Jesse Lee - An Author’s Pursuit of Peace

As we comb through the simple home where they found the body of Jesse Lee, the hope was to find clues to unravel the mystery of the eccentric and reclusive late author. So reclusive was the writer that the only reason a wellness check was made on the home, which sits deeply entrenched back from any main thoroughfare against the backdrop of fiery autumn trees, was because his only companion, a beloved half-blind French Bulldog, managed to make his way to the closest neighbor almost a mile away to signal something was amiss.

They found his body in a simple wood rocking chair in a sparse living room with few other belongings. A calm and content expression rested on his face, as if to suggest he gave up his spirit willingly after finally achieving peace. We don’t know much about this writer’s life except what is revealed in pieces through the works he left behind.

The theme throughout his work was a boy who struggled with becoming a man. He often questioned society’s opinions on what masculinity should look like. He questioned much of what society deemed socially necessary, often poking holes in structures he felt were hypocritical and did not serve the good of those who were a silent majority, remaining quiet so as not to add further burden to anyone else’s existence.

Through the characters he often wrote about, we get a glimpse of perhaps his worldview and experiences. He frequently explored themes such as overcoming abuse and doing good for others less fortunate, or even more fortunate, than ourselves.

Through his works, he often championed the idea that while we should try to help others, we should never feel entitled to believe someone will find us worthy enough to save. From his basic and reclusive dwelling, he seems to have come to embody this motto of self-sufficiency.

His early works often referenced happier subjects, like silly stories for his children and young adult adventure tales. As they, and he himself, grew older, his stories became more introspective and were characterized by an earnest desire to find the purpose and meaning of intangible concepts like love, true compassion, mental well-being, and peace. Many of the lessons centered around the need to love yourself sufficiently, if only so you have the capacity to love others.

There was a humor in his writing that appears to have acted as the thin veil of a man who chose to poke fun at the things that hurt us in order to shine a light on the inconsistencies of others, rather than take them too seriously or their insults personally. The tone often preferred to laugh at such matters rather than allow our hearts to be further broken by them.

Seldom did he write about his own upbringing, but again we find clues in the stories he’d tell of fictional characters who were often misunderstood, neglected, and abused. He wrote with a deep understanding of their struggle to be accepted, until finally giving up on external validation and instead diving deeper into the values they would choose to embrace. They became the force for good in the world that had often eluded them.

Later in life, his works were more reflective of managing lingering regrets, making amends, showing compassion for one’s own imperfections, and using modesty to forgive oneself without making excuses. Often, the moral of his fables was that while you may never find the circumstances to be jubilantly and incandescently gleeful, you can find peace, and that is in no way settling.

He seems to have embodied that peace as he lay lifeless in his chair with a content appearance on his face. Alone, but with an expression that can only be described as a smirk. As if to say, in the end, I won at the life of my choosing.