In large part, the past 25 years of my life has been a guided revelation of what brings men to life. One the one hand, my professional world as a physician specializing in Forensic Pathology exposed me to the world of unexpected and premature death, often from external violence, but much more frequently from suicide and substance abuse, despite the fact that my practice was located in one of the most desirable areas of California: the central coast. One the other hand, thanks to my wife at the time, I became involved in Breakthrough, a locally based community workshop for men, first a as a participant, and then as a volunteer, a role which is now central to my life since retirement from death investigation. Because the primary focus of Breakthrough is helping men recover from childhood conditioning and trauma, thereby reclaiming a sense of wholeness, I have become cognizant of the seeds of our suffering as well as what can be done to both reduce it and transcend it.