The Last Song i Loved: Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson

 At the end of the year 2018, I had to get a physical because I wanted to get back in athletics to do baseball. When I went to my family doctor to get the physical, the doctor wanted me to get blood work done also, since I hadn’t got blood work done in a while. A few mornings later I went to go get my blood work done, and I went to my doctor for my results about two weeks later. The number one thing that I was nervous about were my insulin levels. I was worried about them because my parents were both diabetic. Therefore, I had a high risk to get diabetes. I dreaded diabetes because of the many bad things that it can do to people who have diabetes. When I went into the room, my doctor did not a have a very good look on his face. He said, “Brandon, I am sorry, but your blood work results show that you are a pre-diabetic.”

I couldn’t believe the words that came out of his mouth. I was stunned for the rest of the day. I was so shocked that I couldn’t eat or talk. I asked myself questions in my mind like How can this be? or What is going to happen to me? Finally, the next day I got out of bed to go brush my teeth. After I brushed my teeth, I looked at myself in the mirror. I probably thought for a good minute or two. I told myself that I have to make a change right now so that my health is better down the road for when I get to have a family of my own. I did not want to end up like some of my family members that have diabetes. For example, my dad has been on dialysis for the past three years because of diabetes and he is not in good health at all. I made myself be determined to make a change for once in for all.

I first encountered the song Man In The Mirror by Michael Jackson in Junior High, which was when I also discovered who Michael Jackson was. When I was in Junior High, I really didn’t dig deep into the meaning of songs. A few weeks after my diagnosis of being a pre-diabetic I encountered this song again. This time I noticed how this song really inspired me in the situation that I was in. I eventually fell in love with the song because of how much that I related to the song. To this day, I listen to this song quite often to help me stay focused on making a change to get my health in a better shape.

The beginning of the song started off with a really soft tone which made me feel quite relaxed. Jackson started to tell the listener of an experience of him feeling bad for seeing children on the streets with nothing to eat at all. He then explained how they have nowhere to go. This painted a vivid picture for the listener to see, in which Jackson does throughout the whole song. Next, he began the chorus, in which he said that before he attempts to make a change, he must look at himself first to make sure that he is ready to make this change. When I listened to the chorus I thought of how I looked myself in the mirror, in which I told myself that I have to be ready to make this change in my life.

The second verse starts off with him saying that instead of worrying about himself, he needs to realize that there are other people out there who do not have any money and that they need some type of help. As he stated in the song, “I’ve been a victim of a selfish kind of love, It’s time that I realize, That there are some with no home, not a nickel to loan, Could it be really me, pretending that they’re not alone?” This part of the song really got my brain going because it made me think that after I get my situation under control , I should try and help others that are in the same situation as me by inspiring them to make a change for the betterment of their lives. He then gave examples what these people with a rough situation may have such as a broken heart or a washed-out dream. This line can relate to how I felt after I heard the diagnosis. This line also gave the listener an opportunity to think of the situation that they are in right now in their lifetime.

Next, he went through the chorus two more times, but on the second time a choir came in. The choir came in on the word change to emphasize the importance of making a change. The choir was very loud and powerful. This probably has to be my favorite part of the song because of how the choir was like the hope for me. The choir was basically like the light at the end of the tunnel for me. It helped me to believe in the change that I was going to make. The choir and Michael Jackson sang the chorus again, but the choir added some new words to express how it is important to make the change while you got the time.

As the choir stated in the song, “If you want to make the world a better place take a look at yourself and then make the change, you gotta get it right, while you got the time, you can’t close your, your mind!” This strongly encouraged me to make whatever change that I needed to make in able to have a great start on my road to a non-diabetic road. At the end of the song, Michael Jackson encouraged me to make that change as soon as possible and to be confident in my decision.

Overall, Man In The Mirror will always have a special place in my heart. This song got me through a lot of hills that I had to overcome and it made me feel like no hill is too big to climb.This song also helped me in the times that I wanted to give up on my healthy ways and cause more damage to my future. This was inspirational, meaningful, and exceptional. If Michael Jackson had not written this song, I do not know where I would be today. 

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