Recently, to prove to people that he’s not dead, Jon Bon Jovi posted a picture of himself online with the statement that “Heaven looks a lot like New Jersey”. I’m sure a lot of people think what he did is funny and are probably very happy to find out that he’s really alive, after rumors of his death were all over the Internet. However, I’m not laughing. I don’t consider myself a serious guy and I like to find humor wherever I can, but Bon Jovi is really making light of an eternal matter.
Newsflash to Bon Jovi: heaven isn’t really New Jersey. I think it’s arrogant to say that, and he never really died to find out where heaven really is. Plus, if he was right, how come no one has found John Lennon, Elvis, or Ray Charles there?
Bon Jovi’s joke is a way to think about how your reputation is on the line in whatever you do. It’s important to not make light of serious matters when it comes to your own reputation management. What will people think of him from now on? Have you ever made a mistake by saying or doing something that was too frivolous for a serious situation? How did people respond? If you’re thinking of saying something in public you know is questionable, then consider what kind of image you’re putting out there. Everyone doesn’t have the same sense of humor and doesn’t see the world in the same way.