Just hours ago, Logan Paul returned to YouTube by posting a video titled “Suicide: Be Here Tomorrow.” I took the time to watch the video, only so I could write an article about it.
Throughout the video, Logan Paul tries to make it seem like a documentary about suicide to provide information on the topic for his young fan base. He interviewed someone who tried to commit suicide by jumping off of the Golden Gate bridge in San Fransisco, California. You can read his story here. The video starts off with good intentions, and the facts provided are great knowledge for anyone and everyone watching. However, as the video progresses, it becomes more and more about himself. Like always, Logan Paul becomes the center of attention. The video is more about the steps that he took to learn more about suicide, rather than the topic of suicide itself.
After one minute and 25 seconds into it, Paul states, “It’s time to learn from the past, as I get better and grow as a human being.” This, once again, makes the video focus more on him and his mistakes, instead of the actual suicide victim filmed.
After that, Paul showcases his solution in New York City. He presents five questions which could save lives. The questions are: ask [yourself or anyone else if they’ve thought about suicide], listen [and don’t judge while listening], be there [for them and let them depend on you], connect [them to others], and check in [on them]. Ideally, these five questions should be able to save a life.
However, according to the New Yorker, suicide is a crime committed when someone gets too lonely. After all, they feel like they have no one to talk to and enter the downward spiral of depression. See, what Logan Paul still does not understand is that if someone is feeling suicidal, it is not that they don’t want to talk to others about it, it’s that they don’t feel like they are worthy enough to talk about it with someone.
So, coming from someone who has been severely depressed, let me tell you: if you suspect someone to be depressed, the biggest step you can take is to be consistent. Ask them constantly about their eating and sleep schedule. Annoy them to brush their teeth every day. The thing is, when someone falls into depression, they don’t feel like doing the little things anymore. Making someone do the little things every day forces them to realize that, just like everyone else, they too are humans.
However, it is also important to realize that sometimes your friend may get fed up and say things that they do not mean. For example, I have been told to “take my bullsh*t and leave,” simply because I made my friend do something that made her feel uncomfortable, but ultimately benefitted her. You have to realize that reality isn’t ideal, and you can’t make peoples’ suicidal feelings go away in five easy steps. In order to succeed in anything, whether it be your personal or professional life, you need to persevere and stay consistent.
