Bridge of Life

How one can transform darkness in life? Hopelessness in happiness?

Photo by Alex Azabache on Unsplash

An insurance company allied with the government of South Korea to start an advertising campaign on one of the most important bridges in Seoul, the Mapo Bridge, known as bridge of death to reimagine it as the bridge of life.

South Korea is one of the countries with the highest suicide rate in the world. Just the Mapo Bridge itself recorded an average of twenty-one deaths per year.

To solve the serious problem, the government studied two alternatives: building a wall or closing the bridge.

But a third alternative emerged - carrying out an advertising campaign in favor of life, in such a way that messages made people think twice, before taking the extreme measure of suicide.

An insurance company created a partnership with advertisers, psychologists and suicide prevention activists, so that inspiring phrases could be created. In the sequence, luminous led panels with sensors were installed over more than two kilometers, causing them to light up, as passersby walk across the bridge, allowing people to read phrases such as:

Go see the people you miss.
The best moments of your life are yet to come.
How would you like to be remembered?

The campaign started in September 2012. Until December of the same year, that is, in the three-month period, the suicide rate on the bridge decreased by 85%, deserving the special award campaign of the well-known Cannes International Film Festival.

When caring matters

Although the campaign may have its commercial bias, considering the involvement of an insurance broker, what stands out is the effect: many voluntary deaths have been avoided.

The demonstration that a human being cares about another human being, his brother, is what matters the most.

Suicide is one of the most serious crimes that a human being can commit. With that attitude, one  despises the life that was given from Divinity throwing away the opportunity for individual growth and moral development.

If you are on the verge of attempting against your own life, think for a moment: What is going on that makes you feel that way?

Learn to wait

If you lost your love, your job, a precious opportunity, think that nothing is better than waiting a little longer, because everything passes.

The hopelessness that shadows your hours, will soon dissipate.

After the darkness of night, there is always a splendid dawn. Soon, the sun will gloriously shine again, the birds will sing and the nature will thrive.

Let the night hours slip away, wait for the dawn and allow yourself to live a new day. Everything changes quickly: the weather, the situations, the difficulties and the problems.

Conclusion

Wait for tomorrow, confident. Do not abandon life today. Hope is at the window, smiling, waiting for your gaze. Life, however harsh, deserves to be lived to the full, a gift from the loving and good Father.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on May 2nd, 2014.

See Also

• The poetry of life
  
• Weighted observation
• Suicide: a global calamity
• A Thinking Power
• Poverty and Wealth
• Divine Poem

Weighted observation

Learn to choose your words. With them we can promote peace or restlessness.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

It was a time of crisis and jobs were scarce. A young man arrived in the city and, in order to sustain himself, he looked for a job.

Pleasant and honest, he was soon living comfortably with colleagues. He was also referred, thanks to a friend, to the position he currently held.

However after some time, he started to use profanity on a daily basis.

Independently of the situation, he would use blasphemies he offend Divinity in different ways. This annoyed colleagues who barely tolerated his presence.

Financially accommodated, he did his job with zeal. He took care of the trusted papers, gathered the documentation on his desk, kept accurate notes. Iin short, he was considered a good employee.

Possibly, this behavior was the secret of having won the sympathy of the bosses and colleagues.

But now, he was becoming a little difficult to live with. For any insignificance, he would utter profanity, including the Creator Father and all the saints that came to mind.

One day, this way of acting reached its peak. Looking for a document of importance, which he was asked for, he started fiddling with the drawers, on his desk, in the closet. He then showed his nervousness and started to sprang nonsense from his mouth insulting God, causing great discomfort in the workplace.

While colleagues were looking at each other, not knowing what to do, the head of the office, a calm and respected man, asked him:

Boy, do you believe in God?

And silence. Taken by surprise, the boy did not know how to respond. The thoughtful man asked the question again, which remained unanswered. So, he made the considerations himself:

If you believe in God and offend him, tainting the One who never hurt you, you are being light and unjust. However if you do not believe in God, the conclusion is that you are offending someone who in your opinion, does not exist. As this is contradictory, we must admit that you are sick, very sick.

Lessons from Paul

The Apostle Paul, a prisoner in Rome, wrote to his companions in Ephesus, Asia. In that letter, among many other warnings and guidelines, he stated:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Bitterness, anger, anger, shouting, blasphemy and all malice are taken away from you.

That letter signaled the commitment we have to preserve the psychic environment where we are.

Conclusion

With our words we can promote peace or restlessness. It is important that we keep this in mind. As we think, speak, act, we can collaborate for harmony. Let's speak, building the good and providing an atmosphere of blessings to those around us. 

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on August 30th, 2016.

See Also

• The most important bridge
• The poetry of life
• A Thinking Power
• Poverty and Wealth