Saturday, December 17, 2011

Drew

Something shocking and tragic has recently happened in my life: my econ instructor, who was a Teacher's Assistant, took his own life one week ago. He was 23 years old and incredibly intelligent. This guy knew more about the economy than the president's advisors. He also seemed to be quite a history buff. His name is Drew.

Drew was schizophrenic and bi-polar. Although it never seemed to show, it was clear by the way he talked and acted that something was wrong. Despite his disorders, Drew quite enjoyed a good laugh. His type of humor, though, was not typical. It was extremely subtle and often times (how I perceived it) unintentional, which happens to be my favorite style. It just seems more genuine in that sense.

The whole idea of someone I talked to and relied on being gone..forever is still hard to wrap my mind around. I chatted with him. I experienced his aura. I watched him put his hands on the small of his back while he was in a heated lecture and have the sweat press up against his shirt causing it to become soaking wet by the end of class. And now to think that I can never experience these events again is uncanny. I may even still be in denial, although I saw his corpse with my own two eyes.

The most mysterious aspect of this situation is I can't contemplate why he would have done it. I do understand his disorders most likely played a major role in it, but why weren't people near to stop him? Did he plan this? Was he unhappy or overwhelmed? Was he in control over his thoughts when it happened, or did the schizophrenia consume him? Was he in distress when he did it, or was he completely calm?

How did he do it?

I wish I could have known Drew more, or differently, than I did. However, I am extremely thankful God put him in my life, even though it was a short period of it. I have yet to figure out if and what God is showing me through this situation.

1 comment:

  1. Isn't death such a weird thing? I never thought about it until Paul died, but the idea of never, ever seeing someone again because they died was so strange to me. Sure, I had been to funerals before for great-grandparents, but they were old and supposed to die.

    Young people aren't. Actually, nobody is - death was not a part of God's perfect plan for this world. We were meant to live forever with Him and each other, but that got screwed up. "For the wages of sin is death..."

    That also was something I had never thought about- we were not made to die. Death came about due to sin, and it wasn't until Paul's death that I fully understood how shitty that is. That really sucks - I hurt like I had never hurt before, and I pray I will never hurt like that again. I'm so glad I have hope in Jesus! We were made for something more, and one day we'll have it.

    In the mean time, my heart aches for Drew and Drew's family. Death sucks.

    ~Beth

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