RIP @michaelchrist and thank you for reminding us how brightly the light can shine

After deciding to take 2 weeks off from writing posts I have been experpiencing what can only be described as a crappy time, culminating yesterday with the news that a friend took his own life a few days ago in Buffalo NY. USA

There are many things I want to say about why I've been having a crappy time but for now I want to focus on what I knew about this man, Michael Wesley Collins. Known on steem as @michaelchrist

We met in Bali a few years ago, connected by a common friend in London. He was looking for someone to document his life as a film and hoped I was the man for the job. At that time I had just finished doing exactly this with a local artist and didn't feel like doing it again, no matter how unique his life seemed.

Like me he didn't wear shoes or eat meat and like me he was a sungazer who wanted only to bring smiles to the faces of those around him, but unlike me he believed himself to be Jesus.

He never actually said these words to me but it was obvious. The way he dressed. The way he spoke. The marks on his hands & feet. I had previously only read about people like him who believe so firmly that they are able to manifest the wounds on their hands and feet where the steel nails penetrated the flesh of Jesus to attach him to the cross. Such is the power of the mind.

He taught yoga and lived on donations while always making new friends who he would talk to sometimes for days at a time. His energy was friendly but strong and forceful at times.

He didn't seem disappointed that I wouldn't make a film about him, only interested to learn more about me. So I told him about crypto & steemit and the next day he set up his account.

He posted films for a while but didn't seem too impressed with the small rewards.

He invited me to join a FB discussion group and I quickly became aware that he was developing a massive following of thousands.

After Bali he went to the Holy Land in Israel and continued adding people to the group wherever he went. Some of them were clearly sceptical of his claims but most were sold on the idea and literally worshipped him.

I am not personally in the habit of worshiping anyone but I can see why others might have found him alluring.

I have followed some of the chat in his discussion group since then and it was in this way that I learned of his death, confirmed with a local newspaper article.

While I don't think he was Jesus I do think he is a very powerful soul with the ability to gather crowds around him and change lives for the better. His message, like Jesus is one of love and there is a severe shortage of people who teach this message so I can only applaud him for trying in his own way to make a difference.

I don't know the details of what happened. Only that he reluctantly returned to his home town when funds ran out and in the depths of a cold winter he became homeless. He asked a friend if he could stay at their home for a week, where they left him alone for a day and found him dead when they returned. His last words online as far as I can tell are these:

"Have compassion for those who have fallen into this horrible state of despair."

I cannot say I knew him well but I will certainly never forget him.

Thank you Michael for shining your light so bright.