Abstract Essay in its Fifth season, featuring David Richards as my guest.

David RichardsUnlocking Divine Identity, Leadership, and Legacy—One Conversation at a Time.A Journey of Awakening: From Near-Death to Unshakable FaithWhen I was six, my best friend, in a fit of rage, hurled a hammer across the yard. It struck the back of my head with brutal force, and in an instant, everything went black. But I didn’t just lose consciousness—I left my body. Floating outside myself, I watched as his older brother carried what looked like my lifeless form back to their house. That was 1975.Some time later, I came to—bandaged, dazed, but alive. The memory of that moment faded into the background of my life, buried under the weight of time. Until the pandemic.I grew up in a traditional Christian and military family, shaped not only by the discipline of that world but by the richness of cultures I encountered as a child living in Japan. The beauty of the Japanese, Filipino, and South Korean traditions left an imprint on my soul, broadening my understanding of connection, honor, and love. Coming back to the States after three years of living abroad, my life transformed. Even then, I saw love differently—not just in relationships, but as something divine, something woven into the very fabric of existence. I believed in a kind of biblical fairy tale. That belief made me different—an outlier, a dreamer, someone who felt things deeply but struggled to find where I fit in the world.Following in the footsteps of my father and brother, I became a Marine Corps officer. Yet for all the discipline and leadership the Corps instilled in me, I couldn’t make relationships work. One failed marriage. Then another. By 2020, I was a Director at Cisco Systems, carrying the weight of two divorces and the wreckage of a 3.5-year relationship that had just ended. Then the pandemic hit. And I hit rock bottom. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.