“Everybody talks about wanting to change things and help and fix, but ultimately all you can do is fix yourself.” Micheal Jackson’s super-hit pop song “Man in the Mirror” enunciates this message with its meaningful lyrics co-written by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett. The song takes us through the thoughts of a man, who has finally made a decision. He is done with things being a certain way, and he wants to change. He is feeling optimistic. “It’s gonna feel real good; Gonna make a difference; Gonna make it right”. He’s confident that he going to change things for good. It all starts with a decision and a thought. Then comes execution. The decision to bring change was easily made, however, following through with this decision is a different story. As they say, nothing good ever comes easy.
As he walks out to execute his decision, we see him “turn up the collar of” his “favorite winter coat”. The cold weather depicts the bitter, bleak, and miserable nature of the world, from which this man has the means to shield himself. Yet, soon he realizes that not everybody is so fortunate. The sights that greet him on the streets blow the man’s mind, as he finally sees what he has been ignoring all his life. “I see the kids in the street, with not enough to eat. Who am I to be blind? Pretending not to see their needs” He realizes that even though he is privileged, it doesn’t give him the right to turn a blind eye to those who were not. No matter who we are, we have to care about others. No one is free from it, so we have to learn to embrace it.
So as he continues his journey, now all he sees are the similar depressing sights of the world. “A willow deeply scarred, somebody’s broken heart; And a washed-out dream”. He learns that he’s “been a victim of a selfish kind of love”, where he was so focused on his own problems and worries to even realize that he had a blessing. A blessing that many didn’t have. As he finally comes to this realization, he also sees the others “following the pattern of the wind”, ignoring the unjust and anguish of those around them. He wants to break this pattern, however, he realizes that he cannot control all those people. But he can control himself and his own actions. That’s when he comes to a very simple yet very powerful conclusion. He decides to change himself. “I’m starting with the man in the mirror; I’m asking him to change his ways, And no message could have been any clearer”
It’s all about changing oneself to become the best version of themselves. As the song says, “If you want to make the world a better place; Take a look at yourself and then make the change”. If we all decide to change our ways, we could eventually start a new pattern that would bring about the change that we all want. The song urges us to first self-reflect, identify our own flaws and uncover our own strengths and weaknesses, improve ourselves and promote personal development. It encourages us to always be better each time we look at ourselves in the mirror. It is easy to sit back and complain about how things are. It is easy to find fault in others, criticize and condemn. It is easy to put the blame on someone else and move on. But none of those things helps make the change. It won’t make anything any different. We rant against all the unfairness and point fingers at others all the while failing to scrutinize ourselves, our own reflection. If we want to help others and solve issues, we should shoulder some of the responsibility. We need to learn to value what we have and share it with those who have less. This way we could learn to be worthy to others, rather than just ourselves.
The ripples that form on the surface of the water when a pebble is thrown, can eventually turn into a large wave. Similarly, the simple actions of every individual can have substantial effects. This song brings out this beautiful message, which is applicable even today, with amazing rhythm and melody. We cannot erase all the grief and loss in the world. But we can start small, change ourselves and our actions. And by doing so we can accomplish big.
We can make the world a better place...
By Rtr. Sayagi Asogan
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