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Thomas Brick's avatar

Open Thread Post -

Gents, please spare a kind thought or a prayer for one of my colleagues who took her own life on 6 September. I've been working with the family to ensure paperwork accuracy, and plan funeral stuff. The army calls this a CAO (casualty assistance officer). I expected to have my card punched for this duty at some point... it's terribly sad that it's for a young colleague that I mentored through much of her first year in the AGR program.

There were no signs, it was out of the blue. I'm still gathering my thoughts on what all of this means, but I have an unshakable feeling that decreases in *actual* community, coupled with increases in bullshit mental/behavioral health "resources" could be to blame here. Where there once was a web of civic/cultural/religious engagement and people who care, there is now just reddit and a hotline.

I haven't grieved yet. I'm sure it'll hit after tomorrow's funeral. If you're the praying type, please do so for Melissa, her fiancé, and her family.

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MD Streeter's avatar

"...if 700 million “newcomers” land in America..."

Fuck that, I'm moving back to Japan.

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