Teenager who asked man about to jump off bridge 'Are you okay?' says he just likes to help people

[Sunlei]

A boy who saved the life of a suicidal man by simply asking him "Are you okay?" has said he did it because he likes to help people who need help. Jamie Harrington, from Ballymun, Dublin, told the Humans of Dublin project about a meeting with a man in his 30s sitting on the edge of a bridge and about to jump off it.

After sitting down and speaking to the stranger for 45 minutes, 16-year-old Jamie persuaded the man to go to hospital and seek treatment. "We sat on the sidewalk on the south side of the Liffey and talked for about 45 minutes, about what was happening to him, why was he feeling that way..."I couldn't leave him there alone, but I had to go, so I was going to ring an ambulance. I told him they could help him feel better.

Jamie exchanged phone numbers with the man, who contacted him three months later with the news of his wife's pregnancy. "He said in that moment that I approached him, he was just about to jump, and those few words saved his life" Jamie continued in the post.
"That they're still ringing in his head every day. 'Are you okay?'

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Teenager-who-asked-man-about-to-jump-off-bridge-Are-you-okay-says-he-just-likes-to-help-people/articleshow/48376206.cms

[underahedgerow]

1. We all need a little help sometimes, and it's not difficult to be kind.

I wish more people would be kind. Good kid, I hope someone learns from this and says a kind word instead of walking on by.

[spooky3]

11. Very sweet kid - the world could use more empathy and compassion. Sometimes just a little goes a

way.

Great story.

[Blue_Tires]

2. Good to read...

I was once on "the bridge" myself years ago...

[randome]

4. .

[hr][font color="blue"][center]No squirrels were harmed in the making of this post. Yet.[/center][/font][hr]

[irisblue]

6. been there too

I'm happy we are both here today

[randome]

8. Okay, anyone with the word 'blue' in their username, stand up.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]No squirrels were harmed in the making of this post. Yet.[/center][/font][hr]

[irisblue]

10. maybe make that question an OP. It would be interesting.

and since my knees are hurting, I'll wave both arms wildly like this

[SoapBox]

3. This is amazing...

A true human being.

[DawgHouse]

5. You never know the burdens that the people around you are carrying.

This young man is a good soul.

[smirkymonkey]

7. What a beautiful story! Brings tears to my eyes.

If only more of us were that aware of the silent suffering of others and had the heart or the time to just say "Are you ok?" There are so many walking wounded. I wish it was less of a stigma in this world to be kind and open. In this society, it is looked at upon as a weakness - something to be despised. Very unfortunate.

[uhnope]

9. in this world of bad news it's great you post something like this. nt

.

[Enthusiast]

12. Thanks for posting this, Sunlei.

[Divernan]

13. It takes so little effort to be kind and reach out to people

If you're not in the One Percent, and you do your own grocery shopping, you are interacting with the same checkout people, baggers, cart handlers, butchers & stockers on a weekly basis for years at a time. Think about taking 5 seconds to actually make eye contact, and smile at them!

It's not that hard to think of something nice and encouraging to say to them! Start out with a comment about the weather. Anyone can do that. "It's getting pretty cold out. Bundle up on the way home." Let people know you see them as individual persons and not faceless servants. Like the teenage boy bagging groceries, who obviously went to some trouble with his hair cut/style. "I really like that haircut. My son would look good with that." My god, that young man's smile was so broad it about split his face in half. I wondered when the last time was someone gave him a compliment.

My local grocery store hires some Downs syndrome people to bag groceries and retrieve carts. Easy to remember their names from their name tags. Greet them by name. They are such sweethearts.

And there are too many old women who still have to work as checkers, standing on their feet for hours at a time, when they should have been able to retire. Obviously they are on a really tight budget. They look worried and/or exhausted most of the time. They're not wearing designer clothing, but they make an effort. So recognize it, and them. "Really like your Christmas pin - puts me in the holiday spirit." Or just the color of their inexpensive sweater - "I've always loved that shade of pink - it's a good color on you." I mean, the look on their faces, they just light up and look 10 years younger.

Give it a try. I think you'll find it makes you happy.

[Liberal_in_LA]

14. great story