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How the power of compassion and listening has led Kevin Briggs to talk down over 200 people from taking their lives.
Guardian angel
How the power of compassion and listening has led Kevin Briggs to talk down over 200 people from taking their lives.
00:00
I'm 220 feet in the air and I have
00:02
somebody trying to get my attention God
00:05
keep yelling there I say if you give me
00:06
closer that's it
00:07
because all I gotta do is nudge back and
00:09
what happens because somebody is four
00:12
five minutes late getting home they roll
00:14
down their window as they come by and
00:16
they yell out jump you sob what could I
00:21
have done different I was tired of
00:24
living his life I was tired of lying to
00:26
everybody I was exhausted at who I
00:29
become I thought about the Golden Gate
00:32
Bridge
00:33
ask for directions so I got to the Bay
00:36
Bridge
00:37
and I asked him for directions I said
00:39
how do you get to the goin Gate Bridge
00:40
but I was telling myself ok whoever I
00:42
asked I hope that I when I asked him
00:44
they looked me in my face and they'll
00:46
see something inside of me and asked me
00:48
well why are you going to the bridge
00:50
because part of me on the inside was
00:53
ready to say why I wanted to go I mean I
00:55
was really looking for a reason to to
00:58
continue to live I couldn't find
01:00
anything the ladies just looked at me in
01:03
my face and gave me a plain look she
01:07
gave me directions I knew it wasn't
01:10
gonna be all right no more park my car
01:12
left the keys in the ignition and grab
01:14
my prepaid phone and I got there on that
01:15
bridge and I started walking I looked
01:18
over the railing saw it was that the
01:19
devil's going to stop me I saw there was
01:22
nothing there water but when I looked in
01:24
that water I just didn't see water I saw
01:25
a piece I saw no more nights of crying I
01:29
saw no more living a lie I saw no more
01:31
being a burden all the things that I
01:34
needed in life I saw in that water I
01:36
took a couple steps back in a moment as
01:38
I'm heading towards the railing and
01:41
about to jump over I hear whoops
01:43
hey is everything all right
01:46
and in that moment it was enough of a
01:48
distraction to where I grabbed the
01:49
railing and turned myself on his court
01:51
i'm 220 feet in the air and i have
01:54
somebody trying to get my attention I'm
01:57
upset I'm yelling back and forth for him
01:59
stay back I'm trying to keep myself warm
02:01
I'm bundled up so I keep yelling in I
02:03
said if you give me closer that's it all
02:05
right cuz all I gotta do is nudge back
02:06
like that's all I got even a big nose
02:08
just a small nudge and that's it finally
02:11
in my heart starts feeling like why
02:13
doesn't you even care because he's not
02:17
he's not yelling at me he's not he's not
02:19
he's not making me feel like I'm stupid
02:21
for being here because everything inside
02:22
of me is like man you're stupid you
02:24
didn't put yourself in this position you
02:25
did not come here to talk I came here
02:28
because I was in pain and I was trying
02:29
to get out of it but here after 15
02:31
minutes this this voice starts to
02:33
penetrate me him him I put my soul in it
02:35
and he gets a little closer and I start
02:37
to hear him I never look up
02:39
in that same position on that bridge
02:42
with my feet hanging off the cord and at
02:45
any moment I could do this and it could
02:47
be over and for 92 minutes this
02:50
individual is human just listen to me
02:54
now think about that when I say that for
02:58
92 minutes
03:00
he said he stood there and just listened
03:04
to me
03:07
so after this time he decided on his own
03:12
to come back over the rail and I said
03:15
what did I do
03:16
that helped this situation all he told
03:19
me was you listened you let me speak and
03:23
you listened that's all this guy was
03:26
looking for and I think that's what so
03:27
many people are looking for
03:28
shortly after this incident I received a
03:32
letter from Kevin's mother dear mr.
03:35
breaks I adopted Kevin when he was only
03:38
six months old but you are one of the
03:40
reasons Kevin is still with us
03:42
I truly believe Kevin was crying out for
03:46
help we truly thank God for you
03:49
sincerely indebted to you NAR Vela
03:53
orthia
03:54
[Music]
03:57
it's really good we have a choice are we
04:02
gonna take the path of none of my
04:04
business they should handle it are we
04:06
gonna confront them head on and say hey
04:08
I'm seeing these things what's going on
04:11
let's talk listen to understand that's
04:16
the key listen to understand
04:18
Kevin Briggs is known as the guardian of
04:20
the Golden Gate Bridge he spent more
04:22
than two decades talking people down
04:24
from committing suicide I want to know
04:27
that there is hope and we want help we
04:30
want to know about it don't feel that
04:32
you're alone in this
04:33
Briggs talked roughly 200 people out of
04:35
suicide we don't have to be doctors
04:37
psychiatrists and all that we can do
04:39
this right here right now to be able to
04:43
have that courageous conversation with
04:44
someone I just focus on going this way
04:46
I don't worry about going back I don't
04:48
worry about left I don't worry about why
04:49
I was worried about forward
04:50
I just think I was alone and nobody in
04:52
the world felt like me now that I know
04:53
is people know what I feel like me it's
04:55
my job to help them out to encourage
04:57
them let them know hey I've been where
04:58
you been the darkest point did you ever
05:00
thought you can ever be in I came out of
05:02
it you can come out of it too
05:03
I can't honestly believe that it would
05:05
almost 8 billion people on this planet
05:06
that people still feel alone and that's
05:09
why we all got to come together two ears
05:12
and one heart that's what saved my life
05:14
and that's what all of us in this room
05:15
possess challenge yourself today and in
05:19
the future to look out for each other
05:21
the moment the moment people feel heard
05:24
they get healed the moment but they have
05:28
to be heard listening can saves people's
05:31
lives and we all can do it
05:33
[Music]
I'm 220 feet in the air and I have
00:02
somebody trying to get my attention God
00:05
keep yelling there I say if you give me
00:06
closer that's it
00:07
because all I gotta do is nudge back and
00:09
what happens because somebody is four
00:12
five minutes late getting home they roll
00:14
down their window as they come by and
00:16
they yell out jump you sob what could I
00:21
have done different I was tired of
00:24
living his life I was tired of lying to
00:26
everybody I was exhausted at who I
00:29
become I thought about the Golden Gate
00:32
Bridge
00:33
ask for directions so I got to the Bay
00:36
Bridge
00:37
and I asked him for directions I said
00:39
how do you get to the goin Gate Bridge
00:40
but I was telling myself ok whoever I
00:42
asked I hope that I when I asked him
00:44
they looked me in my face and they'll
00:46
see something inside of me and asked me
00:48
well why are you going to the bridge
00:50
because part of me on the inside was
00:53
ready to say why I wanted to go I mean I
00:55
was really looking for a reason to to
00:58
continue to live I couldn't find
01:00
anything the ladies just looked at me in
01:03
my face and gave me a plain look she
01:07
gave me directions I knew it wasn't
01:10
gonna be all right no more park my car
01:12
left the keys in the ignition and grab
01:14
my prepaid phone and I got there on that
01:15
bridge and I started walking I looked
01:18
over the railing saw it was that the
01:19
devil's going to stop me I saw there was
01:22
nothing there water but when I looked in
01:24
that water I just didn't see water I saw
01:25
a piece I saw no more nights of crying I
01:29
saw no more living a lie I saw no more
01:31
being a burden all the things that I
01:34
needed in life I saw in that water I
01:36
took a couple steps back in a moment as
01:38
I'm heading towards the railing and
01:41
about to jump over I hear whoops
01:43
hey is everything all right
01:46
and in that moment it was enough of a
01:48
distraction to where I grabbed the
01:49
railing and turned myself on his court
01:51
i'm 220 feet in the air and i have
01:54
somebody trying to get my attention I'm
01:57
upset I'm yelling back and forth for him
01:59
stay back I'm trying to keep myself warm
02:01
I'm bundled up so I keep yelling in I
02:03
said if you give me closer that's it all
02:05
right cuz all I gotta do is nudge back
02:06
like that's all I got even a big nose
02:08
just a small nudge and that's it finally
02:11
in my heart starts feeling like why
02:13
doesn't you even care because he's not
02:17
he's not yelling at me he's not he's not
02:19
he's not making me feel like I'm stupid
02:21
for being here because everything inside
02:22
of me is like man you're stupid you
02:24
didn't put yourself in this position you
02:25
did not come here to talk I came here
02:28
because I was in pain and I was trying
02:29
to get out of it but here after 15
02:31
minutes this this voice starts to
02:33
penetrate me him him I put my soul in it
02:35
and he gets a little closer and I start
02:37
to hear him I never look up
02:39
in that same position on that bridge
02:42
with my feet hanging off the cord and at
02:45
any moment I could do this and it could
02:47
be over and for 92 minutes this
02:50
individual is human just listen to me
02:54
now think about that when I say that for
02:58
92 minutes
03:00
he said he stood there and just listened
03:04
to me
03:07
so after this time he decided on his own
03:12
to come back over the rail and I said
03:15
what did I do
03:16
that helped this situation all he told
03:19
me was you listened you let me speak and
03:23
you listened that's all this guy was
03:26
looking for and I think that's what so
03:27
many people are looking for
03:28
shortly after this incident I received a
03:32
letter from Kevin's mother dear mr.
03:35
breaks I adopted Kevin when he was only
03:38
six months old but you are one of the
03:40
reasons Kevin is still with us
03:42
I truly believe Kevin was crying out for
03:46
help we truly thank God for you
03:49
sincerely indebted to you NAR Vela
03:53
orthia
03:54
[Music]
03:57
it's really good we have a choice are we
04:02
gonna take the path of none of my
04:04
business they should handle it are we
04:06
gonna confront them head on and say hey
04:08
I'm seeing these things what's going on
04:11
let's talk listen to understand that's
04:16
the key listen to understand
04:18
Kevin Briggs is known as the guardian of
04:20
the Golden Gate Bridge he spent more
04:22
than two decades talking people down
04:24
from committing suicide I want to know
04:27
that there is hope and we want help we
04:30
want to know about it don't feel that
04:32
you're alone in this
04:33
Briggs talked roughly 200 people out of
04:35
suicide we don't have to be doctors
04:37
psychiatrists and all that we can do
04:39
this right here right now to be able to
04:43
have that courageous conversation with
04:44
someone I just focus on going this way
04:46
I don't worry about going back I don't
04:48
worry about left I don't worry about why
04:49
I was worried about forward
04:50
I just think I was alone and nobody in
04:52
the world felt like me now that I know
04:53
is people know what I feel like me it's
04:55
my job to help them out to encourage
04:57
them let them know hey I've been where
04:58
you been the darkest point did you ever
05:00
thought you can ever be in I came out of
05:02
it you can come out of it too
05:03
I can't honestly believe that it would
05:05
almost 8 billion people on this planet
05:06
that people still feel alone and that's
05:09
why we all got to come together two ears
05:12
and one heart that's what saved my life
05:14
and that's what all of us in this room
05:15
possess challenge yourself today and in
05:19
the future to look out for each other
05:21
the moment the moment people feel heard
05:24
they get healed the moment but they have
05:28
to be heard listening can saves people's
05:31
lives and we all can do it
05:33
[Music]