"If you want to make the world a better place..."

"If you wanna to make the world a better place take a look at yourself and then make a change" so sang Michael Jackson.

As the full horror of the last few years of his life becomes known to the world, I have to ask, where were all these 'celebrity friends' who are mourning him now, when he was alive??

I realise that some people can't be easily helped but surely someone from his large 'loving family' or a friend or someone on his payroll felt a moral obligation to persist in trying to help him?

Shame on the promoters of his 50 concert dates in London - exactly which doctor told the insurance company that a frail, 8 stone man who was so emaciated his hair had fallen out was fit to perform 50 stadium dates???

I felt the same when the world was watching Britney Spears have her breakdown. Those paparazzi who stood filming her shaving her head in the middle of the night saw dollar signs attached to her, they didn't actually see a young, vulnerable girl crying out for help. Where were her parents?? Why didn't they step in to say "Britney you are taking a break from the limelight while we help sort you out"?

Shame on the tabloids and the paparazzi for turning people into 'celebrities' and hounding them day and night. Shame on those who read this stuff and buy the magazines!! These people choose to entertain us and I thank them for that but I don't want to see them on the cover of every magazine just because they went out to buy a coffee with no make-up on! I already know they are a normal person who wasn't born with their hair done, designer clothes on and professional make up - I don't need a greedy photographer to tell me this.

People are just getting greedier and greedier and at what price? The sanity and the lives of people who just want to act or sing for us.

It's right there in the lyrics he wrote to the songs we all know but didn't really listen to "But They Told Me A Man Should Be Faithful And Walk When Not Able And Fight Till The End, But I'm Only Human, Everyone's Taking Control Of Me, Seems That The World's Got A Role For Me, I'm So Confused" from Give into Me. He reportedly told Lisa-Marie Presley during their marriage that he thought he would end up like her Dad and the title of the song "Gone too Soon" now seems like a premonition.

Sorry, this is a break from my normal lighthearted posts but I feel strongly that people are effectively being murdered by those around them who feed them drugs and push them hard for their own gain ...and getting away with it. How many more celebrities have to suffer from Marilyn Monroe to Princess Diana to Michael Jackson. They are just people and deserve to live how they want to live - not as the media, fans, promoters etc want them too.

Sadly, not enough people feel this way and I doubt things will change. We'll be in the same situation again saying how tragic it is that another celebrity has died this way.

Michael Jackson himself sang " I'm starting with the man in the mirror, I'm asking him to change his ways".

I for one am doing that - from taking the girls with me when I take clothes to those charity boxes in parking lots and explaining why we're doing it to getting the girls to help me buy Christmas gifts each year for a family at our local domestic violence refuge shelter. I hope to instill in them a sense of helping others throughout their lives.

I chose this picture of Michael as it was from his Thriller days - before all the madness began and he looks genuinely happy - even his eyes are smiling, which they haven't done in photos I've seen of him in many years.

I hope the paparazzi respect his wishes and maintains the anonymity of his children so they may have the 'normal' life he is reported to have longed for.