The bridge between suicide and life | Kevin Briggs

Translator: Carla Rois Quiñones Reviewer: Serv. de Norm. Lingüística U. de Santiago de Compostela

I recently retired

Xubileime hai pouco

from the California Highway Patrol

da Patrulla de Estradas de California

after 23 years of service.

despois de 23 anos de servizo.

The majority of those 23 years

A maior parte deses 23 anos

was spent patrolling the southern end

paseinos patrullando o extremo sur

of Marin County,

do Condado de Marin,

which includes the Golden Gate Bridge.

que inclúe a ponte Golden Gate.

Esta ponte é unha estrutura icónica

The bridge is an iconic structure,

known worldwide

coñecida mundialmente

for its beautiful views of San Francisco,

polas súas belas vistas de San Francisco,

the Pacific Ocean, and its inspiring architecture.

do Océano Pacífico, e pola súa impoñente arquitectura.

Unfortunately, it is also a magnet for suicide,

Por desgraza, tamén é un imán para o suicidio,

sendo un dos sitios máis utilizados do mundo.

being one of the most utilized sites in the world.

The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937.

A ponte Golden Gate inaugurouse en 1937.

Joseph Strauss, chief engineer in charge of building the bridge,

Joseph Strauss, enxeñeiro xefe encargado da construción da ponte,

dixo textualmente:

was quoted as saying,

"The bridge is practically suicide-proof.

"A ponte é a proba de suicidio.

O suicidio dende a ponte

Suicide from the bridge

is neither practical nor probable."

non e nin práctico nin probable."

But since its opening,

Pero dende a súa inauguración,

over 1,600 people have leapt to their death

máis de 1.600 persoas brincaron cara á súa morte

dende esta ponte.

from that bridge.

Algúns cren que viaxar

Some believe that traveling

between the two towers

entre as dúas torres

will lead you to another dimension --

levaraos a outra dimensión

this bridge has been romanticized as such —

--ata tal punto se idealizou esta ponte--

que a caída dende ela

that the fall from that

frees you from all your worries and grief,

libérate de todas as inquietudes e penas,

and the waters below

e as augas de abaixo

will cleanse your soul.

limparán a túa alma.

But let me tell you what actually occurs

Pero deixádeme que vos diga qué ocorre de verdade

when the bridge is used

cando a ponte se usa

como medio de suicidio.

as a means of suicide.

After a free fall of four to five seconds,

Despois dunha caída libre de 4 ou 5 segundos,

the body strikes the water

o corpo impacta contra a auga

at about 75 miles an hour.

a máis ou menos 120 quilómetros por hora.

That impact shatters bones,

O impacto esnaquiza os ósos,

some of which then puncture vital organs.

algúns dos cales perforan órganos vitais.

Most die on impact.

A maioría morren no impacto.

Those that don't

Os que non morren

en xeral axítanse na auga con impotencia

generally flail in the water helplessly,

and then drown.

e despois afogan.

I don't think that those who contemplate

Non creo que aqueles que contemplan

este método de suicidio

this method of suicide

realize how grisly a death that they will face.

se dean conta da macabra morte que enfrontarán

Este é o cable.

This is the cord.

Excepto arredor das dúas torres,

Except for around the two towers,

there is 32 inches of steel

hai 32 polgadas de ferro

paralleling the bridge.

en paralelo á ponte.

Aquí é onde a maioría da xente se pon

This is where most folks stand

before taking their lives.

antes de quitarse a vida.

I can tell you from experience

Podo dicirvos por experiencia

that once the person is on that cord,

que cando unha persoa está nese cable,

and at their darkest time,

e no seu momento máis escuro,

it is very difficult to bring them back.

é moi difícil traela de volta.

I took this photo last year

Tirei esta foto o ano pasado

as this young woman spoke to an officer

mentres unha moza falaba cun policía

contemplating her life.

reflexionando sobre a súa vida.

I want to tell you very happily

Quero dicirvos con ledicia

that we were successful that day

que ese día tivemos éxito

en traela de volta á plataforma.

in getting her back over the rail.

When I first began working on the bridge,

Cando empecei a traballar na ponte,

we had no formal training.

non tiñamos adestramento formal

You struggled to funnel your way through these calls.

Loitabamos para canalizar estas chamadas.

This was not only a disservice

Isto non só era un mal servizo

para quen contemplaba o suicidio,

to those contemplating suicide,

senón tamén para os axentes.

but to the officers as well.

We've come a long, long way since then.

Andamos un longo camiño dende aquela.

Agora, policías veteranos e psicólogos

Now, veteran officers and psychologists

train new officers.

adestran as novas xeracións de policías.

This is Jason Garber.

Este é Jason Garber.

I met Jason on July 22 of last year

Coñecino o 22 de xullo do ano pasado

when I get received a call

ao recibir unha chamada

of a possible suicidal subject

sobre un posible suicida

sitting on the cord near midspan.

que estaba sentado no cable da arcada da ponte.

I responded, and when I arrived,

Respondín, e cando cheguei,

I observed Jason

observei a Jason

falando cun policía da ponte.

speaking to a Golden Gate Bridge officer.

Jason was just 32 years old

Jason tiña só 32 anos

and had flown out here from New Jersey.

e voara ata alí dende Nova Jersey.

As a matter of fact,

De feito,

he had flown out here on two other occasions

voara ata alí noutras dúas ocasións

dende Nova Jersey

from New Jersey

to attempt suicide on this bridge.

para intentar suicidarse nesa ponte.

After about an hour of speaking with Jason,

Despois dunha hora falando con Jason,

he asked us if we knew the story of Pandora's box.

preguntounos se sabiamos a historia da caixa de Pandora.

Recalling your Greek mythology,

Lembrando a mitoloxía grega,

Zeus creou a Pandora,

Zeus created Pandora,

e enviouna á Terra cunha caixa,

and sent her down to Earth with a box,

and told her, "Never, ever open that box."

e díxolle. "Xamais abras esta caixa."

Well one day, curiosity got the better of Pandora,

Pero un día, a curiosidade puido con Pandora,

and she did open the box.

e abriu a caixa.

Out flew plagues, sorrows,

Saíron para fóra pragas, penas,

and all sorts of evils against man.

e todo tipo de maldades contra o ser humano.

The only good thing in the box was hope.

A única cousa boa da caixa era a esperanza.

Jason then asked us,

Jason despois preguntounos,

"What happens when you open the box

"Que pasa cando abres a caixa

and hope isn't there?"

e non hai esperanza?

He paused a few moments,

Calou por un momento,

leaned to his right,

inclinouse cara á dereita,

and was gone.

e desapareceu.

This kind, intelligent young man from New Jersey

Este amable e intelixente mozo de Nova Jersey

had just committed suicide.

acababa de suicidarse.

Falei cos pais de Jason esa tarde,

I spoke with Jason's parents that evening,

e supoño que, mentres falaba con eles,

and I suppose that, when I was speaking with them,

that I didn't sound as if I was doing very well,

non tiña pinta de atoparme ben,

because that very next day,

porque ó día seguinte,

their family rabbi called to check on me.

o rabino da súa familia chamoume para ver cómo estaba.

Os pais de Jason pedíranllo.

Jason's parents had asked him to do so.

The collateral damage of suicide

Os danos colaterais do suicidio

afectan a moita xente.

affects so many people.

I pose these questions to you:

Fágovos estas preguntas:

What would you do if your family member,

Que fariades se alguén da vosa familia,

friend or loved one was suicidal?

amigo ou ser querido fose un suicida?

What would you say?

Que lle diriades?

Would you know what to say?

Saberiades que dicir?

In my experience, it's not just the talking that you do,

Na miña experiencia, non se trata só de falar,

but the listening.

senón tamén de escoitar.

Listen to understand.

Escoitar para entender.

Don't argue, blame,

Non discutir, nin culpar,

or tell the person you know how they feel,

ou dicirlle á persoa que sabes como se sente,

because you probably don't.

porque probablemente non o saibas.

By just being there,

Pero simplemente estando alí,

you may just be the turning point that they need.

podes ser o punto de inflexión que precisa.

If you think someone is suicidal,

Se cres que alguén pensa en suicidarse,

don't be afraid to confront them and ask the question.

non teñas medo de poñerte diante e preguntarlle.

One way of asking them the question is like this:

Unha maneira de facelo é:

"Others in similar circumstances

"Outros en circunstancias parecidas

pensaron en terminar coa súa vida;

have thought about ending their life;

have you had these thoughts?"

tamén che pasou pola cabeza?

Confronting the person head-on

Poñerte diante da persoa cara a cara

may just save their life and be the turning point for them.

pode salvar a súa vida.

Some other signs to look for:

Algúns indicios que podes observar son:

hopelessness, believing that things are terrible

desesperación, que crean que as cousas son terribles

and never going to get better;

e que nunca mellorarán;

helplessness, believing that there is nothing

impotencia, que crean que non hai nada

that you can do about it;

que poidan facer;

recent social withdrawal;

illamento social recente;

and a loss of interest in life.

e perda de interese pola vida.

I came up with this talk just a couple of days ago,

Elaborei esta charla hai uns poucos días,

and I received an email from a lady

e recibín un correo dunha señora

that I'd like to read you her letter.

que me gustaría ler para vós.

She lost her son on January 19 of this year,

Perdeu ó seu fillo o 19 de xaneiro deste ano,

and she wrote this me this email

e escribiume este correo

just a couple of days ago,

hai uns días.

and it's with her permission and blessing

e co seu permiso e bendición

that I read this to you.

léovos isto.

"Hi, Kevin. I imagine you're at the TED Conference.

"Ola, Kevin, supoño que estás na Conferencia TED.

That must be quite the experience to be there.

Debe ser unha boa experiencia estar aí.

I'm thinking I should go walk the bridge this weekend.

Penso que debería pasear pola ponte esta fin de semana.

Just wanted to drop you a note.

Só quería deixarche unha nota.

Hope you get the word out to many people

Espero que corras a voz a moita xente

and they go home talking about it

e vaian para a casa falándolles disto

ós seus amigos, que llelo contarán ós seus amigos, etc.

to their friends who tell their friends, etc.

I'm still pretty numb,

Aínda estou un pouco atordada,

but noticing more moments of really realizing

pero cada vez me dou máis conta de que en realidade

Mike isn't coming home.

Mike non vai volver á casa.

Mike was driving from Petaluma to San Francisco

Mike conducía dende Petaluma ata San Francisco

to watch the 49ers game with his father

para ver o partido dos 49ers co seu pai

on January 19.

o 19 de xaneiro.

He never made it there.

Nunca chegou ao partido.

I called Petaluma police

Chamei á policía de Petaluma

and reported him missing that evening.

e denunciei a súa desaparición esa tarde.

Ao día seguinte pola mañá,

The next morning,

dous policías viñeron á miña casa

two officers came to my home

and reported that Mike's car was down at the bridge.

e informáronme de que o coche de Mike estaba debaixo da ponte.

A witness had observed him jumping off the bridge

Unha testemuña vírao saltar da ponte

at 1:58 p.m. the previous day.

á 1:58 da tarde do día anterior.

Moitas grazas

Thanks so much

for standing up for those

por defender a aqueles

who may be only temporarily too weak

que son temporalmente incapaces

to stand for themselves.

de defenderse por si mesmos.

Who hasn't been low before

Quen non estivo nunca deprimido

without suffering from a true mental illness?

sen sufrir unha verdadeira enfermidade mental?

It shouldn't be so easy to end it.

Non debería ser tan fácil acabar coa vida.

As miñas oracións están contigo na túa loita.

My prayers are with you for your fight.

The GGB, Golden Gate Bridge,

A PGG, a ponte Golden Gate,

suponse que é unha pasaxe

is supposed to be a passage across

our beautiful bay,

sobre a nosa fermosa baía,

not a graveyard.

non un cemiterio.

Good luck this week. Vicky."

Boa sorte esta semana. Vicky."

I can't imagine the courage it takes for her

Non podo nin imaxinar a valentía que necesitou

to go down to that bridge and walk the path

para ir ata a ponte e pasear polo camiño

that her son took that day,

que o seu fillo fixo aquel día,

and also the courage just to carry on.

nin a que precisa para proseguir.

I'd like to introduce you to a man

Gustaríame presentarvos un home

ao que presento como exemplo de esperanza e valentía.

I refer to as hope and courage.

On March 11 of 2005,

O 11 de marzo de 2005,

I responded to a radio call of a possible

respondín unha chamada de radio dun posible

suicidal subject on the bridge sidewalk

caso de suicidio na plataforma da ponte

near the north tower.

cerca da torre norte.

I rode my motorcycle down the sidewalk

Fun coa miña moto pola plataforma

and observed this man, Kevin Berthia,

e vin a este home, Kevin Berthia,

parado nela.

standing on the sidewalk.

When he saw me, he immediately traversed

Cando me viu, cruzou decontado

a vía peonil,

that pedestrian rail,

e púxose de pé na pequena tubaxe

and stood on that small pipe

which goes around the tower.

que rodea a torre.

For the next hour and a half,

Durante a seguinte hora e media,

I listened as Kevin spoke about

escoitei a Kevin mentres falaba

his depression and hopelessness.

da súa depresión e desesperanza.

Kevin decided on his own that day

Kevin decidiu por si mesmo ese día

regresar cara á plataforma

to come back over that rail

and give life another chance.

e darlle á vida outra oportunidade.

When Kevin came back over,

Cando Kevin regresou cara a atrás,

I congratulated him.

feliciteino.

"This is a new beginning, a new life."

"Este é un novo comezo, unha nova vida."

But I asked him, "What was it

Pero pregunteille,

“Que fixo que volveras

that made you come back

and give hope and life another chance?"

e lle deras á vida outra oportunidade?

And you know what he told me?

E sabedes que me dixo?

He said, "You listened.

"Escoitáchesme.

You let me speak, and you just listened."

Deixáchesme falar, e só escoitaches."

Shortly after this incident,

Pouco tempo despois deste incidente,

I received a letter from Kevin's mother,

recibín unha carta da nai de Kevin,

and I have that letter with me,

e teño esa carta comigo,

e gustaríame lérvola.

and I'd like to read it to you.

"Dear Mr. Briggs,

"Querido Sr. Briggs,

Nada borrará os sucesos do 11 de marzo,

Nothing will erase the events of March 11,

but you are one of the reasons Kevin is still with us.

pero ti es unha das razóns polas que Kevin aínda está con nós

I truly believe Kevin was crying out for help.

Penso de verdade que Kevin estaba pedindo axuda a gritos.

He has been diagnosed with a mental illness

Diagnosticáranlle unha enfermidade mental

da que o estaban medicando axeitadamente.

for which he has been properly medicated.

I adopted Kevin when he was only six months old,

Adoptei a Kevin cando só tiña seis meses,

completely unaware of any hereditary traits,

sen coñecer os seus trazos xenéticos,

but, thank God, now we know.

pero, grazas a Deus, agora coñecémolos.

Kevin is straight, as he says.

Kevin está ben, segundo el di.

We truly thank God for you.

Dámoslle grazas a Deus por ti.

Sincerely indebted to you,

En débeda sincera contigo,

Narvella Berthia."

Narvella Berthia."

And on the bottom she writes,

E ao final ela escribe,

"PD.- Cando visitei o Hospital Xeral de San Francisco esa tarde,

"P.S. When I visited San Francisco General Hospital that evening,

you were listed as the patient.

eras ti o rexistrado como paciente.

Boy, did I have to straighten that one out."

Meu Deus!, tiven que aclarar iso."

Today, Kevin is a loving father

Hoxe, Kevin é un pai cariñoso

and contributing member of society.

e un membro activo da sociedade.

He speaks openly

Fala abertamente

about the events that day and his depression

sobre o que pasou ese día e sobre a súa depresión

in the hopes that his story

coa esperanza de que a súa historia

will inspire others.

lle axude a outros.

Suicide is not just something I've encountered on the job.

O suicidio non é algo co que só me enfrontei no traballo.

It's personal.

Tamén é persoal.

My grandfather committed suicide by poisoning.

O meu avó suicidouse envelenándose.

That act, although ending his own pain,

Ese acto, aínda que terminou coa súa dor,

robbed me from ever getting to know him.

quitoume a oportunidade de coñecelo.

Iso é o que fai o suicidio.

This is what suicide does.

For most suicidal folks,

A maioría das persoas suicidas,

ou quen contempla suicidarse,

or those contemplating suicide,

they wouldn't think of hurting another person.

non pensan en magoar a outra persoa.

They just want their own pain to end.

Só queren terminar coa súa propia dor.

Typically, this is accomplished in just three ways:

Normalmente, conségueno de tres maneiras:

sleep, drugs or alcohol, or death.

durmindo, con drogas ou alcohol, ou coa morte.

In my career, I've responded to

Na miña carreira, respondín

and been involved in hundreds

e vinme implicado en centos

of mental illness and suicide calls

de chamadas vinculadas a enfermidades mentais e suicidio

around the bridge.

relacionadas coa ponte.

Of those incidents I've been directly involved with,

Nos incidentes en que me impliquei directamente,

I've only lost two,

só perdín a dúas persoas,

but that's two too many.

pero dúas xa son demasiadas.

One was Jason.

Un foi Jason.

The other was a man I spoke to

O outro foi un home co que falei

for about an hour.

durante unha hora.

During that time, he shook my hand

Durante ese tempo, estreitoume a man

on three occasions.

ata tres veces.

On that final handshake,

Na aperta de mans final,

he looked at me, and he said,

miroume, e díxome,

"Kevin, I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Kevin, síntoo, pero teño que marchar."

And he leapt.

E saltou.

Horrible, absolutely horrible.

Espantoso, absolutamente espantoso.

I do want to tell you, though,

Quérovos dicir, non obstante,

the vast majority of folks

que a gran maioría das persoas

that we do get to contact on that bridge

coas que podemos contactar na ponte

non se suicidan.

do not commit suicide.

Additionally, that very few

Ademais, as poucas

who have jumped off the bridge and lived

que saltaron da ponte e sobreviviron

and can talk about it,

e poden falar sobre iso,

that one to two percent,

ese un ou dous por cento,

a maioría deles dixeron

most of those folks have said

that the second that they let go of that rail,

que no momento en que soltaron a plataforma,

they knew that they had made a mistake

souberon que cometeran un erro

and they wanted to live.

e querían vivir.

I tell people, the bridge not only connects

Eu dígolle á xente que a ponte non só conecta

Marin to San Francisco,

Marin e San Francisco,

but people together also.

senón tamén a unhas persoas con outras.

That connection, or bridge that we make,

Esa conexión, ou a ponte que facemos,

is something that each and every one of us

é algo que cada un de nós

deberiamos esforzarnos por acadar.

should strive to do.

O suicidio pódese previr.

Suicide is preventable.

There is help. There is hope.

Hai axuda. Hai esperanza.

Thank you very much.

Moitísimas grazas.

(Aplausos)

(Applause)