Skip to content

Note from the Editor: Today’s Brilliance is a bit different and longer than most. We feel that it’s important to bring things like this up every now and then, so we wanted to share Carl’s wisdom with you today. If discussing suicide is hard for you, we encourage you to come back tomorrow.

One of my older brothers at age 22 took his life. I was just 16 years old. The effects on myself and my family were devastating, beyond description. We had but two choices: to pull together or tear each other apart.

We chose the former and used every bit of strength to rebuild our lives. The challenges were monumental as every day was day one. We had to start over with each sunrise because the aftereffects were so persistent and the pain so ever present that at times it seemed insurmountable. We wondered if we would ever be able to move forward and regain some semblance of life.

Life does go on, with us or without us; we had to forge on and live for ourselves and for my brother. Life is precious and affords us the advantage of reveling in the countless delicious experiences at every turn. There are so many beautiful things to enjoy in this life: the soothing sound of ocean waves lapping the shore, sweet heavenly mountain air, stunning sunrises and sunsets, birds symphonic echoes, the rustling of palm fronds in the warm breezes, brilliant starlit skies….

Kids need to know that no matter what, no matter how desperate they feel, that they are loved, that there is help for them and that suicide is never ever the answer. It is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Life is a gift and every day we wake up is a blessing. No matter the difficulty, we get a redo. We have the luxury of choice in how we will spend our time and what we will do with it.

Having lived through and survived the horrific experience of my brother’s suicide, I am awakened to the purpose in my life. I am paying it forward by illustrating the pain with which the surviving family members are imbued so perhaps it will draw someone back from that edge of desperation.

It is always present, that persistent bit of pain which lurks just beneath the surface, waiting to nudge you back to reality when it awakens with just the slightest influence. We must acknowledge it and never shut it out for we cannot deny who we are and all of the experiences that build upon our foundation. We take ourselves with us wherever we go; that library of records within which defines us and makes us individual.

I am on a mission to save lives… even one. This is my way of paying forward by taking the darkest days of my life and helping others to see the impact of a suicide on the surviving family members. I need to let those who have walked a similar devastating path know that life does go on and that life is for the living. Our scars become an integral part of us as the experiences imprint our souls, but it is what we do with that information that makes us who we are in the end.

If you know someone who is on that final edge of hopelessness, reach out to them. Get them to talk to a family member, a friend, a rabbi, a priest, a doctor, a nurse, a bartender, even a stranger. There are so many avenues of help available, 911, contact organizations, suicide hotlines and the list goes on. Don’t hesitate, second guess or wonder, just do it. Better to be a little over zealous than wishing you would have acted sooner. You might just save a life.

Remember, “Whoever saves a life saves the world entire….”

Avatar photo

Born in Philadelphia, Carl David is the third descendant of a four-generation art dealer family specializing in American and European seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth- and twentieth-century paintings, watercolors, sculptures and drawings.

Along with his expert interest and career as an art dealer, Carl has serious involvement in both music and photography. He does all of the gallery photography work and has several photographic images hosted on Webshots.com and istockphoto.com. His specialties are atmospheric, landscape and travel always with emphasis on the beauty of nature.

Having played piano at a very young age and then teaching himself to play guitar years later, Carl was part of two rock groups during his late teens. After a lengthy hiatus of several decades he has returned to his passion for music. With a mega-keyboard in his studio at home, with headphones donned, he has written nearly a dozen ballads. His first ("My Love For You") written for his wife, was professionally mastered, arranged, and produced by the legendary Dave Appell of Decca Records and Cameo-Parkway Records. His latest song, "Loving You" harks back to the eighties soft rock mode. Several others pieces have been completed and are currently awaiting arrangement and production.

For many years, Carl has had a serious interest in and has been a proponent of all aspects of healing. Of particular interest is "hands on" healing and energy work. Animals are of special love to Carl and are drawn to him as he is to them. He has worked on several over the years. It is as though he is connected to them by an invisible thread. He has woven spirituality and energy work into his daily life. As a firm believer in "paying it forward," he knows that karmic debts must be paid, and is very cognizant of keeping a clear conscious and doing the right thing. What goes around comes around, inevitably. Life has thrown him some nasty turns, but instead of being bitter and resentful, he has tried to learn from each experience and shift his focus toward something positive.

His latest book Bader Field is available at carledavid.com, nightengalepress.com, and other online retailers. It is also available for immediate download on the iPad, iPhone and iPod in the Apple iBookstore as well as on the Kindle, Nook, Kobo and in about 60 other digital markets. 

For more information, please visit carledavid.com

Recent Releases

This Post Has 0 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *