Life and Death are in the power of the tongue

[llennhoff]

The girl was not just standing there. Obviously she was considering whether or not to do it. She rose to her toes and then went flat footed again several times. Finally I couldn't take the suspense. "Jump!" I yelled, and she did. She rose a tiny distance, not even enough to begin a flying fantasy, and then the drop began. I don't have any

Comments

[ladyhawke_wings]

What is this from, llen?

[llennhoff]

My life. There is a point, and in a couple of days I'll explain. For now I'm collecting reactions.

[psychohist]

For what it's worth, then, my reaction is that I don't know enough about the situation to draw any conclusions.

[llennhoff]

I could have predicted that would have been your response. Context now provided in original post.

[joshwriting]

Life and Death are in the power of the tongue?

They certainly are, as well as many little deaths along the way.

Should "you" have gotten involved at all? I think you know where I stand on that, if not where the involvement above fell.

As soon as the scene is in front of you, you are involved. The only question that remains is how your involvement is manifested.

[llennhoff]

Context now provided in original post.

[joshwriting]

My baseline assumption was that if it was something dire, then it "you" were not telling a person to jump to her death, merely relating a story.

But my response stands pretty much as written. Even with the situation being about jumproping, involvement has the potential for joy, disappointment, or disaster.

[ron_newman]

this is a very upsetting story if it's true (and if it isn't about something like a diving board in a swimming pool)

I don't think you'd actually in real life tell someone to her face to commit suicide ... so I'm missing a lot of context.

[psychohist]

Do you think she was better off for it? Did you affect anyone else?

Interestingly, it turns out that answer doesn't depend on the additional information, after all.

[llennhoff]

I don't think it made a difference either way. She wasn't afraid, just gathering her concentration, I think.