From Parts Unknown To A Known Part

I watched him week in and week out, telling stories he alone seemed to know how to narrate. His stories were so compelling that even the most unadventurous would like to venture into the "Parts Unknown." To many that watched his shows, the parts of the world he took us to are mainly unknown to us; from cuisine to cuisine and coast to coast, he told the story of ordinary people with their food. He was not just introducing the food; he was revealing the life of everyday people right in their community to a world audience.
And yes, he was in Lagos. Choosing not to be in the glowing light of Lagos metropolis, but instead, the squalor of Lagos Marina, and where else could you get the original "Naija" delicacy, if not in the place where everyday Nigerian thrives in an ever-challenging environment. And that, to me, mirrors the approach of Anthony Bourdain as he globe-trots, all in a bid to stimulate our appetite. I could hear him say, "uhmm delicious" as he tasted the food, revealing how our cultures are interwoven with our everyday meals.
He seemed to be enjoying what he was doing. Anderson Cooper once said of him, "he has the best job," saying, "he is being paid to travel the world.". No one can dispute that; a job that allows you to pursue your passion while travelling the world? Who would not want that job? Who? As far as we knew, he had reasons to look forward to the next part of the world his quest led him to. He wants to tell more stories in cuisines.
The only part he did not take us through was the path leading to his heart; it was a part unknown to many of us, his followers. A part of him, that even him, with his talent and oratory, could not narrate to himself, talk less of a listening audience. It was a path that he chose to walk alone, without notice to anyone. It was s a path that many of us got to know of as the news broke that Anthony Bourdain died, of suicide, aged 61. Anthony has left the search for the part unknown, and has taken a torturous path to a "Known Part," a part that is defined by death, a path that offers no return.
As I reflect on this news at the time, it occurred to me that this man impacted so many lives, yet the cause of his death suggests that he had a void inside that could not be filled. Many of his viewers could have wished they were in his position without knowing his state of mind, and this situation caused him to choose a path among the dead through suicide.
As I mindfully processed this, I asked, "how many people are like Anthony Bourdain today?". How many people are going through situations that they could not share with anyone but have been generous enough to give the world what it could not provide them, JOY? As I write this, how many people are making the same decisions Anthony made, just like Kate Spade made days earlier, all because they lived lonely in a crowded world and among a circle of numerous friends? As I thought about this, it also occurred to me that the next minute may record another suicidal death. The World Health Organization estimates that about one million people die yearly because of suicide. That's an average of 2 people per minute. And before you start seeing that as statistics, let me remind us that that represents someone's father, mother, child, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nephews, and nieces. These are human beings with loved ones that care so much about them; that's a vacuum in a family, society, and as in the case of Anthony, a loss to this generation.
Anthony's death reminds me of the verse of the scripture in John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me. The part here is where the father is, and the only path to him is through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a known Part, but are you on the right Path to it? In this path, the Lord promised, to carry your burden for you. He said in Matthew 11:28-30.
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
That load may be too heavy for you to bear, but the Lord is saying I am ready to walk that path with you; relieve you of that burden. With him on your side, you will never walk alone.