On the heels of my last posts, Michael Jackson - the man and Michael Jackson - what's his childhood got to do with it?, I.jpg)
wanted to share something interesting that potentially sheds some more light onto the subject.
The following are snippets of an interview conducted by CNN's Campbell Brown of Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a close friend of Jackson's for several years. They are all quotes by Boteach.
- "Really, he had an affliction of his soul. He was extremely lonely, he was extremely unhappy."
- "I think Michael lived with a profound fear of rejection. And Michael told me once -- and this is a heartbreaking conversation between us -- 'Shmuley, I promise I'm not lying to you,' he said. 'I'm not lying to you.' He said that twice. 'But everything I've done in pursuing fame, in honing my craft' to quote his words, 'was an effort to be loved because I never felt loved.'
- ...this was a tortured, tortured soul, who from the earliest age did not know love because he felt that he had to perform to earn love. He lived in permanent insecurity. He was one of the most tortured souls I ever came across."
- ...all you parents out there, when you're sitting with your kids and they show you their report card and it's not an A, please don't say to them immediately, you could have done better. That's what happened with Michael. And so he always had to perform and that's what ultimately killed him."
Read the entire interview on CNN.com titled, Jackson rabbi-friend: Singer was 'a tortured, tortured soul.
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Lisa Brookes Kift is a psychotherapist in San Rafael, California with a practice focus of family of origin work. To learn more visit www.marintherapyandcounseling.com or The Toolbox: Resources for Emotional and Relationship Health.
Comments
The negative influence of the teachings of the Jehovah's Witnesses on Michael and his family have been either downplayed or totally ignored for as long as the Jackson Family has received public attention. For those readers who really want to know what life is like to be reared in the WatchTower Cult, nothing beats real world scenarios, and of real world scenarios, nothing beats actual civil and criminal court cases.
The following website summarizes 900 court cases and lawsuits involving children of Jehovah's Witness Parents. The summaries demonstrate how JW Families rear their children and live life day-to-day. Also included are nearly 400 CRIMINAL cases -- most involving MURDERS:
DIVORCE, BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS, AND OTHER LEGAL ISSUES AFFECTING CHILDREN OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
jwdivorces.bravehost.com
Excerpts from LaToya Jackson's own 1991 biography, LATOTA: GROWING UP IN THE JACKSON FAMILY:
" ... neither I nor my siblings ever led a normal existence, not eve
James - thanks for shedding light on that piece which may be extremely relevant.
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