For almost 50 years, Don Ritchie has lived across the street from Australia's most notorious suicide spot, a rocky cliff at the entrance to Sydney Harbour called the Gap. And in that time, the man widely regarded as a guardian angel has shepherded countless people away from the edge.
. He's saved 160 people according to the official tally. "I'm offering them an alternative, really," Ritchie says. A smile cannot, of course, save everyone. . . But simple kindness can be surprisingly effective.
. Mental health professionals tell the story of a note left behind by a man who jumped off San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. The man wrote, "If one person smiles at me on the way to the bridge, I will not jump." Ritchie helps those . . . think beyond the terrible current moment.
. Psychiatrist Gordon Parker: "They often don't want to die, it's more that they want the pain to go away. So anyone that offers kindness or hope has the capacity to help a number of people."
. from The San Francisco Chronicle, Monday June 14, 2010
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