After weeks of watching, waiting and staring at the train wreck that was the Michael Jackson trial, the spectacle ended Monday as a jury of his peers acquitted the King of Pop.

The circus might be over, but the shock and awe of what circus watchers witnessed remains troubling.

In the end, Jackson is free from these charges. Some folks may argue that the jury's decision "proves" Jackson didn't commit the crimes of which he was accused. In reality, the decision only confirms the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

While Jackson was found not guilty of the charges involving alleged child molestation and conspiracy, the fact that he slept in the same bed with children not related to him remains seriously disturbing.

Perhaps the only thing more disturbing is the knowledge that a parent would knowingly allow this kind of behavior.

Jackson's talents as a performer reach heights equal only to the depths of weirdness he reaches in his personal life. If a grown man having trained monkeys to help him clean his home isn't odd enough, Jackson's practice of sharing his bed with children - no matter how chaste - is just beyond comprehension.

Jackson was acquitted Monday by the jury, but his pop-star crown has been tarnished by the whole investigation and the startling truths about his private life that it uncovered.

We hope Jackson spends a few minutes this week listening to one of his old hits and its newfound meaning.

His 1988 No. 1 hit "Man in the Mirror" contained the following lyrics.

"I'm starting with the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to change his ways. And no message could have been any clearer. If you wanna' make the world a better place, if you wanna' make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change."

Well, put, Michael. We hope you'll put your life where your heart once was.