By The Iconic Prince, April 19, 2018
Prince will always be celebrated and remembered for his music, philanthropy, lyrics, mentorship, faith and beautiful spirit.
It’s disheartening that there are those who attempt to diminish a person’s life accomplishments and doubt their authenticity as a result of a series of unfortunate events, despite a lifetime of evidence to the contrary.
Without burying our heads in the sand and being in denial, we know that something went terribly wrong, and there are still unanswered questions, but no amount of blame assignation or misplaced animosity will make things right.
When a loved one dies (and he is family to those who love him), it’s heartbreaking – it’s like being enveloped in a cavernous hole from which there is no means of escape; when death occurs for reasons we feel could/should have been avoided, it’s doubly so because it is assumed that without a definitive answer closure cannot be attained.
We’ve seen examples of family members who have lost loved ones due to tragic circumstances not being able to move on. Sometimes a grieving person lives in such a fog that other family members, even though alive, become a distant memory. In short, there are those who live as though nothing or no one is worth living for – and that’s a dangerous, unrewarding, unhappy existence.
Prince’s quote should serve to teach us something about ourselves, of being too judgmental and unforgiving:
“As human beings we suffer from an innate tendency to jump to conclusions; to judge people too quickly and to pronounce them failures or heroes without due consideration of the actual facts and ideals of the period.”
Prince is a hero despite whatever problems he may have encountered during the course of being a human being. He is a hero due to his countless charitable deeds; he is a hero due to his mentorship; he is a hero due to his bravery in challenging the recording industry; he is a hero due to his courage to be different; he is a hero because of his open and unabashed love of God; he is a hero because of his defense of the disenfranchised and downtrodden; he is a hero for attempting to be the best that he can be; he is a hero for loving others unconditionally.
And he deserves to be loved unconditionally, too.
His life was full and mingled with the bountiful cup of joy, along with the venomous sting of discontentment to which we are all privy (in varying degrees) over the course of a lifetime.
Take heed from him as to the manner in which we should cope when losing someone we love: He said, “I have written a song that says: If you ever lose someone dear to you, never say the words, “They’re gone,” and they’ll come back.”
Yes, Prince has gone on to another realm where we are all certain to follow, but he is not gone from the hearts of those who remember him.
In the words of Prince: “I am here. Where are you?”
The Iconic Prince 