The Sea Lion & The Guy Who Jumped Off The Golden Gate Bridge

Cal Fussman’s 3-Minute Takeaway

Eighteen years ago, on September 25th, a young man named Kevin Hines got on a bus in San Francisco that was headed toward the Golden Gate Bridge.

I don’t have the time to supply his full background because it’s hard to fit a very long story into a two-minute takeaway. But trust me: Kevin is intelligent, very well-meaning and he makes the world a better place. He also has bipolar disorder.

So there he was, 19 years old, sitting on that bus, crying, and hoping that one person would notice his tears, approach him and ask:

Are you okay?

Is there something wrong?

Can I help you?

If one person approached him, he decided, he wouldn’t go through with it. Apparently, this is a pattern among many people contemplating suicide. They’re looking for one person to pay attention. That one person can stop them.

Nobody approached Kevin. One man on the bus looked at another, pointed at Kevin with his thumb, and said: “What the hell is wrong with that kid?”

When the bus stopped, all the other passengers got off and the driver called out: “C’mon kid, you gotta go!”

Walking down the two steps of that bus felt longer to Kevin than a marathon. He headed toward the Golden Gate Bridge, and paced it for about 40 minutes.