Prologue: This week I was speaking with a member of a venture fund whose colleague committed suicide eight years ago. The person told me how he was still in shock and couldn't bring his mind to be at peace with the tragedy. Hence this post. You may read about the incident.
Credit: interestingfacts
I did not know the late Mr. Barak in person; actually, I have never heard of his name before. It seems unreasonable that a successful young person, whose life seems to be felicitous and prosperous, with a beautiful family and promising career would commit suicide without any warning. Our minds want to reveal the mystery, to understand how such thing could happen and more important - be avoided in the future.
Several reasons were suggested for his action. They may be true, all or in part, we may never know, but I would like to take this opportunity to once again shed some light on the happenings behind the closed door of the psyche.
The average man (or woman) builds their personality since birth and throughout their lives. At some point, this personality, the outer-ego, is beginning a journey of expansion in which it is called to open-up to other parts of itself and ultimately to "its" soul. This process brings to one's personality's doorstep other soul-fragments that need to be assembled and accepted. Those fragments are not always the brightest parts of the soul, to say the least, and in fact, they have the potential to be quite dark. Meaning, some unpleasant experiences may happen in one's life that under sound conditions should propel one to address other parts, neglected or repressed, of their soul self.
To be more concrete – it may happen then that a man would be so identified with his personality, his ego part, that any encounter with such less aware aspect, would be interpreted as a severe and crucial threat to the survival of the personality. Since that man is probably not fully aware of his whole self, his ego would lead him then to the conclusion that there is no hope, that he is doomed. Out of despair and confusion, the personality then does the thing it feared the most – ends itself by committing suicide or creating an opportunity for physical death.
Saved by death
As ironic as it may sound, however, the act of suicide is, in fact, the resort that the personality uses in order to save itself. For it knows, intuitively, deep inside, that it can never be destroyed or annihilated. The personality feels its roots, deeply grounded in framework 2 – the reality behind the reality – and so it gives up and returns there.
What were the circumstances in Mr. Barak's case? He could have faced a financial crisis, or a domestic severe problem or a health issue. Whatever the reason was it is reasonable to assume that the picture he had for the reality he has lived until then was brutally attacked to an unbearable extent. The emotional and mental burden in such cases is extremely cumbersome. Medicine may help for the very short term since it can only ease the mental processes but never stop it.
The remedy
What kind of assistance could be given to people who go through such a personal crisis? Apart from the physical support of loved ones, friends or colleagues (to simply be with them), an explanation of the process would be a good remedy. Once the reasons are explained to the questioning mind, the ego part feels it can regain its control over the situation. That feeling of power, to be in charge again, automatically regenerates the hope within the mind. Consequently, life receives a newer meaning. In fact, the powers and capacities of the personality that were already directed to end life can now be utilized to combat the unfortunate issues very successfully.
Mr. Barak's choice, unfortunate as it was, is honorably respected by his soul part. This of course is not a consolation for his family, wife and four children. Nevertheless, being aware of the mental process may prevent self blame, guilt feelings or inappropriate thoughts.
