The Strength that Lies in Unity—We Are The World by Michael Jackson (USA For Africa)

We are all humans, deserving love and care, regardless of race, class, or gender.

Today, I stumbled upon a collection of songs by the legendary songwriter and singer Michael Jackson. The song that caught my attention the most was "We Are the World."

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"We Are the World" is a timeless song that brings people together through its powerful message of unity and compassion. It serves as a reminder of the importance of coming together as one to make a positive impact on the world.

The lyrics of the song convey a sense of hope and solidarity, emphasising that each individual has the ability to contribute to a better world. The song's collaborative nature, with various artists coming together to sing for a cause, highlights the strength that lies in unity.

Reflecting on this song reminds me of the significance of empathy, kindness, and working together to address global challenges. Michael Jackson, through his lyrics, inspired us to look beyond our differences (race, class, gender, etc.) and focus on what unites us as human beings—our shared humanity and the desire to create a brighter future for all.

While listening to this song, my mind reflected on the reason he composed it.
It brought tears to my eyes, and for a moment, I browsed through photos of that season. It's a history not well known by most people in my generation.

"We Are the World" is a charity song composed to raise funds for the people of Ethiopia during what I see as the biggest challenges in their history: malnutrition, famine, and death. Some say it was due to poor government, which may be true. The value of agriculture was underestimated by the government, and the people suffered greatly for it.
Children suffered from kwashiorkor, mothers couldn't feed their babies because their breasts weren't producing milk, and people were collapsing in the middle of the road.

It's a sad history in Africa. But then, there's this photo that trended and eventually won an award—a photo of a child who slumped on her way to the food camp with a vulture waiting behind. No doubt, a picture speaks a thousand words.

No one knows what actually happened to the child. Was she able to crawl to the food camp, or did she die on her way? Did the vulture eat her as it anticipated?

I guessed it was questions like these that made the photographer commit suicide. You know that feeling of guilt that you would have done something to prevent someone from dying. I also guessed it was because people questioned him and pointed fingers at him that he would have at least taken the child to the food camp.

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We are the world. The change starts with us if we want to make the world a better place. The ability to look beyond differences and extend love and care to people in need is paramount.

Today, as I reflect, I prayed for the grace to be sensitive enough to know when someone needs my help and to be able to help at the right time. Because if you think about it, we're one; we are humans, and that's enough to unite us as a family. Although humans can be tricky and tend to betray at the slightest opportunity, we shouldn't generalise it. There are still honest and genuine people around us.

This song today serves as a beautiful reminder that when we join hands and hearts, we can make a difference in our society and the world at large.

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If you find a moment to spare, you could drop by and listen to the song.