It was late at night when I got the emailed threat about five years ago. A suicidal friend sent me a dramatic picture — an obvious cry for help — with a knife poised against her wrist. She lives hundreds of miles away, so there was little that I could do to help, but I wondered where her husband was.
After I sent a reply trying to talk her into ending the threat — at least for that night — she sent back a sarcastic reply to my attempt to help her deal with this existential crisis.
“It’s not your job,” she wrote. “It’s the man-child’s who’s off playing computer games.”
I knew this was a continuing issue in her marriage. Her husband — about 30 years old — spent pretty much all of his non-work time playing computer games. As a result, they had fallen into living parallel lives. Although he knew she was depressed and suicidal, he chose to live in a fantasy world with gaming buddies instead of in the real world he had chosen for himself.
I’m trying to do something new — and I don’t know what to call it
Admission to elite colleges is signaling, not about learning
I finally know why I feel like a fraud when people say I’m smart
I was getting frustrated with the interview Sunday afternoon, but I wanted to keep things civil and polite.
Contradiction in terms: There’s no such thing as ‘limited government’
In ’98, Ron Paul warned U.S. policy was leading to terrorist attacks
If he cheats at Cracker Barrel, he’ll eventually cheat you, too
Who’s afraid of a federal shutdown? Many of us hope for the real thing
Reality check: A stupid racial prank isn’t ‘the worst thing anybody can do’
Experimentation produces beauty that won’t come from slavishly following One True Way