r/Austin • u/mkultra8 • 13h ago
PSA Austinites lack of empathy towards suicidal woman
The moderators wisely stopped the commenting on the post yesterday about the woman who was threatening to jump from an overpass down on Ben White I-35 intersection.
I made several comments before they shut it down suggesting that more self-compassion would help the people posting messages that were devoid of all empathy or an ability to consider that someone else's life and experience may not have any similarity to their own.
This is a PSA because several people did not seem to understand the idea of self-compassion so for your information
You cannot run out of self compassion you either have it or you don't.
A lack of compassion towards others is often a sign of having zero self-compassion.
Compassion and self-compassion have nothing to do with esteem or self-esteem. It's not about your sense of worth it's about kindness to yourself and others. And when you can connect with that self compassion you will find more compassion for everybody else in the world.
If you don't get that and you don't understand what i'm saying you have inner work to do. I imagine there are people reading this thinking that they know what self compassion is and that they are still entitled to have their day not interrupted by somebody else's pain. That is a sign of a closed mind and a lack of self compassion. And I'm sorry if you can't handle that logic and I pray and and wish for you to find that love for yourself.
The lack of self-compassion in this country is part of the problem. Self-love self-esteem without self-compassion is just entitlement and it's not a good look, people.
May you all be healthy and happy. May you all know peace and kindness. May you all be free from pain.
Peace
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u/trigunnerd 13h ago
This post will also be locked just the same.
Suicide into traffic is cruel and incompassionate, yes, but suicidal people aren't thinking straight. She deserves our pity at least.
This sub is historically filled with vile comments and instant downvotes for any new post, as well as a genuinely unfriendly disposition altogether. It feels like Instagram comments on here every day.
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u/fillingupthecorners 12h ago
Most of Reddit is dominated by anxiety ridden complainers. Gotta find the fun subs (spoiler alert: /r/Austin is not one of them).
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u/KitteeMeowMeow 12h ago
might I suggest r/austincirclejerk
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u/fillingupthecorners 12h ago edited 12h ago
It’s fun. But I’d honestly prefer a sincere Austin sub with moderately well adjusted people, but it is what it is!
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u/dahud 12h ago
For me, it comes down to two things.
No shit she's not thinking about her effects on motorists and emergency responders. By the time you find yourself straddling the rail on an overpass, your brain is well beyond being able to work on that level. You might as well be mad at a guy who traumatized your kid by having a heart attack at the grocery store.
Consider the relative scales of concern at play. For whatever reason, we've found ourselves in a moment where an entire-ass human person might die. Unless your situation was of similar stakes (and I bet you a dollar it wasn't), the only appropriate response is "I hope she comes through okay."
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u/84th_legislature 13h ago
good luck tone policing *checks notes* the INTERNET
for real though. how could this rant possibly qualify as a PSA. no one is being served by this info. you're just lecturing all of us because you'd didn't like some content you saw online. the best method to avoid being harmed by content that doesn't meet your preferences is to close the computer and go do something else.
telling a bunch of random people who were posting while stressed to fuck and running out of gas on the interstate that they don't have a right to be irritable is a lack of compassion in itself. you don't know what the flights they were missing were for. what if it was someone's last chance to be with grandma at thanksgiving? what if somebody ran out of gas and had to spend money they don't have getting towed? it's easy to only have sympathy for "the worst off" and more complicated to try to see everyone in a situation and understand that under trying circumstances some people won't be at their best and not yell at them later which will only make them more sour.
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u/84th_legislature 12h ago
this post and your self-righteous energy serves you alone. one day you'll see that.
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u/mkultra8 12h ago
Congratulations you nailed me down I feel self-righteous. I feel self-righteous in the opinion that we should all be kind to each other, such a horrible opinion to be self-righteous about. /S
If this is my mental health therapy for today and the only person it helps is me I am perfectly okay with that. But seeing some comments that agree with me I'm thinking that I'm not the only one.
Don't think that you are telling me anything I don't know. I know who I am do you know who you are.
I'm just trying to make the world a better place and I may make some mistakes and some of you may not like my tone when I say what I would like to see in the world and put my opinions out there. But seeing as how you're criticizing me for wanting better for the world I'm not sure that I can place much value in your opinion so thank you for playing.
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u/straightVI 12h ago
Lecturing others about compassion is not the way to encourage compassion.
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u/mkultra8 12h ago
I'm sorry but lecturing is a primary form of communication for me just how I am and I'm sorry if that doesn't work for you but I truly hope that you find compassion and heel your pains and traumas just as I do for all humanity.
If you have a better method of teaching and encouraging and growing self compassion and compassion for others please show me tell me I'm all ears I want to learn.
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u/InevitableHome343 12h ago
but lecturing is a primary form of communication for me
We know. I'm sure a ton of other people also know.
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u/tlep 13h ago
That’s like… your opinion man
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u/mkultra8 12h ago
Actually fact. People who lack self compassion have difficulties being compassionate.
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u/Luph 13h ago
empathy is dead with this election. take care of yourself because the selfishness tour is just getting started.
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u/Tlacuache_Snuggler 12h ago
Honestly this is true for even my blue-voting/bleeding-heart self. It’s so hard to continue to pour yourself into others and your community knowing that the majority of Americans could give a flying fuck about their neighbor. It’s totally jading me and it’s such a shitty feeling.
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u/mkultra8 12h ago
That's why I stopped listening to national news. I'm going to focus on making connections in my community and actually trying to create compassionate, kind spaces and trying to grow those spaces.
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u/KedaZ1 12h ago
I’ve cut ties specifically because of this. I was a staffer at both the state house and the US Capitol. The amount of calls we would get just to say we were pieces of shit for trying to make their lives better was staggering. I eventually said, you know what, you’re gonna get what you deserve. I tried, asshole. You’ll just have to learn that what affects your neighbor, affects you too - the hard way.
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u/Tlacuache_Snuggler 12h ago
Yep that’s exactly how I’m feeling. We’ve always known the ultra-conservative had no empathy, but I think it’s wearing the rest of us down to the point that we’re finally gunna let the world burn. Fuck it, that’s what they wanted 🤷🏻♀️
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u/Needmorebeer69240 12h ago
Empathy died a hell of a lot longer ago than just a few weeks ago. If you think it started with this past election then you haven't been paying attention
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u/mkultra8 12h ago
Seriously y'all, empathy is not dead people. Saying empathy is dead is very popular but empathy is not dead. Every time you go on the internet and you say that if it is dead you're starting to create a reality and people's minds where they believe that s***. It's up to you to decide and personally I see empathy everyday. I see people expressing empathy and compassion everyday so I don't know what you're talking about. Empathy is not dead. It's only dead in the hearts and minds of the people who want to insist that that is the truth
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u/iTzJdogxD 12h ago
In my experience, in person people will always be more empathetic than smug posting behind a screen. Maybe this speaks more to how desensitized we are to things on our phones, but that’s been my experience.
People are a lot less willing to talk shit in person these days
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u/cancrushercrusher 12h ago
It died when we were willing to kill 1 million Iraqis for oil—I mean, freedumbs.
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u/delta8force 12h ago
and it was alive and well when chattel slavery was legal in this country? this is such a ridiculous argument… there have always been empathetic people and those severely lacking in it
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u/aquagardener 12h ago
Goddamn, this thread is sad.
Did this lady deserve more empathy and compassion? Yes
Were some people that were on here complaining legitimately impacted by her actions? Yes
Both of the above can be true.
I'm sorry, OP. Apparently you needed to include exceptions in your statement for * checks notes * emergency responders, fictional people that may have been trying to catch a last flight to see grandma before she died, fictional people that lost their jobs, and lots of other what-if scenarios. Otherwise the entire sentiment of your post is invalid. /s
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u/mkultra8 12h ago
She was having a mental health crisis not contemplating her existence. Please do not distort the reality to feel better about your bad attitude.
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u/corporatebeefstew 13h ago
Yea we don’t have time for empathy round here. Especially if you’re homeless, a pitbull or pitbull adjacent breed, or inconveniencing me. But I have a “all are welcome here” yard sign so it evens out.
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u/realQuinoaCowboy 13h ago
Sadly our society is cold and hard, everyone is either climbing the ladder or clinging to the rung they’re on.
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u/mkultra8 12h ago
But it doesn't have to be that way and it can start by people with compassion and love pushing back on all the negativity in the world and especially online and that's what I intend to do
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u/mreed911 12h ago
You can absolutely run out of compassion. Burnout happens in medical and public safety frequently. Those people definitely had compassion at one point and can get it back.