An article in the Atlantic entitled Silicon Valley Suicides inspired NBA star Jeremy Lin to recall his own experience with suicide.
Lin graduated from Palo Alto High School which sits right on the edge of Silicon Valley.
He wrote a long post on his Facebook page and recalls the the tragic loss a classmate and then a year later, the suicide of a friend.
“When I was a freshman at Palo Alto High, a classmate who sat next to me committed suicide. I remember having difficulty registering what had happened. A year later, a friend committed suicide. I saw up close the pain and devastation of their loved ones and in my community. I realized then that there are so many burdens we don’t see the people around us carrying. I told myself that I would try to be more sensitive and open to other people’s struggles.”
A graduate of Harvard, Lin certainly knows about the pressures students face. Much of that pressure started in high school with many anxious about grades and what college might accept them.
I remember not being able to sleep well on Sunday nights, waking up covered in sweat from nightmares that I had just failed a test. I dreaded Sundays because it meant I just finished my weekend basketball tournament – my precious outlet from academics – and now faced a whole week of immense pressure at school. I felt the pressure coming from all around me – my parents, my peers and worst of all, myself. I felt that I had one shot at high school and that my GPA, SAT score and college applications were the only barometers of my success.
One day, I remember attending a panel discussion where a college student was asked, “What is your biggest regret from high school?” Expecting to hear about opportunities missed or paths not taken, I was surprised when the student replied, “My biggest regret is not enjoying high school more and thinking that my grades and test scores mattered so much. In fact, I don’t even remember what I scored on the SATs.” I had filled out more Princeton Review practice test Scantrons than I could count and one day, I wouldn’t even remember my SAT score?!?
It was a lesson Lin never forgot and a lesson he shared with his 3.6 million followers on Facebook.
You can read his post in its entirety on Facebook.
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