Talk Someone Down from Suicide - Thinkjoust Tuesday #56

Spoiler alert: I take pride in my words.

I have struggled for years to improve my way with words, both written and oral. I have studied thesauri for fun. I write six days a week. I analyze rhetoric and apply good techniques into my own. I even presume to smith my own words.

The thing is, with all my knowledge of words, I still find myself in situations where I just don't know what to say.

I couldn't imagine trying to talk someone down from a ledge. I wouldn't know what to do if someone approached me and confessed they were thinking of taking their own life. I would do my best to say things from the heart, but phrases like, "Things will turn out fine if you just hold on," and "I know how you feel," will be inadequate at best and downright insulting at worst. I've never personally encountered suicidal thoughts.

This week, I invite you all in join me in my attempts to improve my abilities with language.

Let's throw out a hypothetical situation. You're walking across a bridge when you notice a stranger obviously contemplating jumping off. What do you say to this person?

As for me, I think I would try to get a bit philosophical. I would tell the person to stop, obviously, and also tell them that every life if precious. This person has the capacity to bring a smile to someone's face, even if they don't believe it. I would tell the stranger on the ledge about me. Not necessarily my trials, but who I am and why I've come to believe such things. Most importantly, I'd do everything I could to keep them engaged in conversation long enough for more experienced help to arrive.

I don't know how I did, so I'm going to take this next week to study what experts say about proper talking-down techniques. Be sure to comment either below or on social media what you would say, and then come back this Saturday to see how you did.