Is Violence A Quest For Identity?

With the two recent high profile suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, I find myself thinking yet again of what possesses a person to do the unthinkable: to commit such an egregious and final act of self-violence, that to try to make sense of it boggles the mind and sickens the soul. I then turn my attention to global news, in a mistaken attempt to relieve myself of the nauseous and depressed feeling that comes over me after reading the latest reports of these two aforementioned lives that are no longer.

The violence that perpetually plays out throughout the world and glaringly rings out to me through the articles of current events, just makes me stop and take a breath. And pray. And then I’m reminded that action is necessary, and that my purpose is to help others remember the most beautiful aspect of who they are, and to find their strength and make the most out of their lives. I begin to feel better.

The question of violence, against self or others, still hangs over me. I begin to ponder if violence, specifically on a mass scale, is somehow a quest for identity? RFK’s assassination was 50 years ago this month. As I delve into articles about his incredibly transformative life, as well as the times that he, and Dr. King who was taken just 2 months before him, were living in when they were so violently taken from the world, I’m reminded of the quickly expanding sense of consciousness that was spreading like wildfire throughout society during that era, and that these two men were promulgating.

The dark forces were threatened by the trend toward inclusiveness for the good of all, and took these men and others, including JFK, but why?Because their identity was being threatened, their strong hold on society, and society’s acceptance of their way as THE way was being upended. Identity. Power. Control. At any cost. Even if that means perpetuating violence against your fellow man.

We need to socially, politically, personally take up where King and Bobby Kennedy were cut off. We need to help those people who want to take their own lives by reminding them of their unique role and benevolent purpose here on earth. That their identity as forces for the good are absolutely necessary for everyone. We need to embrace all people, whether we know them or not, and we must keep reiterating how important and sacred all life is. We need to stop the dark forces, not with violence, but with the most mighty awesome force field, energy, that created us in the first place. Which we, each and every one of us, possesses.