“The one thing people can hopefully try to take away, I
guess, is the relationships they have with people,” Quinn said after the Chiefs
beat the Panthers 27-21 for their second victory of the season. “I know when it happened, I was sitting and, in my head, thinking
what I could have done differently. When
you ask someone how they are doing, do you really mean it? When you answer someone back how you are
doing, are you really telling the truth?
“We live in a society of social networks, with Twitter pages
and Facebook, and that’s fine, but we have contact with our work associates,
our family, our friends, and it seems like half the time we are more
preoccupied with our phone and other things going on instead of the actual
relationships that we have right in front of us. Hopefully, people can learn
from this and try to actually help if someone is battling something deeper on
the inside than what they are revealing on a day-to-day basis.”
I think about the number of times I ask my students to put away their phones. I think about the way we have become insulated from the world around us. Reflecting on what Mr. Quinn has said I wonder what could be done to reach out and help someone who was struggling. Would it be enough to listen? Would it help to acknowledge that someone is having a tough time? I know that there are services that one can access like the Crisis Services of Waterloo Region at 519-744-1813 or 1-866-366-4566 if there is a mental health emergency. The Grand River Hospital has both inpatient and clinic services. As well in our school there are people who can offer guidance and support. I wonder if we weren't so wrapped up in our own world and we reached out would it make a difference?
I agree with you, maybe if people did a little bit extra instead of being wrapped up in themselves they could alter an outcome of a tragic event. It is very sad what happened to the football player. Hopefully people can learn from this. Great job writing this!
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