And, just to clarify my position, I believe Oswald acted alone, more on that some other time.
Lee Harvey Oswald's issues likely began in early childhood as he was being raised by a single mother who was devastated after the death of his father. (Oswald's father died before he was born.) In an interview with PBS, Oswald's brother, Robert Oswald, said that their mother felt that she had been dealt a bad hand, and that the world owed her a living. He said some of this attitude was passed down to Lee. Robert went on to say that Oswald had a vivid imagination, and believed he could do anything he wanted. He was also a loner. Robert said Lee "planned by himself, executed by himself, and failed by himself." He also dreamed of being a writer, and writing about his experiences of serving in the Marine Corp., defecting to Russia, and then returning to America.
In a New York Times column, Paul Gregory (to whom Marina Oswald taught Russian,) said that Lee felt under-estimated by the world, and longed for a celebrity status, which he sort of enjoyed while living in Russia.
That side of Oswald was depicted in two episodes of the TV show "Quantum Leap" and in Stephen King's 11.22.63. Oswald was depicted as a frustrated individual, who wanted to make a huge impact in the world. He wanted to be a celebrity, a leader, a revolutionary, a philosopher, or a champion. He felt he was awesome, and couldn't understand why the rest of the world didn't see it. Given my recent research, I believe those depictions were accurate.
What you have in Lee Harvey Oswald is the tragedy of self-worship. He felt he was God's gift to anyone with whom he came into contact. He thought he was helping the Russians by defecting, and was shocked when they denied him university admission, relegating him to a common-man's job. He was surprised that he got no media attention when he returned home. He was dejected after a failed attempt to defect to Cuba. He looked for, and failed to find, any way to be significant. Even his failed assassination attempt on General Edwin Walker went virtually unnoticed. This self-worship and lack of self-actualization consumed Oswald, until it culminated in the tragic events of November 22, 1963. When things built to a head, and then blew, the whole world felt it.
It's easy to think "conspiracy theory." It's easy to dismiss Oswald as a patsy. It's easy to imagine that the real gunman was a sophisticated marksman who fired from any one of the other 100 prime locations to pull off the shot that killed Kennedy. Imagining a CIA plot, or a Russian plot, or a mob hit, is easier to deal with psychologically than to come to grips that one man's demons can create such devastation. The truth is, pride and self worship are just that destructive.
Throughout the history of the world, 99 percent of man's problems have been caused by pride and self-worship. It was pride and self-worship that led Adam and Eve to sin in the Garden of Eden. They believed they could throw off God's authority and be gods to themselves by eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The result has been a sin curse on man from that time forward.
You see pride and self-worship in all the kings and emperors who went on world conquests. Those qualities were present with the Roman Caesars (who actually regarded themselves as sons of the gods), Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, and Adolf Hitler. Pride and self-worship has killed millions, and destroyed nations. But that's all ancient history, so it's not to be worried about, Right? Wrong!
Pride and self-worship are seeds planted in one's heart, that, if allowed to grow, can develop such destructive behavior that any individual is capable of imploding. Oswald's pride cost him his life. If that pride and self-worship can grow to that level of destruction in him, how far can it grow in us? That is a frightening question. That's why we'd rather believe that Kennedy's death was the result of a vast, sophisticated conspiracy rather than the result of one man's personal implosion. We don't want to think that we could ever find ourselves in a sixth-floor window. And, in 99.9 percent of cases, we won't. However, that does not mean that pride doesn't cause destruction.
The Bible says "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)" Pride and self-worship will destroy you, whether it makes the news or not. So, don't be destroyed. The Bible also says "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up (James 4:10)."
The best way to avoid the pride and self-worship that destroys is to keep your focus on the Lord, and worship directed toward God. This means to spend time in God's word, in prayer, and to seek God's will in your life. It means to put yourself second, to put God first, and to be aware of the plight of others as well as yourself. If you live a God-focused life, you will not live a self-centered life. That recipe will prevent a self-inflicted implosion that will destroy your life.
Trust the Lord, and obey Him. The answer is really that simple. May God bless you as you follow Him.
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