Do you know what a drowning person looks like? I can tell you – it's not flailing and screaming. The person goes down slowly and quietly. He flails, but not visibly. Then he slowly slips under.
The truth is, people drown every day, and not just in water. First comes the stress. Homework, relationships, work, changes. It weakens them little by little. Then someone makes fun of them, sneers at them for no reason, tells them they'd be better off dead. Dead. They sink lower. They start reaching out for something to grab. But then they start to consider it. If they really did die, who would cry? Who would even notice? Who would miss them? What have they done that people would remember? These thoughts lead to depression, and they go completely under. All the stress hurts them. Damages them. And their mind focuses on one line of thinking. I don't matter. Everyone hates me. I can't do anything good.
A captain on a snorkeling ship has to watch. It's his job to check and see that everybody's okay. He can recognize the signs that someone is drowning. What about you? Look around. Do you notice someone who seems to be struggling? Reach out and give her a hand. Or are you embarrassed to associate with people who are not in your “crowd”? Do you think the captain would let someone die because he was afraid to get his clothes wet? No. But the real question is …
Would you?
The truth is, people drown every day, and not just in water. First comes the stress. Homework, relationships, work, changes. It weakens them little by little. Then someone makes fun of them, sneers at them for no reason, tells them they'd be better off dead. Dead. They sink lower. They start reaching out for something to grab. But then they start to consider it. If they really did die, who would cry? Who would even notice? Who would miss them? What have they done that people would remember? These thoughts lead to depression, and they go completely under. All the stress hurts them. Damages them. And their mind focuses on one line of thinking. I don't matter. Everyone hates me. I can't do anything good.
A captain on a snorkeling ship has to watch. It's his job to check and see that everybody's okay. He can recognize the signs that someone is drowning. What about you? Look around. Do you notice someone who seems to be struggling? Reach out and give her a hand. Or are you embarrassed to associate with people who are not in your “crowd”? Do you think the captain would let someone die because he was afraid to get his clothes wet? No. But the real question is …
Would you?
This piece has been published in Teen Ink’s monthly print magazine.
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