The bridge between suicide and life | Kevin Briggs

Prevoditelj: Ivan Stamenković Recezent: Senzos Osijek

I recently retired

Nedavno sam umirovljen

from the California Highway Patrol

iz Kalifornijske Patrole Autoceste

after 23 years of service.

nakon 23 godine službe.

The majority of those 23 years

Većinu od te 23 godine službe

was spent patrolling the southern end

proveo sam patrolirajući južni kraj

of Marin County,

okruga Marin,

which includes the Golden Gate Bridge.

koji uključuje Golden Gate Bridge.

The bridge is an iconic structure,

Most je kultna struktura,

known worldwide

poznata širom svijeta

for its beautiful views of San Francisco,

zbog svojih predivnih pogleda na San Francisco,

the Pacific Ocean, and its inspiring architecture.

Tihi ocean, i zbog njegove nadahnjujuće arhitekture.

Unfortunately, it is also a magnet for suicide,

Na žalost, to je također i magnet za samoubojstva,

being one of the most utilized sites in the world.

te je jedna od najupotrebljavanijih lokacija na svijetu.

The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937.

Golden Gate Bridge otvorio se 1937.

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

Joseph Strauss, glavni inžinjer zadužen za gradnju mosta

was quoted as saying,

citiran je kada je rekao,

"The bridge is practically suicide-proof.

"Most je praktički otporan na samoubojstva.

Suicide from the bridge

Samoubojstvo s mosta

is neither practical nor probable."

niti je praktično niti izvjesno."

But since its opening,

Ali od njegovog otvaranja,

over 1,600 people have leapt to their death

preko 1600 ljudi skočilo je u smrt

from that bridge.

s tog mosta.

Some believe that traveling

Neki vjeruju da će ih put

between the two towers

između dva tornja

will lead you to another dimension --

odvesti u drugu dimenziju --

this bridge has been romanticized as such —

tako su romantizirali most --

that the fall from that

da pad s toga

frees you from all your worries and grief,

vas oslobađa od svih vaših briga i tuge,

and the waters below

i vode ispod

will cleanse your soul.

će vam pročistiti dušu.

But let me tell you what actually occurs

Ali dozvolite da vam kažem što se zapravo događa

when the bridge is used

kada se most koristi

as a means of suicide.

kao sredstvo za samoubojstvo.

After a free fall of four to five seconds,

Nakon slobodnog pada od četiri do pet sekundi,

the body strikes the water

tijelo udara vodu

at about 75 miles an hour.

brzinom od 125 kilometara na sat.

That impact shatters bones,

Taj udarac drobi kosti,

some of which then puncture vital organs.

od kojih neke probijaju vitalne organe.

Most die on impact.

Većina umire pri udaru.

Those that don't

Oni koji ne umru

generally flail in the water helplessly,

većinom lamataju bespomoćno u vodi,

and then drown.

i zatim se utope.

I don't think that those who contemplate

Mislim da oni koji planiraju

this method of suicide

ovu metodu samoubojstva

realize how grisly a death that they will face.

ne shvaćaju kako je grozna smrt s kojom će se suočiti.

This is the cord.

Ovo je kabel.

Except for around the two towers,

Osim oko dva tornja,

there is 32 inches of steel

postoje 32 inča čelika

paralleling the bridge.

koji se nalaze usporedo s mostom.

This is where most folks stand

Ovdje većina ljudi stoji

before taking their lives.

prije nego si oduzmu život.

I can tell you from experience

Mogu vam reći iz iskustva

that once the person is on that cord,

da jednom kada je osoba na tom kablu,

and at their darkest time,

i nalazi se u svom najmračnijem trenutku,

it is very difficult to bring them back.

vrlo je teško vratiti ih.

I took this photo last year

Napravio sam ovu fotografiju prošle godine

as this young woman spoke to an officer

dok je ova mlada žena razgovarala s policajcem

contemplating her life.

razmišljajući o svom životu.

I want to tell you very happily

Želim vam vrlo sretno reći

that we were successful that day

da smo bili uspješni taj dan

in getting her back over the rail.

i vratili smo ju preko ograde.

When I first began working on the bridge,

Kada sam započeo s poslom na mostu,

we had no formal training.

nismo imali nikakav trening.

You struggled to funnel your way through these calls.

Borili ste se da se probijete kroz te pozive.

This was not only a disservice

Ovo nije samo bila loša usluga

to those contemplating suicide,

onima koji pomišljaju na samoubojstvo,

but to the officers as well.

već i policajcima.

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

Jako, jako puno smo napredovali od tada.

Now, veteran officers and psychologists

Sada, stariji policajci i psiholozi

train new officers.

treniraju nove policajce.

This is Jason Garber.

Ovo je Jason Garber.

I met Jason on July 22 of last year

Upoznao sam Jasona 22. srpnja prošle godine

when I get received a call

kada sam primio poziv

of a possible suicidal subject

o mogućem suicidalnom subjektu

sitting on the cord near midspan.

kako sjedi na kablu u blizini sredine.

I responded, and when I arrived,

Odgovorio sam, i kada sam stigao

I observed Jason

promotrio sam Jasona

speaking to a Golden Gate Bridge officer.

dok je razgovarao sa policajcem sa Golden Gate Bridgea.

Jason was just 32 years old

Jason je imao samo 32 godine

and had flown out here from New Jersey.

i doletio je ovamo iz New Jerseya.

As a matter of fact,

Zapravo,

he had flown out here on two other occasions

on je doletio ovdje već dva puta prije

from New Jersey

iz New Jerseya,

to attempt suicide on this bridge.

kako bi se pokušao ubiti na ovom mostu.

After about an hour of speaking with Jason,

Nakon otprilike sat vremena razgovora sa Jasonom,

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

pitao nas je znamo li priču Pandorine kutije.

Recalling your Greek mythology,

Ako se prisjetite Grčke mitologije,

Zeus created Pandora,

Zeus je stvorio Pandoru,

and sent her down to Earth with a box,

i poslao ju na Zemlju s kutijom,

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

i rekao joj, "Nikad, ali nikad ne otvaraj tu kutiju."

Well one day, curiosity got the better of Pandora,

Jednoga dana znatiželja je prevladala Pandoru,

and she did open the box.

i ona je otvorila ovu kutiju.

Out flew plagues, sorrows,

Iz kutije su izletjele kuge, tuga,

and all sorts of evils against man.

i sve vrste zla koje su bile protiv čovjeka.

The only good thing in the box was hope.

Jedina dobra stvar u kutiji bila je nada.

Jason then asked us,

Onda nas je Jason zapitao,

"What happens when you open the box

"Što se dogodi kada otvorite kutiju

and hope isn't there?"

i nada nije ondje?"

He paused a few moments,

Zastao je na par trenutaka,

leaned to his right,

nagnuo se udesno,

and was gone.

i nije ga bilo.

This kind, intelligent young man from New Jersey

Ovaj ljubazni, inteligentni mladić iz New Jerseya

had just committed suicide.

je upravo počinio samoubojstvo.

I spoke with Jason's parents that evening,

Te večeri razgovarao sam s Jasonovim roditeljima,

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

i pretpostavljam da dok sam razgovarao s njima

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

da nisam baš zvučao najbolje,

because that very next day,

jer već sljedećeg dana,

their family rabbi called to check on me.

nazvao me obiteljski rabin da provjeri kako sam.

Jason's parents had asked him to do so.

Jasonovi roditelji su ga zamolili da to učini.

The collateral damage of suicide

Kolateralna šteta samoubojstva

affects so many people.

škodi tako puno ljudi.

I pose these questions to you:

Postavljam vam ova pitanja:

What would you do if your family member,

Što bi ste učinili da je član vaše obitelji,

friend or loved one was suicidal?

prijatelj ili voljena osoba sklona samoubojstvu?

What would you say?

Što bi ste rekli?

Would you know what to say?

Bi ste li znali što reći?

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

Prema mom iskustvu, nije važno samo što govorite,

but the listening.

već i slušanje.

Listen to understand.

Slušajte kako biste razumjeli.

Don't argue, blame,

Ne svađajte se, ne krivite,

or tell the person you know how they feel,

ili govorite toj osobi da znate kako se osjeća,

because you probably don't.

jer vjerojatno ne znate.

By just being there,

Samo što ste tamo

you may just be the turning point that they need.

bi mogla biti ta stvar koja im je trebala.

If you think someone is suicidal,

Ako mislite da je netko sklon samoubojstvu,

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

nemojte se bojati suočiti s njima i postaviti pitanja.

One way of asking them the question is like this:

Jedan način na koji možete postaviti pitanje je ovaj:

"Others in similar circumstances

"Drugi su u sličnim okolnostima

have thought about ending their life;

razmišljali da svrše svoj život:

have you had these thoughts?"

jesi li ti imao te pomisli?"

Confronting the person head-on

Direktno suočavanje s tom osobom

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

im možda spasi život i možda bude točka nakon koje se sve mijenja

Some other signs to look for:

Neki drugi znaci koje možete tražiti:

hopelessness, believing that things are terrible

beznađe, vjerovanje da su stvari užasne

and never going to get better;

i da se nikad neće popraviti;

helplessness, believing that there is nothing

bespomoćnost, vjerovanje da ne postoji ništa

that you can do about it;

što se može oko toga učiniti;

recent social withdrawal;

nedavno povlačenje iz društva;

and a loss of interest in life.

i gubitak interesa za životom.

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

Smislio sam ovaj govor prije nekoliko dana,

and I received an email from a lady

i primio sam mail od žene

that I'd like to read you her letter.

koji bih vam volio pročitati.

She lost her son on January 19 of this year,

Izgubila je sina 19. veljače ove godine

and she wrote this me this email

i napisala mi je ovaj mail

just a couple of days ago,

prije nekoliko dana,

and it's with her permission and blessing

i s njenim dopuštenjem i blagoslovom

that I read this to you.

vam ovo čitam.

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

"Zdravo Kevin. Vjerujem da si na TED konferenciji.

That must be quite the experience to be there.

Sigurno je lijepo iskustvo biti tamo.

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

Mislim da ću se ovog vikenda prošetati po mostu.

Just wanted to drop you a note.

Samo sam ti htjela dati poruku.

Hope you get the word out to many people

Nadam se da ćeš proširiti priču mnogim ljudima

and they go home talking about it

i da će otići kući pričajući o tome

to their friends who tell their friends, etc.

svojim prijateljima koji će reći svojim prijateljima, itd.

I'm still pretty numb,

Još uvijek sam utrnula,

but noticing more moments of really realizing

ali primjećujem sve više trenutaka kada zaista shvaćam

Mike isn't coming home.

da se Mike ne vraća kući.

Mike was driving from Petaluma to San Francisco

Mike se vozio iz Petalume u San Francisco

to watch the 49ers game with his father

kako bi gledao utakmicu 49ersa sa svojim ocem

on January 19.

19. veljače.

He never made it there.

Nikad nije došao tamo.

I called Petaluma police

Nazvala sam policiju iz Petalume

and reported him missing that evening.

i prijavila njegov nestanak te večeri.

The next morning,

Sljedećeg jutra,

two officers came to my home

dva policajca došla su kod mene kući

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

i prijavila da je Mikeov auto kod mosta.

A witness had observed him jumping off the bridge

Svjedok ga je vidio kako skače sa mosta

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

u 13:58 prethodnog dana.

Thanks so much

Hvala ti puno

for standing up for those

što si ustao za one

who may be only temporarily too weak

koji su možda samo privremeno preslabi

to stand for themselves.

da ustani za sebe.

Who hasn't been low before

Tko nije bio zaista nisko prije

without suffering from a true mental illness?

a da nije patio od prave mentalne bolesti?

It shouldn't be so easy to end it.

Ne bi smjelo biti tako lako završiti ga.

My prayers are with you for your fight.

Moje molitve su uz tebe u tvojoj borbi.

The GGB, Golden Gate Bridge,

GGB, Golden Gate Bridge,

is supposed to be a passage across

trebao bi biti prijelaz preko

our beautiful bay,

našeg predivnog zaljeva,

not a graveyard.

ne groblje.

Good luck this week. Vicky."

Sretno ovaj tjedan. Vicky."

I can't imagine the courage it takes for her

Ne mogu zamisliti hraborst koja joj je trebala

to go down to that bridge and walk the path

da se prošeta mostom i prođe putem

that her son took that day,

koji je prošao njen sin toga dana,

and also the courage just to carry on.

isto tako i hrabrost da samo nastavi.

I'd like to introduce you to a man

Volio bih vas upoznati sa čovjekom

I refer to as hope and courage.

kojeg zovem nadom i hrabrošću.

On March 11 of 2005,

11. Ožujka 2005. godine

I responded to a radio call of a possible

odgovorio sam na radio poziv mogućeg

suicidal subject on the bridge sidewalk

sucidalnog subjekta na pločniku mosta

near the north tower.

blizu sjevernog tornja.

I rode my motorcycle down the sidewalk

Vozio sam se svojim motociklom pločnikom

and observed this man, Kevin Berthia,

i vidio ovog čovjeka, Kevina Berthiu,

standing on the sidewalk.

kako stoji na pločniku.

When he saw me, he immediately traversed

Kada me vidio, odmah je prešao

that pedestrian rail,

tu pješačku ogradu

and stood on that small pipe

i stao na malu cijev

which goes around the tower.

koja ide oko tornja.

For the next hour and a half,

Sljedećih sat i pol,

I listened as Kevin spoke about

slušao sam kako Kevin priča o

his depression and hopelessness.

svojoj depresiji i beznađu.

Kevin decided on his own that day

Kevin je sam odlučio toga dana

to come back over that rail

vratiti se preko ograde

and give life another chance.

i dati životu drugu priliku.

When Kevin came back over,

Kada se Kevin vratio,

I congratulated him.

čestitao sam mu.

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

"Ovo je novi početak, novi život."

But I asked him, "What was it

Ali pitao sam ga: "Što je bilo to

that made you come back

što te nagnalo da se vratiš

and give hope and life another chance?"

i daš nadi i životu drugu priliku?"

And you know what he told me?

I znate što mi je rekao?

He said, "You listened.

Rekao je, "Vi ste slušali.

You let me speak, and you just listened."

Pustili ste me da govorim, i samo ste slušali."

Shortly after this incident,

Kratko nakon ovog incidenta,

I received a letter from Kevin's mother,

primio sam pismo od Kevinove majke,

and I have that letter with me,

i imam to pismo tu sa sobom,

and I'd like to read it to you.

i volio bih vam ga pročitati.

"Dear Mr. Briggs,

"Dragi gospodine Briggs.

Nothing will erase the events of March 11,

Ništa neće izbrisati događaje od 11. ožujka,

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

ali vi ste jedan od razloga što je Kevin još uvijek s nama.

I truly believe Kevin was crying out for help.

Čvrsto vjerujem da je Kevin vapio za pomoći.

He has been diagnosed with a mental illness

Dijagnosticirana mu je mentalna bolest

for which he has been properly medicated.

za koju dobiva ispravne lijekove.

I adopted Kevin when he was only six months old,

Posvojila sam Kevina kada je imao samo šest mjeseci,

completely unaware of any hereditary traits,

potpuno nesvjesna bilo kakvih nasljednih osobina,

but, thank God, now we know.

ali hvala Bogu, sada znamo.

Kevin is straight, as he says.

Kevin je ispravan, kako on kaže.

We truly thank God for you.

Uistinu smo zahvalni Bogu zbog vas.

Sincerely indebted to you,

Iskreno u vašem dugu,

Narvella Berthia."

Narvella Berthia."

And on the bottom she writes,

I na dnu je napisala:

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

"P.S. Kada sam posjetila Glavnu bolnicu u San Franciscu te večeri,

you were listed as the patient.

vi ste bili navedeni kao pacijent.

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

Kako sam samo imala problema dok sam to riješila."

Today, Kevin is a loving father

Danas, Kevin je otac pun ljubavi

and contributing member of society.

i član društva koji doprinosi.

He speaks openly

Govori otvoreno

about the events that day and his depression

o događajima toga dana i svojoj depresiji

in the hopes that his story

u nadi da će njegova priča

will inspire others.

inspirirati druge.

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

Samoubojstvo nije samo nešto s čime sam se susreo na poslu.

It's personal.

Osobno je.

My grandfather committed suicide by poisoning.

Moj djed počinio je samoubojstvo trovanjem.

That act, although ending his own pain,

Taj čin, iako je prekinuo njegovu patnju,

robbed me from ever getting to know him.

meni je ukrao priliku da ga upoznam.

This is what suicide does.

To je ono što samoubojstvo čini.

For most suicidal folks,

Za većinu ljudi koja pomišlja na samoubojstvo

or those contemplating suicide,

ili oni koji planiraju to,

they wouldn't think of hurting another person.

ne bi pomislili nauditi drugoj osobi.

They just want their own pain to end.

Žele samo da njihova bol završi.

Typically, this is accomplished in just three ways:

Najčešće, ovo se postiže na samo tri načina:

sleep, drugs or alcohol, or death.

san, droga ili alkohol ili smrt.

In my career, I've responded to

U mojoj karijeri odgovorio sam na

and been involved in hundreds

i bio uključen u stotine

of mental illness and suicide calls

poziva vezanih uz mentalnu bolest i samoubilačke pozive

around the bridge.

oko mosta.

Of those incidents I've been directly involved with,

Od tih slučajeva u kojima sam sudjelovao,

I've only lost two,

izgubio sam samo dva,

but that's two too many.

ali to je dva previše.

One was Jason.

Jedan je bio Jason.

The other was a man I spoke to

Drugi je bio čovjek s kojim sam razgovarao

for about an hour.

otprilike sat vremena.

During that time, he shook my hand

Za to vrijeme, pružio mi je ruku

on three occasions.

tri puta.

On that final handshake,

Pri tom zadnjem rukovanju,

he looked at me, and he said,

pogledao me i rekao mi,

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

"Kevine, žao mi je, ali ja moram ići."

And he leapt.

I skočio je.

Horrible, absolutely horrible.

Užasno je, apsolutno užasno.

I do want to tell you, though,

Ali želim vam reći, da ipak

the vast majority of folks

većina ljudi

that we do get to contact on that bridge

koje dospijemo kontaktirati na tom mostu

do not commit suicide.

ne počine samoubojstvo.

Additionally, that very few

I kao dodatak, onaj mali broj

who have jumped off the bridge and lived

onih koji su skočili s mosta i preživjeli

and can talk about it,

i mogu o tome pričati

that one to two percent,

tih jedan do dva posto,

most of those folks have said

većina tih ljudi je rekla

that the second that they let go of that rail,

da su u trenutku kada su pustili tu ogradu

they knew that they had made a mistake

znali da su učinili pogrešku

and they wanted to live.

i da žele živjeti.

I tell people, the bridge not only connects

Kažem ljudima, most ne povezuje samo

Marin to San Francisco,

Marin i San Francisco,

but people together also.

već i ljude također.

That connection, or bridge that we make,

Ta poveznica, ili most koji radimo,

is something that each and every one of us

je nešto čemu svatko od nas

should strive to do.

treba težiti.

Suicide is preventable.

Samoubojstvo se može spriječiti.

There is help. There is hope.

Ima pomoći. Ima nade.

Thank you very much.

Hvala vam puno.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)