Discussion Angel on the bridge🤔 Really🙄

[dontwakemeup]

'Angel on the Bridge' recognized for stopping man from jumping off 2nd Street Bridge

Kristen Keeling was on a routine jog, crossing the bridge when she noticed a man she described as being, "off."

www.wdrb.com

 

[Gstreater]

My problem is that basic humans caring is noteworthy. I think she felt she was doing a good thing and sometimes people need to just talk to someone to stabilize themselves. I can't say if he was one of those cases. It bothers me that this is so crazy or noteworthy since everyone would just let him die that it has to be talked about that someone helped him live.

 

[TheHolySword]

It's important to remember that just because someone is at the edge it doesn't mean they want to jump. Sometimes they need that angel on the bridge. Someone to talk to. Someone to help them take that next step to recovery, instead of the one they can't come back from. It's hard to say much without hearing the actual suicidal person's story. This man may very well be grateful for this bystander's actions. It's not our place to decide what the reaction should be. Maybe he's on a better path, or building towards one.

 

[dontwakemeup]

I think anyone walking and seen him would of course want to help him. I personally would have stopped and tried to have a conversation and listen. Did this man want help? Who knows? I believe people have the right to die and it should be respected if that's their decision!

 

[Forveleth]

Stopped from suicide twice, police called when he said he didn't want them, shoved to the ground and handcuffed, followed by a psych hold. I would have been cursing that lady's name. Notice in the article there is NOTHING from the man himself about being thankful for being saved. Just quotes from his family. He's not in any of the photos of people smiling. He had been struggling with mental health for years, especially since 2021. That is 4 years. To me, that makes this sound like something planned rather than impulsive.

Also noticed in the article that the cop said "I don't think there's really a lot of training that you could do". So police are not trained at all for how to handle suicidal people? Why am I not surprised.

The bridge is only 72ft so she might have done him a favor as it is not high enough but that is the only good point in my opinion.

 

[OptingOutSmiling]

I don't think they should be honoured or made a big deal about it, but I also don't think I'd be able to just walk away. Talking may have pushed him over the edge, or not. But I think naturally I would've reached out in concern to talk to him. I know he has the right to jump, but if he didn't want to be seen or helped, maybe he would've chosen a better time? It's not something that happens every day in passing, so we can only react in the moment.

 

[littlebunny]

I would have tried to talk to someone if I saw them about to jump. If they are a stranger, I wouldn't know what brought them to that point, so sometimes people just need someone there to listen to them. I don't think I would encourage them to not jump unless they were acting on impulsive or I think they would just seriously hurt themselves doing so, since I feel like I have no right to ask such things from people I don't know.

 

[2messdup]

I would have tried to talk to someone if I saw them about to jump. If they are a stranger, I wouldn't know what brought them to that point, so sometimes people just need someone there to listen to them. I don't think I would encourage them to not jump unless they were acting on impulsive or I think they would just seriously hurt themselves doing so, since I feel like I have no right to ask such things from people I don't know.

Like Kevin Hines. He just wanted someone to ask if he was ok and he wouldn't have jumped. Jumping with people around always says to me "cry for help, impulse or no capacity" because you're asking to be "saved" doing that in broad daylight.
Edit: just managed to watch the video (couldn't watch through the link). I'd have punched her out of the way. Poor bloody guy. My heart goes out to him. That looked so traumatic. Reinforces how you must let no one know or suspect, ever. And certainly don't do it where people will see you.

 

[rozeske]

I believe any adult should have the right to decide regarding their own life, they know it well enough to live or leave it, but i can't in good conscious agree on "they should just let them die". Not only will it be asking too much of others, but the person might have deep down wanted to be saved or talked out of a spur of the moment attempt. You absolutely don't wanna be saved? Do your absolute best not to be found or survive a botched attempt. I don't believe a few clichéd words from a stranger has the power to undo years of damage that led you down the path of suicidality but people like a hero and focusing on anything but the suicidal.

 

[littlebunny]

Edit: just managed to watch the video (couldn't watch through the link). I'd have punched her out of the way. Poor bloody guy. My heart goes out to him. That looked so traumatic. Reinforces how you must let no one know or suspect, ever. And certainly don't do it where people will see you.

That makes it lonely having these thoughts. They keep talking about the woman for "saving" him, giving her big congratulations and a reward at some sort of event it looks like. But I can't help this story is missing the most important part. Like what about the guy who tried to jump? The update is he gets sent to a hospital and… that's it.

 

[2messdup]

That makes it lonely having these thoughts. They keep talking about the woman for "saving" him, giving her big congratulations and a reward at some sort of event it looks like. But I can't help this story is missing the most important part. Like what about the guy who tried to jump? The update is he gets sent to a hospital and… that's it.

Absolutely. No "and he lived happily ever after" at the end of the story was there? And the poor guy looked so defeated when they were handcuffing his second hand. My heart broke for him. I could imagine how he was feeling. Horrible.

 

[divinemistress36]

And now hes going to get thrown in psych hospital and get drugged up on a bunch of meds

 

[Message In A Bottle]

And now hes going to get thrown in psych hospital and get drugged up on a bunch of meds

And if he's in America, charged ridiculous fees when he does get out. Mine was $9,000+

 

[cme-dme]

If she just talked to the guy, that's perfectly fine and valid, but physically preventing the man from jumping as well as calling the cops despite his objections to it is just shitty. Also, nothing in the article talks about the guy in question. It further proves that the average person does not see suicidal people as individuals who have their own autonomy and can make their own choices in life. instead they are are simply victims who must be rescued. Somehow I doubt the man being forcefully removed from the bridge, handcuffed, and probably sent to the psych ward will make them any less suicidal.

 

[inthebay]

If she just talked to the guy, that's perfectly fine and valid, but physically preventing the man from jumping as well as calling the cops despite his objections to it is just shitty. Also, nothing in the article talks about the guy in question. It further proves that the average person does not see suicidal people as individuals who have their own autonomy and can make their own choices in life. instead they are are simply victims who must be rescued. Somehow I doubt the man being forcefully removed from the bridge, handcuffed, and probably sent to the psych ward will make them any less suicidal.

this was kind of a huge thing for me when i was in partial hospitalization. i expressed that going any higher than php/to inpatient would have made me absolutely suicidal due to the lack of autonomy/previous trauma i have surrounding involuntary hospitalization, and that i would have just lied to get out so that i could go commit suicide lol.

their response to this was to threaten involuntary hospitalization on me more often, to the point where i could no longer talk about my si at all for fear of being involuntarily detained. they made me sign a contract saying that i wouldn't make "suicidal gestures", the main one of which was just reading about suicide online? otherwise i would risk being sectioned. at the place that was supposed to help me for my si. why would i be there if i really did not want any help? if i really wanted to kill myself, i would've just kept quiet and done it. i voluntarily admitted myself to treatment. i feel like even mental health professionals can be shit at knowing how to deal with suicidality. broken system, yadda yadda.

 

[mikgazer6]

These "heroes" deserve no honor. They forced a man to continue against his will and probably made his life worse. In the video he creates distance then tries to climb over. He intended to jump. He did not want to be stopped.

I think it's fine to "talk someone down", but if they take obvious action to go through with their plan such as in this case of creating distance with the women and climbing the rail, then you should let them go through with it.

 

[dontwakemeup]

Stopped from suicide twice, police called when he said he didn't want them, shoved to the ground and handcuffed, followed by a psych hold. I would have been cursing that lady's name. Notice in the article there is NOTHING from the man himself about being thankful for being saved. Just quotes from his family. He's not in any of the photos of people smiling. He had been struggling with mental health for years, especially since 2021. That is 4 years. To me, that makes this sound like something planned rather than impulsive.

Also noticed in the article that the cop said "I don't think there's really a lot of training that you could do". So police are not trained at all for how to handle suicidal people? Why am I not surprised.

The bridge is only 72ft so she might have done him a favor as it is not high enough but that is the only good point in my opinion.

This is exactly how I felt when I heard of this! The man whom they "saved" never once released a statement of gratitude and thanking them! Everyone is smiling and happy and named angels while this man has more problems now!

The police aren't equipped to handle us! The police treat us worse than the common criminal. When my ex friends called the police on me there were 5 police cars that arrived to my house with flashing lights! I'll be clear, I was in the bed half sleep when they decided to call the police. Never did the police ask was I ok or anything. It was horrific to say the least!

Back to the story. I'm so tired of people acting like they are heros for helping people who probably don't want help! I'm sick of this notion that if one decides to end their existence then they are mentally ill! I don't think they deserve anything and this shouldn't be even on the news. I felt horrible for the man who has to wake up and see this. I just wanted to see what others thought about this.

And if he's in America, charged ridiculous fees when he does get out. Mine was $9,000+

My involuntarily hold amount was ridiculous! My insurance didn't cover the whole balance and when they called to collect the remaining balance, I made it clear I was never going to pay as I never asked to be there and never stayed I was suicidal! They have never called again, nor have I ever received a bill. People who "save" us don't realize we wake up with more problems! I learned to keep my mouth shut.

this was kind of a huge thing for me when i was in partial hospitalization. i expressed that going any higher than php/to inpatient would have made me absolutely suicidal due to the lack of autonomy/previous trauma i have surrounding involuntary hospitalization, and that i would have just lied to get out so that i could go commit suicide lol.

their response to this was to threaten involuntary hospitalization on me more often, to the point where i could no longer talk about my si at all for fear of being involuntarily detained. they made me sign a contract saying that i wouldn't make "suicidal gestures", the main one of which was just reading about suicide online? otherwise i would risk being sectioned. at the place that was supposed to help me for my si. why would i be there if i really did not want any help? if i really wanted to kill myself, i would've just kept quiet and done it. i voluntarily admitted myself to treatment. i feel like even mental health professionals can be shit at knowing how to deal with suicidality. broken system, yadda yadda.

A contract I never heard of such foolishness! I would have signed my name as Daffy Duck

this was kind of a huge thing for me when i was in partial hospitalization. i expressed that going any higher than php/to inpatient would have made me absolutely suicidal due to the lack of autonomy/previous trauma i have surrounding involuntary hospitalization, and that i would have just lied to get out so that i could go commit suicide lol.

their response to this was to threaten involuntary hospitalization on me more often, to the point where i could no longer talk about my si at all for fear of being involuntarily detained. they made me sign a contract saying that i wouldn't make "suicidal gestures", the main one of which was just reading about suicide online? otherwise i would risk being sectioned. at the place that was supposed to help me for my si. why would i be there if i really did not want any help? if i really wanted to kill myself, i would've just kept quiet and done it. i voluntarily admitted myself to treatment. i feel like even mental health professionals can be shit at knowing how to deal with suicidality. broken system, yadda yadda.

A contract I never heard of such foolishness! I would have signed my name as Daffy Duck

 

[SilentSadness]

Woah, I've never read such an infuriating article. They interviewed his little sister but not one word about the man's opinion. He probably told them to go to hell, I know I would. The whole article is honestly disgusting, that video in my opinion is an example of police brutality, and calling the person an "angel" just comes to show that not all demons have horns.

 

[dontwakemeup]

Woah, I've never read such an infuriating article. They interviewed his little sister but not one word about the man's opinion. He probably told them to go to hell, I know I would. The whole article is honestly disgusting, that video in my opinion is an example of police brutality, and calling the person an "angel" just comes to show that not all demons have horns.

I was so disgusted when I seen that article! All I could do was imagine how the man who survived must have felt, is currently feeling. I find it interesting all the comments to any video on YouTube regarding this video is turned off. There was no need to make this news and give people awards, oh please

 

[Aergia]

Notice in the article there is NOTHING from the man himself about being thankful for being saved. Just quotes from his family. He's not in any of the photos of people smiling. He had been struggling with mental health for years, especially since 2021. That is 4 years. To me, that makes this sound like something planned rather than impulsive.

Those are good observations. The article does come across as infantilising when you notice how the focus is on how heroic the "angel" is and how glad his family is. He's never quoted. And yet:

"I don't think there's really a lot of training that you could do," Willis said. "I think it's just time and experience, but even in that situation, I may have looked calm, I may have sounded calm. It was definitely a very traumatic situation."

While I don't doubt the police officer found the incident traumatic, there is a touch of irony here.

Tbh I was about to defend the officer/"angel" since they were obviously well-intentioned (the issue is that most people just don't have reason to think beyond societal conventions when it comes to suicide, so they don't) but the video was legitimately discomforting.

Because you never know who needs to hear the question, 'what's on your heart'?

There is also something to be said about this line at the end, which implies that she talked him out of it by being empathetic when she actually dealt with things by physically restraining him (after talking didn't work).

 

[ShatteredSerenity]

Situations of suicide in public places like bridges pose a real ethical dilemma. Often these people aren't in their right minds, they're possibly on drugs, and they might be seeking attention or doing it for some irrational reason like voices tell them to. Other times people are sad, but not fully committed to suicide so they spend lots of time lingering at the spot instead of jumping. There are certainly people who are fully in their right minds and fully committed to it, but I don't think they're the ones being obvious about it and attracting attention, rather they're more likely to do it quickly and stealthy.

I'm bipolar and I've had psychotic episodes where I did things I would never, ever want myself to do when I'm lucid. As painful as it is, I want people to protect me from myself when I'm in a psychotic state or having severe delusions during a manic episode. Yes I'm suicidal, but if I got the idea to die by self-immolation, or drinking acid, or jumping off a 5-story building I would want somebody to stop me.

In the case of the man in this article, he was planning to jump 72 feet into water. People routinely jump from such heights for fun, and if you land feet first you could swim away unscathed. If he didn't land straight or bellyflopped he could have injured himself enough to prevent swimming, but there's no chance it would kill him and I doubt it would knock him unconscious. So he was basically about to jump and drown with some potentially excruciating injuries.

It's impossible to say if that guy knew what he was getting himself into, but the fact of the matter is if you want to jump from a public bridge you will need to move quickly without hesitating at the railing. If you start lallygagging someone will try to rescue you. I think someone who goes straight to the edge and jumps is much more likely to have thought it through and be confident they want to die this way.

For better or worse, if you want to die in a public place you have to prepare for issues like bystanders, just like people who die by firearms have to obtain a weapon and learn where to aim, and people who drink SN have to obtain a few substances and learn about the protocol.

 

[dontwakemeup]

Situations of suicide in public places like bridges pose a real ethical dilemma. Often these people aren't in their right minds, they're possibly on drugs, and they might be seeking attention or doing it for some irrational reason like voices tell them to. Other times people are sad, but not fully committed to suicide so they spend lots of time lingering at the spot instead of jumping. There are certainly people who are fully in their right minds and fully committed to it, but I don't think they're the ones being obvious about it and attracting attention, rather they're more likely to do it quickly and stealthy.

I'm bipolar and I've had psychotic episodes where I did things I would never, ever want myself to do when I'm lucid. As painful as it is, I want people to protect me from myself when I'm in a psychotic state or having severe delusions during a manic episode. Yes I'm suicidal, but if I got the idea to die by self-immolation, or drinking acid, or jumping off a 5-story building I would want somebody to stop me.

In the case of the man in this article, he was planning to jump 72 feet into water. People routinely jump from such heights for fun, and if you land feet first you could swim away unscathed. If he didn't land straight or bellyflopped he could have injured himself enough to prevent swimming, but there's no chance it would kill him and I doubt it would knock him unconscious. So he was basically about to jump and drown with some potentially excruciating injuries.

It's impossible to say if that guy knew what he was getting himself into, but the fact of the matter is if you want to jump from a public bridge you will need to move quickly without hesitating at the railing. If you start lallygagging someone will try to rescue you. I think someone who goes straight to the edge and jumps is much more likely to have thought it through and be confident they want to die this way.

For better or worse, if you want to die in a public place you have to prepare for issues like bystanders, just like people who die by firearms have to obtain a weapon and learn where to aim, and people who drink SN have to obtain a few substances and learn about the protocol.

I'm sorry. I guess I never imagined this article from your view. I wondered why he decided to do that in daylight, buy u assumed he just couldn't wait and the urge was too strong. I do think they were excessive and need better training with people who have mental health issues.

Can I ask a personal question and of course you don't have to answer. When you are in a manic state, are you aware your manic? I suffer from periods of depression, and initially I don't realize I'm depressed, but after a day or 2, it becomes clear.

 

[ShatteredSerenity]

I'm sorry. I guess I never imagined this article from your view. I wondered why he decided to do that in daylight, buy u assumed he just couldn't wait and the urge was too strong. I do think they were excessive and need better training with people who have mental health issues.

Can I ask a personal question and of course you don't have to answer. When you are in a manic state, are you aware your manic? I suffer from periods of depression, and initially I don't realize I'm depressed, but after a day or 2, it becomes clear.

I wasn't aware I was manic until it wore off after about 6 months, that made it extra dangerous and destructive. It's hard to understand how I didn't realize I was manic because I was still intelligent, but I had this huge blind spot about the mania and I felt normal.

One time when I was manic the police picked me up as I was wandering down the center of a dark icy highway miles from anything, almost getting hit by semi trucks and wandering up to random stranger's houses for no reason. I have no idea why I did that, I was just following some internal drive that felt almost like I was being remote controlled. Whenever I saw someone with schizophrenia acting bizarrely I always wondered how it felt, now I know and it can be absolutely terrifying.

When the police took me into custody it was traumatic, 4 officers swarmed me and they were pulling me in different directions, then they cuffed me and threw me in the car to take me to the hospital psych ward. I was completely nonviolent and they didn't need to be aggressive, however I recognize now that I did need to be taken somewhere safe. The hospital psych ward was also traumatizing, but at the same time I did need mental health services.

If we had better police and mental health in the US I might not be on SaSu preparing to CTB. Being treated so poorly it only made the mania worse, and it made it harder for me to believe the diagnosis. Because I didn't get appropriate care for the 6 months I was manic it destroyed my life. This kind of thing is constantly happening to people because our mental health systems are so underfunded and neglected, and poorly trained police are terrorizing people who just need some compassion and help.

 

[dontwakemeup]

I wasn't aware I was manic until it wore off after about 6 months, that made it extra dangerous and destructive. It's hard to understand how I didn't realize I was manic because I was still intelligent, but I had this huge blind spot about the mania and I felt normal.

One time when I was manic the police picked me up as I was wandering down the center of a dark icy highway miles from anything, almost getting hit by semi trucks and wandering up to random stranger's houses for no reason. I have no idea why I did that, I was just following some internal drive that felt almost like I was being remote controlled. Whenever I saw someone with schizophrenia acting bizarrely I always wondered how it felt, now I know and it can be absolutely terrifying.

When the police took me into custody it was traumatic, 4 officers swarmed me and they were pulling me in different directions, then they cuffed me and threw me in the car to take me to the hospital psych ward. I was completely nonviolent and they didn't need to be aggressive, however I recognize now that I did need to be taken somewhere safe. The hospital psych ward was also traumatizing, but at the same time I did need mental health services.

If we had better police and mental health in the US I might not be on SaSu preparing to CTB. Being treated so poorly it only made the mania worse, and it made it harder for me to believe the diagnosis. Because I didn't get appropriate care for the 6 months I was manic it destroyed my life. This kind of thing is constantly happening to people because our mental health systems are so underfunded and neglected, and poorly trained police are terrorizing people who just need some compassion and help.

OMG that's horrible! I'm so sorry. I always thought bipolar was like the commercial when they are on the roller coaster ride and all happy and then it's quickly shows the downs. The commercial always stands out to me because it gave me the idea that the highs were so pleasant and exciting. Even in college we are taught about bipolar in a totally different manner. It's really unfortunate that people placed in position to help others are mislead and even educated improperly. I've never had someone describe mania as you have done. It's sounds horrific and until there is better education about different mental illnesses then the system will never change.

The police do not care about us. Perhaps they don't understand us, but their treatment towards us is callous and rude. I can't imagine being out of your mind and being treated like that.

Then people wonder why sites like this exist. This is all we have. I never felt "normal" until I got here. It's unfortunate this is where we find peace and feel accepted. We never asked for this life and certainly not these diagnosis.

Thank you for sharing. I definitely learned a lot from you.

 

[cme-dme]

Situations of suicide in public places like bridges pose a real ethical dilemma. Often these people aren't in their right minds, they're possibly on drugs, and they might be seeking attention or doing it for some irrational reason like voices tell them to. Other times people are sad, but not fully committed to suicide so they spend lots of time lingering at the spot instead of jumping. There are certainly people who are fully in their right minds and fully committed to it, but I don't think they're the ones being obvious about it and attracting attention, rather they're more likely to do it quickly and stealthy.

I'm bipolar and I've had psychotic episodes where I did things I would never, ever want myself to do when I'm lucid. As painful as it is, I want people to protect me from myself when I'm in a psychotic state or having severe delusions during a manic episode. Yes I'm suicidal, but if I got the idea to die by self-immolation, or drinking acid, or jumping off a 5-story building I would want somebody to stop me.

In the case of the man in this article, he was planning to jump 72 feet into water. People routinely jump from such heights for fun, and if you land feet first you could swim away unscathed. If he didn't land straight or bellyflopped he could have injured himself enough to prevent swimming, but there's no chance it would kill him and I doubt it would knock him unconscious. So he was basically about to jump and drown with some potentially excruciating injuries.

It's impossible to say if that guy knew what he was getting himself into, but the fact of the matter is if you want to jump from a public bridge you will need to move quickly without hesitating at the railing. If you start lallygagging someone will try to rescue you. I think someone who goes straight to the edge and jumps is much more likely to have thought it through and be confident they want to die this way.

For better or worse, if you want to die in a public place you have to prepare for issues like bystanders, just like people who die by firearms have to obtain a weapon and learn where to aim, and people who drink SN have to obtain a few substances and learn about the protocol.

This perspective is really eye opening and I can respect and agree with both opinions on the matter. I really appreciate you sharing it. It wouldn't surprise me if the man wanted to be saved or just have somebody who for a brief moment seems to care about him. I mean, I can't think of any other reason you'd stand there looking over the railing all sad-like in broad daylight.
If he was fully committed I think he would just go for it. I dunno though. If the article actually got the guys thoughts on the matter rather than infantalizing him maybe we would know. I'd be interested to learn more about what goes through somebodies mind in that situation.

 

[inthebay]

A contract I never heard of such foolishness! I would have signed my name as Daffy Duck

i should've done that lololol.

Woah, I've never read such an infuriating article. They interviewed his little sister but not one word about the man's opinion. He probably told them to go to hell, I know I would. The whole article is honestly disgusting, that video in my opinion is an example of police brutality, and calling the person an "angel" just comes to show that not all demons have horns.

that's my problem with it too. everyone wants to hear the opinion of everyone but the suicidal person themselves. i feel like a lot of people don't think of suicidal as people, more like an archetype.

This perspective is really eye opening and I can respect and agree with both opinions on the matter. I really appreciate you sharing it. It wouldn't surprise me if the man wanted to be saved or just have somebody who for a brief moment seems to care about him. I mean, I can't think of any other reason you'd stand there looking over the railing all sad-like in broad daylight.
If he was fully committed I think he would just go for it. I dunno though. If the article actually got the guys thoughts on the matter rather than infantalizing him maybe we would know. I'd be interested to learn more about what goes through somebodies mind in that situation.

agree. it's complicated. that's why i wish even more that we had been able to hear his perspective, whether he felt good about the interference or not.

 

[quietism]

A bit of a similar experience for me.

I'm not an impulsive person, I think a lot before I act even for small things. It's also pretty obvious when I'm feeling sad. I cry a lot. And sometimes I do it in public, whatever. People notice, whatever. People then approach and want to talk to me, uh oh.

This must of happened at least a dozen times for me now, I'm out in public, somewhere pretty visible, it's usually an older lady who comes up. There's no explicit need for physical intervention; they just sit down next to me and try to console me. I'm not impulsive enough to actively resist other people and make a scene like that. So I just tell them what's on my mind, nothing really wrong with me but lots of problems with society. They can't offer a quick fix and their motivational speech doesn't work, so they usually leave after half an hour.

One of my near death experiences was also a bit like this. I took a lethal dose on hypernatremia with AE and I was going to enter a coma in about an hour and die an hour after that. She saw I was stumbling a bit on the sidewalk, I just let the lady get a cab and take me to hospital, I got all better and no permanent damage. She was nice about it and all, but then I got really gutted when she didn't want to stay to be my friend and sit with me at hospital. I mean, of course she wouldn't want to be friends with someone she saw doing that. Then I had a bit of fun teaching the medical resident on shift about hypernatremia, but of course he wouldn't want to be my friend either despite both of us working on pretty cool research projects. Sigh. I'm sure both of them gave themselves an angel on the bridge medal; without really fixing the iceberg of the problem, friendship.

Sure, what they did *in the moment* was good and all. But I want friends that stick around. The best friends help when there's problems instead of running for it. What about all the anorexic girls who starve themselves, and people think that's perfectly healthy since thinness is some kind of god in our society? No, there's no angels on the bridges for them.

 

[2messdup]

A bit of a similar experience for me.

I'm not an impulsive person, I think a lot before I act even for small things. It's also pretty obvious when I'm feeling sad. I cry a lot. And sometimes I do it in public, whatever. People notice, whatever. People then approach and want to talk to me, uh oh.

This must of happened at least a dozen times for me now, I'm out in public, somewhere pretty visible, it's usually an older lady who comes up. There's no explicit need for physical intervention; they just sit down next to me and try to console me. I'm not impulsive enough to actively resist other people and make a scene like that. So I just tell them what's on my mind, nothing really wrong with me but lots of problems with society. They can't offer a quick fix and their motivational speech doesn't work, so they usually leave after half an hour.

One of my near death experiences was also a bit like this. I took a lethal dose on hypernatremia with AE and I was going to enter a coma in about an hour and die an hour after that. She saw I was stumbling a bit on the sidewalk, I just let the lady get a cab and take me to hospital, I got all better and no permanent damage. She was nice about it and all, but then I got really gutted when she didn't want to stay to be my friend and sit with me at hospital. I mean, of course she wouldn't want to be friends with someone she saw doing that. Then I had a bit of fun teaching the medical resident on shift about hypernatremia, but of course he wouldn't want to be my friend either despite both of us working on pretty cool research projects. Sigh. I'm sure both of them gave themselves an angel on the bridge medal; without really fixing the iceberg of the problem, friendship.

Sure, what they did *in the moment* was good and all. But I want friends that stick around. The best friends help when there's problems instead of running for it. What about all the anorexic girls who starve themselves, and people think that's perfectly healthy since thinness is some kind of god in our society? No, there's no angels on the bridges for them.

So well said. I can't express how much I agree

 

[Pluto]