Suicide and Not Knowing What Things Are For

We don’t know what things are for because we don’t know the meaning of things. We don’t know the meaning of things because the meaning we do assign to things is inaccurate. And the meaning we assign to things is inaccurate because of the type of thinking we are operating from.[1]

As mentioned in previous articles, things are intrinsically neutral. They have no intrinsic value until we assign meaning or value to them, which we have already established is inaccurate. As such, the erroneous meanings we assign further confirm that we don’t really know what things are for. And, this is our biggest source of anguish.

Yet, as mentioned in the last article in this series, while things are intrinsically neutral, they all serve a purpose. The purpose for everything that takes place around us, close to us, in our life, far away from our own life, is all for our own best interest. What things are for, therefore, is all for our own best interest.

Since the purpose of all things is for our own best interest, then the meaning of all things – if we were to assign meaning to things and that would be one universal meaning – would be a Constant. Outside of this universal meaning, outside this universal purpose, outside this Constant, everything would be and is meaningless, because whatever meaning other than this simply does not hold. It varies. It changes from one situation to the next; from one person to the next; and from the same person at a given time to the next person at another given time.

Not knowing or understanding that is not without its major consequence. Not understanding keeps us on a roller coaster – not a fun one mind you, rather, a dreaded one. Not understanding keeps us in an unstable way of living – unpredictable at best, with no external or internal control, and this is rather an exhausting way to live.

This exhausting, high cortisol and catecholamine-driven way of living are associated with anxiety [2], which is often comorbid with depression [3], making up the major risk factors for suicide. In addition, this state of living often leads to self-medicating, leading, to a substance use disorder, which adds to the three highest risk factors for suicide [4].

The reverse is equally poignant. The moment we reach the experiential understanding that everything is for our own best interest, we automatically feel that we are living life with purpose. The moment we reach the experiential understanding that everything is for our own best interest, we automatically experience the universal meaning of things. This in turn helps our goals become unified, synergistic and not contradictory.

When we start living a life with purpose and start having goals that no longer compete with each other, we no longer have a conflicted mind. Our mind becomes healthy. Our brain, mind and body become harmonious. We no longer perceive things; rather, we see things beyond appearances, and we see what’s underneath them – the universal Truth – the universal purpose – the universal meaning – the Constant – that everything is and will always be for our own best interests. This is how we prevent suicide for our patients. This is how we prevent suicide in the world. And this is how we help anyone going through suicide, with an underlying depression, anxiety, or substance use, to come back to life and start living a life with purpose, with meaning, and in harmony with life that they are.

Are you a clinician who would like to learn these skills to help your patients? If so, please join us on June 11^th, for our 6 CEU Full Day Webinar. Click here to register, and

We’ll see you then,
Karen and Mardoche

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[1] Barclay, Craig R., and Henry M. Wellman. “Accuracies and inaccuracies in autobiographical memories.” Journal of Memory and Language 25.1 (1986): 93-103.

[2] Abreu, L. N., et al. “Are comorbid anxiety disorders a risk factor for suicide attempts in patients with mood disorders? A two-year prospective study.” European Psychiatry 47 (2018): 19-24.

[3] Hawton, Keith, et al. “Risk factors for suicide in individuals with depression: a systematic review.” Journal of affective disorders 147.1-3 (2013): 17-28.

[4] Hall, Richard CW, Dennis E. Platt, and Ryan CW Hall. “Suicide risk assessment: a review of risk factors for suicide in 100 patients who made severe suicide attempts: evaluation of suicide risk in a time of managed care.” Psychosomatics 40.1 (1999): 18-27.