep their child safe.
Last night on the news, there was a video feed of a child being beaten on a bus -- and the cheering throng of students egging it on. No bus driver was seen in the clip. Where was that adult that was supposed to protect the child? What kind of sick society do we still live in that allows for that type of behavior. If you watch the video closely, there appears to be one child in the back of the bus filming the incident on his phone. There are other children cheering and clapping, and yet other children engaging in the fight -- seemingly taking turns.
The newscaster said that the fight was racially motivated. Whatever the reason for the altercation, it only spreads light on the problems of our youth. Our society has slid so sideways that children think this is acceptable behavior; that it is a circus for them to enjoy. Such as with the death of Michael Jackson -- his family and friends were not allowed to mourn -- it was a circus with media coverage of each tear shed. What has happened to us to make us so callous to the feelings of others -- and for those of us who sit on the sidelines watching it all unfold like some type of voyeur allowed a peak into the soul of others.
I do not claim to understand or know what the answer or answers are. What I know is that we have allowed extreme behavior to become the norm for our society. We flock to the television to watch reality shows and eagerly climb into the fray instead of trying to correct what is wrong. We must begin to civilize our society. Take joy in the happiness of others; fight back when something is wrong; give instead of take; and begin to take back the civilized society that is slipping away from us all.
