Thursday, July 29, 2010

The Nicest Man In The World

Meet the Australian Who's Saved 160 People from Suicide
Don Ritchie lives across the street from the most famous suicide spot in Australia: A cliff known as "The Gap." Most people would move, but Ritchie's stayed for almost 50 years—saving an estimated 160 people from suicide.

So what's his big secret? Ritchie wakes up every morning and looks out the window for "anyone standing alone too close to the precipice." If he sees someone who looks like they might be contemplating a jump, he walks over and... strikes up a conversation.

He just gives them a warm smile, asks if they'd like to talk and invites them back to his house for tea. Sometimes, they join him.

Every time I'm about to give up on the human race, someone like this comes along.

1 comment:

Celine said...

"Despite all he has seen, he says he is not haunted by the ones who were lost. He cannot remember the first suicide he witnessed, and none have plagued his nightmares. He says he does his best with each person, and if he loses one, he accepts that there was nothing more he could have done."

That's one of the sanest things I've ever heard anyone say.