4 ms·
Reading this sounds like a hit piece. I don't doubt he drank himself to death. There is an embellishment of events and the author is writing from the perspect
by notdarkyet 13y ago
Reading this sounds like a hit piece. I don't doubt he drank himself to death. There is an embellishment of events and the author is writing from the perspective as though they/he/she were there.
I am writing this after coming back from the bar with friends. I would actually consider myself someone who drinks too much. I have written code for years, tried and failed on over four startups. I have spent a week in a hospital for suicide and depression. I currently work a cushy job where I make great money and write code that a first year CS student could write.
This man was depressed. He tried to find outlets, self medicate, whatever the garbage we need to say about his actions that we need to say. He needed help. Rather than criticize his failures, lets make a note of how fragile our human psyches are and work towards helping one another cope with our internal battles.
- mylons 13y agoI agree whole heartedly and have been to some of the places you have. One thing I have noticed in some friends and acquaintances who've worked out of depression is that they can attain this loftiness to themselves. They feel superior to those who are where they once were. Once I saw that in real life, I began to extrapolate it to a lot of the comments on the internet that tear down the depressed. Somehow they lose their empathy along the way.
- scarecrowbob 13y agoWell, if I had to lose some empathy in order to work myself out of depression, I'd probably be okay with that in the end. I think your observation has some merit.
- johnchristopher 13y agoI saw the same thing happening with people who lost a lot of weight. I am pretty sure it's a combination of fear to get back to a previous unwanted state and a frame of mind that can't stand the idea of remembering how we once were when looking at someone depressed or overweight.
- MrBuddyCasino 13y agoI have personally witnessed this too, and I also think its because they separate themselves from their former selves. Its something about becoming a new person.
- paganel 13y ago> They feel superior to those who are where they once were. This is the thing I don't understand about these people. Once you've experienced depression but somehow you did manage to "leave it behind" you still have the feeling that's there, somewhere, hidden, and only the greatest fool would make fun of it or of people still suffering from it.
- llcoolv 13y agoIt is very simple - depression is like cancer in a sense that it expands and captures/modifies more and more reflexes, thought patterns, habits and other aspects of personality. The single most important thing is to stop trying to be accommodating and understanding to its effects (feeling sorry for yourself), which is needed in order to increase locus of control[1]. Another key part (which comes later) is to absolutely believe and be determined that you're not depressed and that mistakes are just mistakes. So, take lack of compassion and self-identification and you've got it. Still, being a bitter cunt is zillion times better than getting hit by a tram, because you don't care. Also, a lot of chicks just dig guys who are short on empathy, which is a nice reward. And when need be, empathy is extremely easily faked, because people are not very suspicious when they need it. [1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Core_self-evaluations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Core_self-evaluations
- patatino 13y agoI can't speak for all.. But I don't think they lose their empathy. They learn how to shut it down in certain situation to protect themselves.
- selectstar 13y agoThis is ire inducing, as is all the comments agreeing anecdoatly. As someone who has came through the other side I would <emphasis>strongly</emphasis> argue that the level of empathy I feel towards friends in a similar predicatment is limitless. "A man falls down a hole..." It speaks to the character of the person if they then think of themselves superior to a friend who is fighting a fight they have been through previously.
- psionski 13y agoNobody is criticizing him and the article most definitely doesn't read "like a hit piece". At least that's not what I got from it, I thought it was very compassionate actually. Sorry about your problems... I can't say I know what you're talking about because I only had a glimpse of depression, but I understand the feeling of knowing your life isn't going to get better EVER and should preferably end right now. Thankfully this turned out to be not true, I changed countries and now I'm happier than ever, but this wasn't some revelation that just dawned on me - it was just pure luck and I'm not sure if I could have escaped myself. Have you already tried moving to a different country? I think there is something wrong with Western Europe, I've always been a happy person before I went there and my happiness returned when I got back home... It's possible that the problem is with the entire western society, so you should probably keep that in mind before you do something stupid. Although correlation doesn't imply causation, of course.
- JoblessWonder 13y agoI agree this article doesn't sound like a hit piece. If you want to read one that does, this short statement from Arc's developer is a good read: http://www.esva.net/~thom/philkatz.html http://www.esva.net/~thom/philkatz.html
- ante_annum 13y agoThis is painful to read. Basically "We had legal disputes with him and now he's dead and I'm happy".
- jimgardener 13y ago>>http://www.esva.net/~thom/philkatz.html http://www.esva.net/~thom/philkatz.html what a cheap piece of shit