You Never Know Who You Touch

by Dick Mac

We all impact those around us.

We touch people. The way we walk down the street, the way we hold the door and treat others in public settings. The way we drive and talk about other drivers. The way we gossip. The way we worship (or not), the way we vote (or not), the way we party (or not), all make an impression on those we encounter.

Some do it better than others.

Famous people (even famous people like Charles Barkley who pretend they have none) have a responsibility to the general public. They become role models and heroes and goats based not just on the performance of their jobs, but their general persona while handling their adoring public.

Movie stars sometimes are saddled with the persona of a character they portray, which is the unfairest of all situations. Athletes have it easier because they perform in a specific way, all the time. Pop stars have to walk a line between these other groups: they can keep their private lives as hidden as possible, or they can allow their private lives to become part of the public record. The bigger the star, the more likely the latter.

Justin Bieber had a documentary made of his short, but full life; and his adoring fans saw a side of them we generally do not see of any star.

The documentary played on my television a few weeks ago while my daughter watched it. I caught glimpses but didn't pay much attention to it. My generation had Paul McCartney, Davey Jones, Michael Jackson, Bobby Sherman, and Donny Osmond who were adored by the girls in the neighborhood; my daughter and her crowd have Justin Bieber, the lads from Big Time Rush, and I am certain there are others.

So, Bieber releases this movie. The scene I remember most clearly is him on a seat with a guitar, being lifted high above the audience, singing personally to each and ever individual girl who could see him. It was actually really good. He did an amazing job, and it was that clip that made me remember that although professional wrestling has scripted outcomes, the stuff that happens between bells includes pretty amazing physical feats. That is, Bieber may be packaged and coiffed and incessently marketed to the point of over-saturation; but he really is an entertainer, a performer, and a musician, and he's pretty damn good at it.

So . . . I have deduced that there is some part of the film that shows Bieber's personal struggle with the things a tween must face. I don't know what that is (or those are), but an article today (linked below) tells the story of a girl whose father died on 9/11. The girls wrote a ltter to President Obama, who arranged a personal meeting among the girl, her sister, a friend, and Justin Bieber:

It inspired us to believe in ourselves and share our story to encourage others.

- Payton Wall

Justin Bieber didn't know he would touch these fatherless girls in this manner, but he did touch them in a way that was important to them, and then along with the President, he made a very special day for them.

And that is the way we should all hope to touch the lives of those around us.

Justin Bieber's Pal President Obama Introduces Him To 9/11 Teens