Suicide levels continue to explode
Before we “kill our body”, we are “spiritually attacked” in our heart and mind. In that state of suffering, evil spirits give us the “excuse or reasons” to kill ourselves.
Each year, close to 43,000 Americans die by suicide, and for the past two decades, suicide rates have been on the rise in the United States, particularly among men aged 45 to 64 and girls aged 10 to 14 -- a demographic whose rates have tripled since 1999. In 2024 there was a dramatic uptick where 49,400 Americans died by suicide. Many adults think about suicide or attempt suicide. 12.8 million Seriously thought about suicide. 3.7 million made a plan for suicide. 1.5 million attempted suicide.
Considering the present state of the world there might be every reason to believe that these numbers may continue to increase and if we scale these numbers over a 10 year period this means that there is an epidemic of despair created by the human condition.
We feel alone and without a clear idea about whether or not we will have a meaningful future for ourselves.
There is a certain emotional desperation when people are steeped in aloneness which is what a lot of young people are feeling as they become isolated in a virtual world disconnected from tactile human relationships supported by love and not image or perceptions. Similarly. as people age in this society we can find ourselves without family, closeness and a meaningful connection to community.
This all leads to deep forms of depression from where there doesn’t seem to be any escape – and no accessible solutions.
Such conditions have existed throughout the history of human civilization and we formed spiritual beliefs to help counter the despair that drives suicidal behaviors. The great mysteries that leave us uncertain as to what might wait for us in the afterlife has provided religion an opportunity to create certain barriers which cause us to think about the unknown risks that may lie ahead of us.
But today, the majority of people have abandoned religion so they are often without spiritual guidance during these intense times.
As I was pondering this article I found an interesting perspective not within religious commentaries but within an indigenous one.
A while back Richard Boyden a former instructor at Haskell Indian Nations University contributed a special article to the Lakota Times, called “Journey to the Spirit World by Suicide”. Boyden references “Tunkasila” which is a Lakota word meaning "grandfather" and is used as a term of reverence for the Great Spirit or the Creator. It is a term of respect and a way to address the powerful, benevolent, spiritual entity that is understood to be the source of all things and a guiding force for the Lakota people.
This was a email received Dec. 12, 2007 concerning a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. A state of emergency was declared on the Rosebud Sioux Tribe reservation in March of 2007 because of the increase in suicides and attempted suicides.
“Hey we had another suicide you probably heard about last week, also four attempted this past weekend, the youngest being 14 year old male, who tried to hang himself but was caught, one cut their wrist, one overdosed, the last just happened last night, didn’t get the info on how they tried.
I now am hearing that the kids today are thinking “It’s the in thing to do”…on some of their bebo pages they brag about…if they are going to go out, “they are going to go out to suicide, end their own chit.” I’m in total disbelief right now, this is a emergency situation. I think what’s needed to be done to try to combat the situation is change their perception of thinking, shove it down their throats, Suicide is evil, something is messed up here.” – Anthony Bordeaux Jr.
Traditional Lakota beliefs say our spirit enters into the spirit world upon the death of our body. Once there, it is our hope to experience the healing of our hearts, be with our loved ones and relations, and where all suffering and pain is no more.
There are many reasons for the death of the body, such as old age with the body simply wearing out like an old moccasin. Other things contribute to the death of our body such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, which are primary killers.
Then there are the drug and alcohol death destroying affects on our spirits and bodies. Drugs and alcohol allow for “spirit-heart changers” (evil spirits) to overthrow hearts and minds. They inspire bad behaviors that hurt and kill as evidenced in rape, abuse, fights, beatings, shootings, stabbings, child molestations, and alcohol connected car accidents. They work to destroy marriages, families, young and old alike.
Alcohol is the preferred beverage of the devil, his “death drink” that is used by evil spirits to “change our hearts and spirits.”
The death that is different from all others is death by self-murder which we call suicide. This is when we make a choice to “kill ourselves.” We do this because we believe that we will be delivered from all that troubles us here in this life. We are “evil spirit led” to believe this, otherwise we would not attempt to kill ourselves. Lakota spirituality does not allow for, inspire, or give examples of suicide as being the will of Tunkasila.
Suicide is ONLY the killing of one’s body. The spirit does not ever die. When the body dies when we kill ourselves, the spirit continues to live in the spirit world.
We are awake as we are in reading these words now. All the feelings, thoughts, and experiences that lead to suicide first begin with a “spiritual thought” that is next acted out through our flesh in the act of killing ourselves.
Before we “kill our body”, we are “spiritually attacked” in our heart and mind. In that state of suffering, evil spirits give us the “excuse or reasons” to kill ourselves. The ONLY goal of “evil spirits” is to “convince us” that there is no other choice in life but to kill ourselves and that suicide is our only escape from the pain we are suffering here. The same spirits that give us reasons to “kill ourselves” also inspire the real life experiences which hurt us.
One of the most hurtful experiences is when our heart is betrayed by the one we love, who we find with another. Boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife, THIS betrayal of our heart has been said to be the same as death itself for THIS pain is not measurable in words. It is then we “feel like dying” and it is THEN we are at our weakest, and it is THEN that the evil spirits put the thought into our mind that “killing ourselves” is THE ANSWER for us to escape this pain and to “hurt those that hurt us” because they “broke our heart” when they betrayed us.
How cunning are these evil spirits? Think about this. Not only do they try to get you us to kill ourselves but they also were the source of the lusts, thoughts, and feelings in the minds of those that chose to betray our love!
To understand how “evil spirits” are able to take us over so easily, there was a man who wrote about an experience he had in the spirit world. He was shown how these evil spirits can enter and influence us. He was in a military hospital and very sick. All of a sudden, he “died” on the operating table.
Amazingly, he then began to experience his spirit leaving his body. His first understanding was to feel and know that he was in the presence and company of one who identified himself as Jesus. He was then given the following experience for his own understanding.
He next found himself witnessing a scene in a bar near a military base where he saw many men who were heavily drinking. He also noticed that they were other “bodies” there who were trying to drink but they were unable.
Each time these other bodies tried to grab a drink, their hand passed through the glass. The man then realized the “others” trying to drink were “spirits” of those who had died and now in the spirit world that they still wanted to drink but without a “body of flesh,” they could not ever experience that. This was their condition in the spirit world.
Next this man then saw a particular man that had been drinking heavily so much that he passed out and fell on the floor. Immediately he saw the man’s forehead open up a spiritual hole.
He was shocked to see that one of the spirits of those that had died had died and had no body and was trying to drink his drink, IMMEDIATELY entered into him through that opening in his forehead like a flash of lightening.
That experience explains how alcohol and drugs are the door opener for evil spirits to influence our thoughts and feelings and then our actions. It is when one is drinking alcohol and or doing drugs, that anger, rage, hate, beatings, abuse, rapes, killings etc, take place and this is because they are “evil spirit” inspired. Sometimes one remembers what they do when “under the influence of EVIL SPIRITS (through alcohol and drugs), other times no.
The most EVIL of acts we commit are inspired by those spirits caste out of Heaven and they are here on earth without bodies. Their work ONLY work is to change our hearts and thinking so that we do the most evil things to one another and ourselves.
They are the spirits that convince us to kill ourselves even as they inspired the Oppressor to kill us!
Alcohol and drugs allow evil spirits to become one with our thinking. They then work to convince us that “their thoughts” are OURS. It is then they are able to get us to believe the LIE that there is only ONE WAY to stop all of our pain, to end the memories of suffering. The work on us until they finally overcome our will power and thinking, IT IS THEN WE KILL OURSELVES because we believe THEIR LIE!
The following story is a powerful, sad, and painful one. During a ceremony during a sweat, Beatrice, and her husband Ed, had a very revealing and powerful experience “FROM the spirit world.” It came in the form of a young Lakota woman who committed suicide at the age of 17. While they were singing and praying, a light began to appear before them. As it increased in size, they began to see the face of this young woman they knew.
Her name was Darliss, she was a past student of Beatrice. Darliss had committed suicide two weeks before because her heart was betrayed. The spirit of Darliss was before them and weeping. She said to Beatrice, “I am sorry, I am sorry, I didn’t mean to do it.”
In the spirit world, Tunkasila allowed Darliss to experience and feel in her heart and mind every single emotion of pain and sorrow of those that loved her as if it was her own.
As a result, she suffered “with them” because of what she did.
She wept as they wept and mourned as they mourned over her death, when they found out, at the wake, the funeral, and in the private places of weeping and wailing where no one saw them except her! . To was no escape, no joy, no deliverance from THIS pain and suffering. This was the consequence of her being “deceived” to kill herself. She was so sorry that she HURT THEM THAT MUCH and had she known, she would never have killed herself. One has to ask yourself when you are being given thoughts by evil spirits to kill yourself, do YOU want to hurt those who love you THAT MUCH?
Think of the “two way mirror” in a CSI movie where you see but are not seen by those on the other side. You will weep and wail and cry out for forgiveness and try to explain to them your mistake to all those you loved and who loved you, your mother, father, grandparents, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, relatives and friends. But it is no use because you can neither be seen or heard.
You realize once you are in the “spirit world” that you were deceived by “evil spirits” into believing the LIE that committing suicide was the “right thing or cool thing do.” And it is then you suffer the torment and pain in realizing your act of self-murder cannot be undone. Will there be an end to this torment? YES there IS an end to this torment but when is Tunkasila’s decision.
What does all of this mean in “real time’? It means one ceases to do in their life all that you know hurts and harms another including oneself. You do what you must to quit drinking, doing drugs, gambling. You seek out help, go to ceremonies, and pray for change. It means you go to those you have hurt and tell them you are sorry and ask for their forgiveness and that you forgive those that hurt you.
It means to become once again the faithful husband and wife, the mother or father that has been missed and is needed by your children, the relative and friend that was once there and needs to return. It means you forgive yourself even as Tunkasila has forgiven you. It means you begin to love yourself because you ARE Lakota.
This is the way to heal the broken hoop, to break the cycle of oppression and hate learned from the Oppressor. Tunkasila is waiting for us to turn to Him and ask for the strength to change in our hearts. He will heal us of our pain. That is what the sun dance is really about, as shown by the ultimate sacrifice of THE First Sun Dancer, even Jesus, the ultimate gift of healing and love.
He is asking us this day to decide which road to take, the Red Road of blessing and healing and which restores our love for Him and one for another or the “Black Road” so many find ourselves on now, the one of evil inspired by the devil himself, the one of cursing, death, and hell, the one destroying our people individually and collectively.
The choice is before us to have restored that which was lost at Wounded Knee on December 28, 1890. This was the vision, purpose, and prayer of the ghost dance. It is said in our prophecies given to us by Tunkasila that the oppressors will never change for our good.
This is why we must pray together to Tunkasila in the name of the One who represents all that is Lakota, even Jesus, to deliver all of His Oyate from the evil spirits representing the oppressors so that are no more found in our hearts.
We can once again be the Lakota people of one heart, one mind, dwelling in righteousness with no poor among us. May we begin to love one another and be the Lakota People we are called to be after the order of Him who taught us His way in the beginning.
Richard Boyden is a former instructor at Haskell Indian Nations University, a former US Marine and combat veteran as well as an attempted suicide survivor. This article is reprinted from the Lakota Times: https://www.lakotatimes.com/articles/journey-to-the-spirit-world-by-suicide/
Indigenous societies speak of the “loss of the soul” when people lose their meaning and purpose. Psychologist Viktor Frankl in his work “Man's Search for Meaning” describes a spiritual or existential "loss" that occurs when a person loses their will to meaning. This loss of spiritual hold, or a "loss of meaning," leads to a decline in a person’s psychological and spiritual self, ultimately resulting in a sense of meaninglessness, disorientation, and even death. Frankl's experiences in concentration camps showed that while extreme circumstances could destroy many things, including dignity and hope, it was the loss of a future-oriented purpose that truly doomed an individual.
A person without a future purpose to strive for, even in the direst circumstances, would lose their will to live and, consequently, their inner spiritual strength. Spiritual and existential decline wasn't just physical but spiritual; it involved the loss of hope, dignity, and a sense of purpose that gives life meaning.
Frankl argued that a person's mental and spiritual state was a result of an inner decision, even in the face of external suffering. The "loss" came when that inner decision was to give up. Hope for a future goal or a loved one was a crucial element that maintains a person’s psychological and spiritual self and kept them from losing their spiritual hold.
A lack of future purpose leads to a feeling of being powerless and disoriented. The loss of meaning can make existence feel pointless, as seen when Frankl himself experienced extreme despair after his family's death. Without this inner purpose, individuals would decline and lose their hold on life, both figuratively and literally.
There is a misperception that suicides happen without warning. While this does occur, most of the time the person suffering has attempted to communicate his or her distress or plans to someone else. It may not be clearly stated, so asking direct questions about suicide can start the conversation and help-seeking process.
Increased substance abuse, anxiety, agitation, difficulty sleeping or dramatic mood changes can indicate someone is at risk. A feeling of hopelessness and being trapped or having no sense of purpose can be warning signs. Social withdrawal, uncontrolled anger and reckless behavior also are causes for concern. Most importantly, if people talk about wanting to hurt or kill themselves, threaten to hurt or kill themselves or indicate they are attempting to find a method to kill themselves, seek immediate help.
Don't let it go and hope they aren't thinking about suicide. Ask them directly if they are thinking about suicide. You can say, "I care about you. Some of the things you've said or done have made me wonder. Are you thinking about killing yourself?" It's that simple.
If they say they are considering suicide, don't judge, don't deny and don't dare. Telling them "Don't say that" or "You shouldn't feel like that" will likely send the message that you aren't interested in continuing this important conversation. Saying "Oh, you don't mean that; you have so much to live for" shows you are not listening. Denying their perspective diminishes the likelihood of having them open up to you. Don't promise to keep it a secret. Get support for yourself and for the person talking about suicide.
If we want to change this serious social dynamic we need to shift ourselves and our society. We need to imagine a better future and work on tangible actions as we create that future. That future depends in each of us.
Your life is now.
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