I came across a site called postsecret.com, where you can send postcards with your deepest, darkest secrets anonymously. The site provides a venue where people can let go of all inhibition and just say all the things they want without being judged or condemned. And the secrets come with the senders' artwork, so at the very least, it's entertaining on so many levels.
There was one sender however who announced that he/she was jumping off the Golden Gate bridge to commit suicide. Since there was no way of contacting the sender, the truth of the plan could not be ascertained.
Almost instantly, people sent e-mails to the website expressing sympathy for the sender, asking him/ her not to jump, with photographs of their palms with the words 'please don't jump'. One person even created a Facebook account solely for that purpose. Students went to the Golden Gate and drew on the walls and the beams happy and supportive images. Whether or not the sender jumped, there's no way of knowing. Fact is, no one is in a position to stop him/her from commiting suicide.
On the other hand, no one can also stop other people from attempting to dissuade the jumper (or encourage him for that matter).
It's amazing how people still expressed their support, even if they did not know the sender personally, or whether or not their message reached him/ her. This is a testament on how the internet has reduced the cost of connecting with one another to almost nothing, while still maintaining the value and the impact of reaching out. We may be communicating through monitors and keyboards, but the emotions are nevertheless real. People reach out, simply because they can. And in a life-and-death situation such as this, every bit of support counts.
To view the video, please visit time.com
Entry # 2
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