Architect's Leap?
So I got an email today from CMU about a student who died. Wouldn't have ever known the guy since he was a freshman my first year gone. But then they said where he died: in a stairwell in Wean Hall.
And anyone who's spent considerable time in Wean knows there are two stairwells: one main stairwell that spirals closely... and then one that has been called Archy's Leap (so named because architecture is one of the more work-intensive majors, and is a five-year major as well).
So then I put things together for myself and thing "Holy shit... did someone actually jump from Archy's Leap???"
Once I got past the ridiculousness of this, I thought about the ridiculousness of suicide. When your 18 years old, how can you possibly take yourself or something seriously enough to decide that I'm better off dead than alive? Nothing could (nor should) matter enough to you at that point in your life, and you shouldn't want to put yourself in a position to take on any responsibilities, like managing people at work or being responsible for a spouse or a kid. There are too many good things in the world, and too much valuable time to look for it to just throw your life away.
I've never been suicidal, so I don't know what it's like, but I imagine that if a friend of mine committed suicide while being in good physical health, I'd wonder what I could have done to assure him that he has value to others. I'd probably make sure I do that a little more often now.
OF COURSE, this may have not been a suicide at all, but a tragic accident or something else horrific. In which case Archy's Leap is still funny, but everything else I just said is probably still valid.
UPDATE: This report says that the incident occurred where I thought I did, and apparently there was what they suspect is a suicide note as well.
And anyone who's spent considerable time in Wean knows there are two stairwells: one main stairwell that spirals closely... and then one that has been called Archy's Leap (so named because architecture is one of the more work-intensive majors, and is a five-year major as well).
So then I put things together for myself and thing "Holy shit... did someone actually jump from Archy's Leap???"
Once I got past the ridiculousness of this, I thought about the ridiculousness of suicide. When your 18 years old, how can you possibly take yourself or something seriously enough to decide that I'm better off dead than alive? Nothing could (nor should) matter enough to you at that point in your life, and you shouldn't want to put yourself in a position to take on any responsibilities, like managing people at work or being responsible for a spouse or a kid. There are too many good things in the world, and too much valuable time to look for it to just throw your life away.
I've never been suicidal, so I don't know what it's like, but I imagine that if a friend of mine committed suicide while being in good physical health, I'd wonder what I could have done to assure him that he has value to others. I'd probably make sure I do that a little more often now.
OF COURSE, this may have not been a suicide at all, but a tragic accident or something else horrific. In which case Archy's Leap is still funny, but everything else I just said is probably still valid.
UPDATE: This report says that the incident occurred where I thought I did, and apparently there was what they suspect is a suicide note as well.