Big nose: Two words; many ruins

Professor Niyi Osundare said, “To utter is to alter”. Winners know the power of words. The fastest man ever, Usain Bolt, started his journey to stardom through his words. Long before his awesome feats, Bolt told whoever cared to listen that he was created to break unimaginable records. He started winning with his mouth before he started winning with his legs. He has this to say in one of his interviews: “I told you I was going to be number one, and I did just that”.

Always say the right words, no matter what the situation is. Be mindful of your words; what you are going through is temporal but what you say in what you are going through is permanent. Your situation might not be your choice but your word during the situation is your choice.

“The secret of advancement in life lies in the ability to say the right kind of words”-E.W. Kenyon
Most problems in life only respond to words, in fact problems are created to respond to words! No matter what you do to solve a problem, if you have not spoken to it, then you have not done anything. It is not what you are going through that defines you, but what you say in what you are going through. Be a ‘possibilitarian’, always speak and feed your mind on possibilities. Napoleon Bonaparte said, “Impossibility is found only in the dictionary of fools”.

“Your words are signposts to others, they point in the direction to which your life is moving”- Mike Murdock
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American singer, song- writer and actor, popularly called the king of Pop. His contributions to music have become a legendary feat making him a global idol and figure for over four decades. Jackson’s 1982 album, ‘Thriller’, is the best-selling album of all times and he became one of the very few artistes to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame twice. He was also inducted into the songwriters Hall of fame and the Dance Hall of fame as the first and only dancer from pop and rock music. He had to his credit 13 Grammy Awards, as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He also won the

“Artiste of the Century” and “Artiste of the 1980s” Award in America.
However, many events of the mid-1980s made it clear that Jackson’s appearance was changing dramatically. The shape of his face, particularly his nose, triggered widespread speculation of extensive cosmetic surgery. His skin tone also changed, becoming much lighter. Although Jackson was diagnosed with the skin disorder Vitiligo, it was also widely speculated that the change was due to skin bleaching.

“You can change your world by changing your words”-Joel Osteen
Jackson and some of his siblings said their father had physically and psychologically abused them when they were young. Michael’s father’s cruel remarks about his face caused him to want to completely want to alter his looks. Joe Jackson subjected little Jackson to verbal abuse, told his son repeatedly that he had a big nose and made fun of Michael’s skin condition as a teenager. Michael said that sometimes, when his father walked into a room, he would be so afraid of him that he would vomit; and anytime Michael looked into the mirror, he was unable to see how richly endowed his face was, the only thing he saw back then was his big nose and made up his mind to face it off. In the middle of tinkering with his nose, Michael lost his self-image; he lost his face and eventually lost his life.

“Stop speaking what is happening, start speaking what is written”-Bishop David Oyedepo
The use of derogatory names such as “big nose” by Michael’s father, owing to Michael’s nose size, initiated a personality disorder that later brought upon the young Michael, a psychological condition that got him addicted to people’s concept of how his physical appearance was perceived. Jackson destroyed this natural good look because he never wanted to look like what his father normally called him. His father literally inflicted him with self-hatred and self-mutilation. No doubt as a result of such belittling of his appearance, as he grew older, Michael became obsessed with reducing the size of his nose. He further tinkered with his looks. He began making steady rounds to the dermatologists to bleach out the black of his African-American skin until he became ‘white’.

He annihilated his African skin and nose until no visible traces remained. Michael was never satisfied with his nose, having more and more plastic surgery until the nose was whittled down to nothingness. Michael eventually became the once great entertainer who degenerated into a stranger in his own skin because he was trying to run away from all that his father used to call him!

In an odd twist, Michael died with almost no nose left, he was buried apparently with no nose and Joe Jackson couldn’t call him “Big Nose” any longer. It is amazing how the words of a parent can significantly change the direction of a child’s life. It is sympathetic to know that the acclaimed king of Pop was reduced to nothing by just two words from the man he loved and feared dearly. Two words uttered by Michael’s father eventually altered his destiny; Michael’s greatness was cut short by two words: BIG NOSE!