Integrity In Michael Jackson's Man In The Mirror

Integrity is a quality that few people possess, but once it becomes a part of them, they are able to bring righteousness to this world. We all have experienced times when we wish to bring about a great change, but fail to do so because we are bound by our own selfish nature. A person can only change the greater world once they understand the truth of their own identity and push to move beyond to improve it. This idea is explored in “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson. The song focuses on the efforts of the singer to self-reflect. In the song, the singer wants to change the world but believes that he needs to understand and improve himself to positively change the world. Like Michael Jackson, I have also experienced a time where I was unable …show more content…
One needs to look in the “mirror” to really see who one is and believe in their identity to challenge injustice. In my experience, I realized that I hadn’t really appreciated the lack of confidence in my own ethnicity. I was also a Pakistani immigrant, but I didn’t display my true self as I found it to be inferior to the “western” culture. My insecurity played a part in my response to the blatant racism. The main thing I lacked in that moment was integrity. I didn’t want to do the right thing and speak up without being told. I lacked integrity because, in the past, I never took the effort to stand up and challenge unfairness because it pushed me out of my comfort zone. These points emphasize the fact that I hadn’t accepted the truth of my identity, therefore I was frozen in that moment when I witnessed injustice. In the song, Michael Jackson sings “As I turned up the collar on my favorite winter coat, This wind is blowin' my mind”. Jackson is covering himself from the apparent problems around him but the “wind” still blows on his mind. Likewise, I also was covering myself from the man’s racist comments and tried ignoring it. This example connects to both the singer and I as we became ignorant to the injustice around us, as it made us uncomfortable to acknowledge it. “I've been a victim of a selfish kinda love, It's time that I realize, There are some with no home, Not a …show more content…
He opened up and came to the realization that he could help improve the world by coming to terms with his troubled past and being confident enough to take the step to change the “man in the mirror”. A person can only help the world once they have a firm understanding of themselves and seek to gain