a reply to:
Counterintelligence
Seems to me that the issue here is being somewhat muddied.
Let's look at the facts.
1) The man was in massive debt.
2) His lifestyle was a carefully crafted, near fantasy existence.
3) His family unit had become used to certain standards of living, attendant to that lifestyle.
4) He told no one of the debts that he owed.
These things on their own do not say a great deal, but if you consider that ego plays a part in all human interaction and actions, things become a
little clearer, in context.
A self made man, such as the fellow concerned, can easily become overly enamoured of his own success, believe himself capable of feats beyond his
means. What is more, it is easy to loose sight of the big picture, when out in the world, doing big things, spending the big money. If he was as
enamoured of his lifestyle as he was of living, then that would be one thing. But it is not at all unheard of for a fellow to love his lifestyle, more
than his life. He may have had some insecurities about how his family would react to the news that big changes might have to be made, in order that
the family, let alone the business, did not fold financially.
Sometimes ego can be healthy. Sometimes however, it can be dangerous. Someone who has insecurities about the way he might be viewed without the
trappings of success, could become so entrapped by his need to continue to be seen as the biggest cheese, that his reason abandons him. So, in
summary, it is my belief that rather than tell his wife and daughter that he had been incompetent with the businesses money, and that things might
have to dial back abit, or change drastically, he simply offed them, and himself, in the belief that going out on a high, is better than a slow
collapse.
That is speculative at best, but a possibility. A smart man knows that waiting till the tide is high to bring in a boat, means you do not have to
drag it as far up the beach once you land. A wise one knows that crashing into the sea wall as a wave crests against it, is going to destroy the boat.
Seems as if the fellow in the article was not as wise, as he was smart.