I had major depression at age 18. It was hell. I never considered suicide though – wasn’t even once in my thoughts.
If anything, depression taught me that I can have control over my own feelings. I can choose my response to things. I can have some modicum of control over my life and emotional state.
And I will never let myself get to that stage again.
I never knew Gene Kan – though obviously he was well liked and respected by many. It’s a shame that his life ended in such a way.
Two years ago on this day I recounted a phone conversation with Gene Kan about business models for peer-to-peer apps. He was a smart young man. People have all kinds of theories about why he shot himself, I don’t think it had anything to do with disappointment. Lots of people go through that, no one gets through life without lots of disappointment (no one gets through a day without lots of disappointment). Depression is a disorder. Sometimes when the chemicals in your bloodstream are wrong they make you feel worthless. When that happens it can be hard to stay in the game, remembering that such feelings often pass, pretty quickly. At age 25, lots of people don’t know that. It’s a tough time of life. But I guess every age has its unique challenges.
[Scripting News]