The bridge between suicide and life | Kevin Briggs

Translator: Andreja Benčina Reviewer: Nika Kotnik

I recently retired

Pred kratkim sem se upokojil iz Kalifornijske avtocestne patrulje

from the California Highway Patrol

after 23 years of service.

po triindvajsetih letih službe.

The majority of those 23 years

Večino teh triindvajsetih let

was spent patrolling the southern end

sem patruljiral na južnem delu okrožja Marin,

of Marin County,

which includes the Golden Gate Bridge.

kar vključuje tudi most Golden Gate Bridge.

The bridge is an iconic structure,

Most je znamenita zgradba,

known worldwide

znana po vsem svetu

for its beautiful views of San Francisco,

zaradi čudovitega razgleda na San Francisco,

the Pacific Ocean, and its inspiring architecture.

na Pacifik in navdihujočo arhitekturo.

Unfortunately, it is also a magnet for suicide,

Na žalost je tudi magnet za samomorilce

being one of the most utilized sites in the world.

in je eno najpogostejših mest za samomor na svetu.

The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937.

Most so odprli leta 1937.

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

Joseph Strauss, glavni inženir zadolžen za gradnjo,

was quoted as saying,

je dejal:

"The bridge is practically suicide-proof.

"Na tem mostu ni mogoče storiti samomora.

Suicide from the bridge

Samomor z mostu

is neither practical nor probable."

ni niti praktičen, niti verjeten."

But since its opening,

A vse od njegovega odprtja

over 1,600 people have leapt to their death

se je s tega mostu v smrt pognalo več kot 1.600 ljudi.

from that bridge.

Some believe that traveling

Nekateri pravijo, da te bo pot

between the two towers

med obema stolpoma

will lead you to another dimension --

popeljala v drugo dimenzijo --

this bridge has been romanticized as such —

tako so most tudi romantizirali —

that the fall from that

da te bo padec z njega

frees you from all your worries and grief,

osvobodil vseh skrbi in težav

and the waters below

in da bodo vode pod njim

will cleanse your soul.

očistile tudi tvojo dušo.

But let me tell you what actually occurs

A naj vam povem, kaj se zares zgodi,

when the bridge is used

ko nekdo z mostu napravi samomor.

as a means of suicide.

After a free fall of four to five seconds,

Po 4- do 5-sekundnem prostem padu

the body strikes the water

telo prileti v vodo

at about 75 miles an hour.

s hitrostjo približno 120 km/h.

That impact shatters bones,

Udarec stre kosti,

some of which then puncture vital organs.

ki potem predrejo vitalne organe.

Most die on impact.

Večina jih umre ob udarcu.

Those that don't

Tisti, ki pa ne

generally flail in the water helplessly,

navadno nemočno mahajo vodi

and then drown.

in se nato utopijo.

I don't think that those who contemplate

Mislim, da se tisti, ki premišljujejo o taki metodi samomora,

this method of suicide

realize how grisly a death that they will face.

ne zavedajo, kako grozljivo smrt lahko izberejo.

This is the cord.

To je kabel.

Except for around the two towers,

Z izjemo okrog obeh stolpov

there is 32 inches of steel

je približno 81 cm jekla,

paralleling the bridge.

ki poteka vzporedno z mostom.

This is where most folks stand

Tu stoji večina ljudi,

before taking their lives.

preden si vzamejo življenje.

I can tell you from experience

Iz izkušenj vam lahko povem,

that once the person is on that cord,

da ko je človek enkrat na tem kablu,

and at their darkest time,

v svojem najtemnejšem trenutku,

it is very difficult to bring them back.

ga je zelo težko spraviti nazaj.

I took this photo last year

To fotografijo sem posnel lani,

as this young woman spoke to an officer

ko se je ženska pogovarjala s policistom

contemplating her life.

in premlevala svoje življenje.

I want to tell you very happily

Z veseljem naj vam povem,

that we were successful that day

da smo bili tisti dan uspešni

in getting her back over the rail.

in smo jo spravili nazaj čez ograjo.

When I first began working on the bridge,

Ko sem začel delati na mostu,

we had no formal training.

nismo imeli formalnega urjenja.

You struggled to funnel your way through these calls.

Boril si se, da si dosegel svoje pri takih klicih.

This was not only a disservice

To ni bila medvedja usluga samo tistim, ki so hoteli storiti samomor,

to those contemplating suicide,

but to the officers as well.

ampak tudi policistom.

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

Od tedaj smo zelo napredovali.

Now, veteran officers and psychologists

Danes izkušeni policisti in psihologi

train new officers.

urijo nove policiste.

This is Jason Garber.

To je Jason Garber.

I met Jason on July 22 of last year

Spoznal sem ga 22. julija lani,

when I get received a call

ko sem dobil klic o možnem samomorilcu,

of a possible suicidal subject

sitting on the cord near midspan.

ki sedi na kablu nekje na sredini mostu.

I responded, and when I arrived,

Odzval sem se in ko sem prišel,

I observed Jason

sem Jasona opazoval,

speaking to a Golden Gate Bridge officer.

ko je govoril s policistom na mostu.

Jason was just 32 years old

Jason je bil star le 32 let

and had flown out here from New Jersey.

in je tja priletel iz New Jerseyja.

As a matter of fact,

Pravzaprav je iz New Jerseyja tja prišel že dvakrat pred tem,

he had flown out here on two other occasions

from New Jersey

to attempt suicide on this bridge.

da bi poskušal storiti samomor.

After about an hour of speaking with Jason,

Po dobri uri pogovora

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

nas je vprašal, če poznamo zgodbo o Pandorini skrinjici.

Recalling your Greek mythology,

Če obnovimo grško mitologijo,

Zeus created Pandora,

Zevs je ustvaril Pandoro

and sent her down to Earth with a box,

in jo na Zemljo poslal s skrinjico

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

z naročilom: "Nikoli ne odpri te skrinjice."

Well one day, curiosity got the better of Pandora,

Nekoč pa jo je premagala radovednost

and she did open the box.

in jo je odprla.

Out flew plagues, sorrows,

Ven so prišle bolezni, težave

and all sorts of evils against man.

in vsa mogoča zla proti človeku.

The only good thing in the box was hope.

Edina dobra stvar v skrinjici je bilo upanje.

Jason then asked us,

Jason nas je nato vprašal:

"What happens when you open the box

"Kaj se zgodi, ko odpreš skrinjico

and hope isn't there?"

in upanja ni tam?"

He paused a few moments,

Za trenutek se je ustavil,

leaned to his right,

se nagnil na svojo desno

and was gone.

in izginil.

This kind, intelligent young man from New Jersey

Ta prijazni, pametni mladenič iz New Jerseyja

had just committed suicide.

je pravkar storil samomor.

I spoke with Jason's parents that evening,

Tisti večer sem govoril z njegovimi starši

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

in verjetno, ko sem govoril z njimi,

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

nisem zvenel najbolje,

because that very next day,

saj me je naslednji dan

their family rabbi called to check on me.

klical njihov rabin, da preveri, če sem v redu.

Jason's parents had asked him to do so.

Jasonovi starši so ga prosili, naj to stori.

The collateral damage of suicide

Postranska škoda samomora

affects so many people.

prizadene tako mnogo ljudi.

I pose these questions to you:

In zdaj vas vprašam:

What would you do if your family member,

"Kaj bi storili, če bi bil nekdo v vaši družini,

friend or loved one was suicidal?

prijatelj ali ljubljena oseba samomorilen?

What would you say?

Kaj bi rekli?

Would you know what to say?

Bi vedeli, kaj reči?"

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

Po mojih izkušnjah ni vse v besedah,

but the listening.

ampak tudi v poslušanju.

Listen to understand.

Poslušajte, da boste razumeli.

Don't argue, blame,

Ne prepirajte se, ne krivite

or tell the person you know how they feel,

ali govorite, da veste, kako se počuti,

because you probably don't.

ker najverjetneje ne.

By just being there,

Ampak samo s tem, da ste tam,

you may just be the turning point that they need.

boste mogoče postali prelomna točka, ki jo potrebuje.

If you think someone is suicidal,

Če mislite, da je nekdo samomorilen,

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

naj vas ne bo strah soočiti se z njimi in jih vprašati o tem.

One way of asking them the question is like this:

En način, da postavite vprašanje je ta:

"Others in similar circumstances

"Mnogi bi v podobnih razmerah

have thought about ending their life;

pomislili, da bi si vzeli življenje;

have you had these thoughts?"

si tudi sam že razmišljal o tem?"

Confronting the person head-on

Direktno soočenje

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

jim lahko morda reši življenje in postane tista prelomna točka.

Some other signs to look for:

Drugi znaki na katere bodite pozorni:

hopelessness, believing that things are terrible

brezup, prepričanje, da so stvari grozne

and never going to get better;

in se ne bodo nikoli izboljšale;

helplessness, believing that there is nothing

nemoč, prepričanje, da ne more ničesar spremeniti;

that you can do about it;

recent social withdrawal;

nedavna socialna izolacija;

and a loss of interest in life.

in izguba zanimanja za življenje.

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

Ta govor sem pripravil komaj pred nekaj dnevi

and I received an email from a lady

in dobil sem elektronsko pošto od gospe,

that I'd like to read you her letter.

ki bi vam jo želel prebrati.

She lost her son on January 19 of this year,

Svojega sina je izgubila 19. januarja letos

and she wrote this me this email

in pisala mi je pred nekaj dnevi,

just a couple of days ago,

and it's with her permission and blessing

in z njenim dovoljenjem vam sedaj to berem.

that I read this to you.

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

"Pozdravljen, Kevin. Predvidevam, da si na TED konferenci.

That must be quite the experience to be there.

To mora biti velika izkušnja.

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

Razmišljam, da bi morala iti na sprehod po mostu ta vikend.

Just wanted to drop you a note.

Samo obvestiti sem te hotela.

Hope you get the word out to many people

Upam, da boš prenesel sporočilo veliko ljudem

and they go home talking about it

in bodo šli domov in govorili o tem

to their friends who tell their friends, etc.

s svojimi prijatelji, ki bodo to delili naprej.

I'm still pretty numb,

Še vedno sem precej otopela,

but noticing more moments of really realizing

a opažam več trenutkov pravega spoznanja,

Mike isn't coming home.

da Mika ne bo domov.

Mike was driving from Petaluma to San Francisco

Mike se je peljal iz Petalume v San Francisco,

to watch the 49ers game with his father

da bi 19. januarja gledal tekmo 49ersov s svojim očetom.

on January 19.

He never made it there.

Nikoli ni prišel tja.

I called Petaluma police

Klicala sem policijo Petalume

and reported him missing that evening.

in tisti večer prijavila, da je pogrešan.

The next morning,

Naslednje jutro

two officers came to my home

sta domov prišla dva policista,

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

ki sta mi povedala, da je bil Mikov avto na mostu.

A witness had observed him jumping off the bridge

Priča ga je videla skočiti z mostu ob 13:58 prejšnjega dne.

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

Thanks so much

Najlepša hvala, da se postavljate za tiste,

for standing up for those

who may be only temporarily too weak

ki so trenutno prešibki,

to stand for themselves.

da bi to zmogli sami.

Who hasn't been low before

Kdo ni bil še nikoli na dnu,

without suffering from a true mental illness?

ne da bi hkrati trpel za pravo duševno boleznijo?

It shouldn't be so easy to end it.

Ne bi je smelo biti tako lahko končati.

My prayers are with you for your fight.

Moje molitve so z vami za vaš boj.

The GGB, Golden Gate Bridge,

GGB, Golden Gate Bridge,

is supposed to be a passage across

naj bi bil prehod čez

our beautiful bay,

naš čudoviti zaliv,

not a graveyard.

ne pokopališče.

Good luck this week. Vicky."

Veliko sreče ta teden. Vicky."

I can't imagine the courage it takes for her

Ne zamišljam si poguma, ki ga mora imeti,

to go down to that bridge and walk the path

da bo šla do mostu in prehodila pot,

that her son took that day,

ki jo je njen sin napravil tisti dan,

and also the courage just to carry on.

niti poguma, da živi dalje.

I'd like to introduce you to a man

Predstavil bi vam rad človeka,

I refer to as hope and courage.

ki ga imenujem upanje in pogum.

On March 11 of 2005,

11. marca 2005

I responded to a radio call of a possible

sem se odzval na klic o možnem samomorilcu na pločniku mostu

suicidal subject on the bridge sidewalk

near the north tower.

blizu severnega stolpa.

I rode my motorcycle down the sidewalk

Z motorjem sem se pripeljal po pločniku

and observed this man, Kevin Berthia,

in zagledal tega moža, Kevina Berthio,

standing on the sidewalk.

ki je stal tam.

When he saw me, he immediately traversed

Ko me je zagledal, je nemudoma preplezal ograjo za pešce

that pedestrian rail,

in se postavil na tisto malo cev, ki obkroža stolp.

and stood on that small pipe

which goes around the tower.

For the next hour and a half,

Naslednjo uro in pol

I listened as Kevin spoke about

sem poslušal, medtem ko je Kevin govoril o svoji potrtosti in brezupu.

his depression and hopelessness.

Kevin decided on his own that day

Kevin se je tistega dne sam odločil,

to come back over that rail

da spleza nazaj in poskusi znova.

and give life another chance.

When Kevin came back over,

Ko je splezal nazaj,

I congratulated him.

sem mu čestital.

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

"To je nov začetek, novo življenje."

But I asked him, "What was it

Vendar sem ga vprašal: "Zakaj si se odločil, da se vrneš

that made you come back

and give hope and life another chance?"

in daš upanju in življenju še eno priložnost?"

And you know what he told me?

Veste, kaj mi je rekel?

He said, "You listened.

Odgovoril je: "Poslušali ste me.

You let me speak, and you just listened."

Pustili ste mi govoriti in ste samo poslušali."

Shortly after this incident,

Kmalu po tem dogodku

I received a letter from Kevin's mother,

sem prejel pismo Kevinove mame,

and I have that letter with me,

in to pismo imam s seboj

and I'd like to read it to you.

in rad bi vam ga prebral.

"Dear Mr. Briggs,

"Dragi gospod Briggs,

Nothing will erase the events of March 11,

nič ne bo izbrisalo dogodkov z 11. marca,

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

a vi ste eden od razlogov, da je Kevin še vedno z nami.

I truly believe Kevin was crying out for help.

Resnično verjamem, da je Kevin klical na pomoč.

He has been diagnosed with a mental illness

Postavili so mu diagnozo duševne bolezni,

for which he has been properly medicated.

za katero prejema ustrezna zdravila.

I adopted Kevin when he was only six months old,

Posvojila sem ga, ko je bil star šest mesecev,

completely unaware of any hereditary traits,

brez vednosti o kakih dednih značilnostih,

but, thank God, now we know.

a danes, hvala bogu, vemo.

Kevin is straight, as he says.

Kevin je dobro, kot sam pravi.

We truly thank God for you.

In zahvaljujemo se bogu za vas.

Sincerely indebted to you,

Z vdanim spoštovanjem,

Narvella Berthia."

Narvella Berthia."

And on the bottom she writes,

In na dnu je pripisala:

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

"P.S. Ko sem tistega večera obiskala splošno bolnišnico San Francisca,

you were listed as the patient.

so vas navedli kot pacienta.

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

Joj, težko je bilo to popraviti."

Today, Kevin is a loving father

Danes je Kevin ljubeč oče

and contributing member of society.

in dejaven član skupnosti.

He speaks openly

Brez zadržkov govori

about the events that day and his depression

o dogodkih tistega dne in svoji depresiji

in the hopes that his story

v upanju, da bo njegova zgodba navdihnila druge.

will inspire others.

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

Samomor ni samo nekaj, s čimer sem se soočil med delom.

It's personal.

Je nekaj osebnega.

My grandfather committed suicide by poisoning.

Moj dedek je napravil samomor s strupom.

That act, although ending his own pain,

S tem, čeprav je končal svojo bolečino,

robbed me from ever getting to know him.

me je oropal priložnosti, da bi ga kdaj spoznal.

This is what suicide does.

To stori samomor.

For most suicidal folks,

Večina samomorilcev ali tistih, ki o tem premišljujejo,

or those contemplating suicide,

they wouldn't think of hurting another person.

ne bi niti pomislila na to, da bi prizadeli druge.

They just want their own pain to end.

Hočejo samo, da se njihova lastna bolečina konča.

Typically, this is accomplished in just three ways:

Navadno se to doseže samo na tri načine:

sleep, drugs or alcohol, or death.

s spancem, drogami in alkoholom ali smrtjo.

In my career, I've responded to

V svoji karieri sem se odzval

and been involved in hundreds

in bil vpleten v stotine

of mental illness and suicide calls

klicev zaradi samomora ali duševne bolezni

around the bridge.

v bližini mostu.

Of those incidents I've been directly involved with,

Od tistih, kjer sem bil direktno vpleten,

I've only lost two,

sem izgubil samo dva,

but that's two too many.

a to sta dva preveč.

One was Jason.

Eden je bil Jason.

The other was a man I spoke to

Z drugim moškim sem govoril

for about an hour.

dobro uro.

During that time, he shook my hand

Med tem mi je trikrat segel v roko.

on three occasions.

On that final handshake,

Ob zadnjem stisku rok

he looked at me, and he said,

me je pogledal in rekel:

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

"Kevin, oprosti, ampak iti moram."

And he leapt.

In je skočil.

Horrible, absolutely horrible.

Grozno, nepopisno grozno.

I do want to tell you, though,

Vendar vam moram povedati,

the vast majority of folks

da velika večina ljudi,

that we do get to contact on that bridge

s katerimi uspemo govoriti na mostu,

do not commit suicide.

ne stori samomora.

Additionally, that very few

Poleg tega, tistih nekaj,

who have jumped off the bridge and lived

ki so skočili in preživeli

and can talk about it,

in lahko govorijo o tem, tisti eden do dva odstotka pove,

that one to two percent,

most of those folks have said

that the second that they let go of that rail,

da v trenutku, ko se odrinejo od ograje,

they knew that they had made a mistake

vedo, da so storili napako

and they wanted to live.

in da hočejo živeti.

I tell people, the bridge not only connects

Ljudem pravim, da most ne povezuje samo

Marin to San Francisco,

Marin s San Franciscom,

but people together also.

ampak tudi ljudi med seboj.

That connection, or bridge that we make,

Ta povezava ali most, ki ga delamo,

is something that each and every one of us

je nekaj, za kar bi si moral vsak od nas prizadevati.

should strive to do.

Suicide is preventable.

Samomor je mogoče preprečiti.

There is help. There is hope.

Obstaja pomoč. Obstaja upanje.

Thank you very much.

Najlepša hvala.

(Applause)

(Aplavz)