October 27th brought the premiere of the animated special, “Michael Jackson’s Halloween”. Many fans are retaliating to it with hate. They don’t find it lived up to what they expected. However, what I found was much different. In this short little film, it highlights a number of core values that I have learned from the King of Pop over the years. In this story, we find a wise and all knowing chimp by the name we all know; Bubbles. Bubbles guides the two main characters on this epic and song filled adventure through This Place Hotel. In this place, the music is dying. An evil witch by the name of Conformity tries to rid of all music and dance, trying to kill the song in all of us. Conformity: behavior in accordance with socially accepted conventions or standards. It is the idea that we must all be the same and follow the structure of society. Standing in it’s way is the song; the center of our being that makes us unique. It makes us stand out from the crowd and we must protect this song at all costs. Along the journey, the main characters cross paths with three of Conformity’s workers, each with a dream and a rhythm inside them that has been contained by narrow views of society…  the idea of Conformity. In the end, each of these three bestow upon the main characters their heart songs to be protected against the wrath of Conformity. With the final scene, they face the witch head on, their only defense, the three heart songs in their possession. Each song individually holds power and helps the main characters, but it isn’t until the three songs become one that the battle begins to be won and Michael emerges from the song. For a brief moment, he flashes into the three characters that made up each individual heart song, then returns to Michael with a look that says, “Now you see.” The characters, knowing now, say “They were all Michael.” and it reminded me of a concept I read in a book this past summer. The book was called One by Richard Bach, and in this book we followed two characters that got the chance to explore what was called the grid. This grid was the plane of existence in which held every possible path of life one could take. Each decision ever made formed a different path and they could see them all. Curious, one of the characters asks their guide (also a version of themselves) How many lives could be in one universe? After all if every single person had this many paths, the total amount of lives should be infinite. But the guide simply said “One.” We may all be individuals with our own paths and ideas, but in the end we are all the same. We are one. One species. One entity. One being. In this wholeness, we find infinite possibility and infinite sight. As Bubbles the chimp says in the film, “All you have to do is take a leap of faith.” Anything in this world is possible if we want it bad enough. After the witch is defeated, Michael vanishes in a cloud of gold dust with one last gesture as if asking you to join him and all we are left with is a simple voice over… Michael’s voice. The one and only phrase; “Keep trying, don’t give up. Just believe in yourself.” As one final message, Bubbles emerges from the clouds leaving us with the most important thing learned on this adventure. “Always remember, just follow the music in your hearts.” Never let the chains of society tether you to conformity. Be you. Be as free as the universe and go wherever your heart desires.