Aaron James Braasch (09/19/75 - 02/11/12)

Devastation

I couldn't be more devastated to have to walk this world for the rest of my life without my brothers.

My heart is irreparably and irrevocably shattered.

I will always love you, Aaron and Jacob.

Aaron James Braasch (09/19/75 - 02/11/12)

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

Moderate Is As Moderate Does

I have a new piece up at Daylight Atheism on Big Think.

I know, it's been a long time.

Grad school keeps getting in the way of my online ranting and raving.

Here you go:

http://bigthink.com/ideas/41849

The One I Love

I woke up last night, crying for you.

I held your ashes like a teddy bear and cried myself back to sleep.

And, this morning I realized that I woke up right at the moment that you died, 3 months short of two years ago.

I spent today crying for you, missing you, mourning you.

I will always love you, Jacob.

I'm going to make everything ok.  I promise.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)

Religious Gas-Lighting on Daylight Atheism

I have a new piece up at Daylight Atheism.

I really like how this one turned out.

It's about refusing to be gas-lighted by the Religious Right anymore.

Here it is:

http://www.daylightatheism.org/2011/08/religious-gas-lighting.html

An Atheist's Confession

In loving memory of my baby brother, Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 – 02/02/10)

My beloved baby brother, Jacob, hung himself last year in my parents’ basement.  I wouldn’t wish my pain on my worst enemy.  It’s been a year and a half, and, sometimes, I still can’t get out of bed or stop crying.  I’ll be in public, and I’ll inexplicably, to anyone else, burst into sobbing, jagged tears.  I blame a lot of people for his death, especially my parents.  But, mostly, I blame myself.  I walked away from my life to save my life, when I was still a child myself, but, in doing so, I walked away from Jacob.  I had promised to take care of him, to love him, to keep him safe and well, and I broke that promise.  Now, I am broken.  I will never forgive myself. 

I would make a Faustian bargain, I would sell my soul to the devil, I would torture myself, to get five more minutes with him, to be able to tell him one last time how much I love him, to tell him how sorry I am.  I would gouge out an eye.  I would hack off a limb.  I would sacrifice my life. 

I would try to contact his spirit.  And, I did try.  When I was in Paris still, in the months following Jacob’s suicide, I spent my days curled up in a fetal position on the floor of my apartment, screaming, and intermittently vomiting.  At first, I couldn’t even get up off the floor to go to the bathroom to vomit.  I would just vomit on the floor and lie in it.  It was the one time I was grateful for the indifference of my Parisian neighbors.  I thought I would die of grief.  I wanted to die, but I stopped from killing myself when I thought of the pain I would be inflicting upon my remaining two siblings. 

I begged Jacob’s ghost or spirit or essence or alternate version living in a parallel universe to visit me, to communicate with me, to contact me in some way.  I promised not to be scared.  As I was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, which is a demon and occult-obsessed cult of demonology, not being scared of demons or evil spirits is not something that comes easily to me, even decades after leaving the religious community.  They believe that demons are real.  They believe that demons can hurt you physically, sexually, and psychologically.  They believe that demonic attack is an ever-present threat.  They don’t believe in hell, so they have to bring hell to earth.  I was already in hell, and I would have let a demon rape me, if it meant being able to see my baby brother again. 

I tried everything.  I bought all the books.  I lit the candles.  I did the research.  I burned his ashes.  I prayed to his picture.  I cast a sacred circle with salt after I swept it clean with a broom.  I built an altar to the four directions/elements.  I cast the spells.  I recorded my ceremonies and played back the video/audio, searching desperately for a message from the beyond. 

I sat in my fucking sacred circle of salt, before my altar, and I screamed for Jacob to haunt me, even if he wanted to hurt me, even if he was mad at me, even if he hated me.  I cut myself. 

But, he didn’t come. 

I am slowly creating a new life for myself.  Each day is a struggle.  I can’t tell you how maddening it is to want justice for your loved ones and for yourself when there is none to be had.  You go crazy, you kill yourself, or you continue on.  I sometimes envy my other beloved baby brother, Aaron.  He’s a heavily medicated paranoid schizophrenic.  I sometimes just want to let go and lose my fucking mind too. 

I’ve decided to devote the rest of my life to trying to fix all of those things, which hurt me and mine so much.  In Jacob’s honor and in Jacob’s name.  I am going to leave a glorious legacy for the both of us.  I am going to live for the both of us. 

Jacob is my savior.  Jacob’s death gave me back my relationship with my baby bro, Aaron.  Jacob’s suicide released me from my fear.  It enraged me, and I am using that rage as motivation. 

And, in a funny way, Jacob helps me to be less afraid of the dark and less afraid of demons. 

Because, if there is a spirit world, then I know that Jacob is in it.  And, I know that he would never let anyone or anything hurt me.

I know he would kick a demon’s disembodied ass before he’d let him touch me.

I will always love you, Jacob. 

And, you can come visit me anytime you want.  

Living For Two

Jacob died for me.

And, so, I live for him.

And, I'm not going to fail him.  This time.

I am going to leave the most glorious legacy for him.

I will always love you, Jacob.

Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 - 02/02/10)