This month of August on the 10th A billionaire Jeffrey Epstein who was on trial for Paedophile and trafficking activities committed suicide in his jail cell, it was reported. He had been a friend with Donald Trump for 20 years before a fallout on property business. Multiple reports also include in his circle of friends Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew. When we see and hear of Billionaires we would like to think of destiny reached and identity not compromised. The question we ask ourselves is that; will that be always the reality.
Julian Crowley, author of the article: 10 Millionaire Businessmen Who Committed Suicide; opens the article with the following:
We live in a society filled with dreams and aspirations of wealth, a society that likes to believe that money will bring with it happiness and success. The will to succeed is overpowering for some, and the pressure can be all-consuming. Mental pressure can take many forms; stress can enter our lives at any time, regardless of timing or situation. The following men were all successful businessmen who committed suicide. The millions in their bank accounts did nothing to ease their suffering…
In spite of the aspired dreams of wealth became such a reality, all these people suffered from mental torture to the point they decided to run away from their thoughts or run away from themselves by committing suicide.
These Billionaires and millionaires ran away from their thoughts. They ran away from themselves. They could not stand facing themselves. On the outside they accomplished “everything” but inside they were collapsing. They had public victories but private defeats. This is the life of many of us maybe we are not committing instant suicide but a very slow suicide that is stretched over many years.
Whatever dreams we have, whatever aspirations we would like to see reached. We seem to be running away from ourselves. It is as though we see the greatest nightmare everything we look in the mirror. This is the world culture today. The media and the fashionable language today is screaming: Run away from your thoughts!!
We party, we go to friends, we fly halfway around the world yet the driving force is to run away from ourselves. These Billionaires and millionaires arrived in their positions running away from themselves. Most of our dreams are outward destined but running away from our inner self. Can we truly say to ourselves: Destiny reached and identity not compromised?
We seem to be chasing what we have seen as our destinies, but we go to them running away from our identities. Like a tree that thinks growing up is to fly and be uprooted from the ground. We do not know that we, like a tree need to grow up, but stay rooted
That is my simple message today: do not run to a destiny that compromises your identity. You can reach the heights of the birds and still be rooted in the ground. You can keep the Trumps of this world without having to move away from the advises of your “poor” mom and dad. If your identity is incomplete so is your destiny. Do not allow the world to sell you destiny that is rooting you out from your identity.
The most life changing movie with the most episodes I have ever watched in the shortest space of time is Resurrection Ertugrul a Turkish Muslim drama. The writer never compromised the Turkish traditions and not even their religion. As a Christian and a Westernised Hollywood Indoctrinated African it would be impossible even to finish one season, but I was amazed at the truth of growing up without growing up. There is not a single Christian movie which is as truly African and as Truly Christian as that movie was truly Turkish yet truly Muslim. They reached the world without compromising their identity.
And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
When these billionaires and millionaires came to themselves they chose suicide. Come to yourself today come to your identity and you will not loose your destiny
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
First come to yourself before you go to the Father. This is what the Father needs to bring us to ourselves. Face your true identity. Confront your short comings as well. Deal with issues and His grace is sufficient. Do not choose the easy way out of addictions.
In our pursuit for success let us not forget who we are. Let us fill our time with purpose and leave a legacy here on earth. We can have our destiny reached and identity not compromised. Succeed without betraying your belief system and traditions so that there will be succession in generations to come.
