Can Ritual Suicide Bring Peace?

220px-Harakiri_PosterThe wound is the place where the Light enters you–Rumi

I’ve been contemplating suicide lately. Put the phones down. I’m not going to kill myself. My wife has a PhD in Clinical Psychology; she would be the first to recognize the symptoms and hospitalize me if I was suicidal.

What I mean is that I have been thinking about the idea of suicide. I was raised in a Japanese American household where samurai films were as common as Saturday morning cartoons. I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of ritual suicide—hara kiri or, more properly, seppuku. Continue reading

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