When Pride Becomes a Matter of Life and Death: The Shocking Truth Behind Embarrassment
Family History
My father killed himself. Not literally, with a gun or noose, but with his lifestyle. That’s how my family spoke of it—how he brought on his fatal heart attack with his habits. He chose to drink. He chose to smoke. The cognitive leap to “he chose his heart attack” was short. My mother wouldn’t let us forget his choices.
I learned that lesson beginning with his death, when I was 10, and the lesson stayed with me. It’s barely hidden in the language of my family. Although never stated outright, the implication was clear: he widowed his wife and left his children fatherless. He victimized his family with his behavior.
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