What Would You Do?

[dogriver]

Thankfully, this hasn't happened on lists I've owned. But on another list today I saw what amounted to a suicide note. The list wasn't about suicide. If you were the owner of an Internet mailing list and someone was selfish enough to leave a suicide note on that list (it is my personal belief that suicide is the most selfish act in which a person can engage), what would you do?

Comments

[kittytech.livejournal.com]

As the list moderator if something like that happened I'd feel that it was my responsibility to try to figure out where that person lived and then contact the police or something in the area to try to get the person help. I've read about your experience with suicide and I completely understand where you're coming from. I will say here though that about a month before my high school graduation I attempted to overdose on sleeping pills. You're right, at that time I was thinking about myself, and all I could think about was that I didn't feel I could go on. The feelings of being totally alone, and utter hopelessness tend to take over and all rational thought just sort of goes out the window. So, having been there, I know how important intervention is to something like this, and I'd like to think that I'd do whatever I possibly could to prevent something like that from happening to someone else, even if I don't know that person.

[masterofmusings.livejournal.com]

I'll confess that I made an attempt at it once too, in college. I, too, was thinking only of myself, and consider it the most selfish thing I've ever tried. Thankfully I had no clue what I was doing, and came away with nothing worse than a badly upset stomach.