Yesterday a man who once worked for Price Waterhouse murdered his family and himself, apparently in response to our financial 9/11. For what? Did he think that the loss of things was worse than the loss of life? Did he not know that being a perfectly mangled human being is a natural part of the fabric of what happens in this universe?
Surely we can grant that this man probably suffered from the depressive stresses triggered by unemployment and other painful moments. Still, had he not fallen into the trap of believing too much in the power of things, I think his whole life would have been different. Those children would be alive. Could you learn something from this?
Do you see how trivial the pursuit of things becomes when it is subordinated to the value of life’s integrity? Integrity: a holding together, an integration of what matters in a world of relentless changes. Integrity, although a word for a characteristic and a principle, is the only thing we have to set things aright.
Please don’t become that man.
Don’t be so hard on yourself.
Don’t take it all too seriously.
Nothing lasts forever, not even depression.
Value your integrity, not your things.
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OK Phil, very small world… even out here in the blogosphere. I just finished reading about that horrible tragedy and thought to myself… hmm I could exponentiate a blog post about this.
Great thoughts as always my friend.