From the perspective of a sociologist, I feel inclined to tell you that these feelings of depression and wanting to end your life are completely normal. Feelings like loneliness, insecurity, being worried about your job or where your career will lead you, and thoughts of suicide are absolutely normal. Every person experiences these thoughts, some even on a daily basis. So rather than feeling like you are alone with these feelings to yourself, you are actually feeling the same way most of the population does. I also feel obligated to tell you that before taking any actions, think about how ending your life would affect everyone else. Your family would be devastated from the loss of your life. Everyone would mourn over the loss of a friend, co-worker, and member of the family. Nothing good would come out of the loss of your life other than your own ease of worries.
My next advice that I will share with you is that you feeling these thoughts and ideas are out of your control. Different actions in the world are affecting everyday life, including your everyday life. You are not choosing to lose your job, get into fights with friends or face whatever hardships are currently on your mind. With that in mind, you should consider if you really want to waste your life.
My next step would be to talk to you about why you are feeling these feelings. What is going on in your life that has you so upset and emotionally distraught? I do this in hopes that simply talking about the issues will be enough to make you feel differently than at the beginning of the call. Speaking to them about how different childhood memories have led you to feel certain ways. Perhaps a lack of attention from parents or friends have made you feel secluded, and the answer to your problems would be to simply become more involved in the community. I would stress that this person should at least make an effort to improving their lives.
My final words with this person would be to ask them what their plans for later in life are. If I am speaking with a student, I would ask what universities they are considering attending, what type of career they are interested in pursuing, and different places they would like to travel to. If dealing with an older member of society, I would ask them what they have done with their life so far. Being that I am speaking with a person who is about to commit suicide, I would expect this list to be rather short, but I would remind them of the role they have played in society. How the jobs they've held have helped other people, how raising their family is a huge accomplishment, one that is worthy of keeping your life. Finishing on these notes, I feel that the person I am speaking with will take suicide into greater consideration before actually committing the act.

A child with a loaded weapon is a dangerous thought. I cannot began to recall the countless times I've picked up a stick, toy or used my own imagination that I was using a gun to shoot at my friends. This child could have very easily taken the weapon out during recess and wanted to play with another toy. This situation could have been much worse, and I am glad that the teacher took notice of the weapon before any real trouble aroused.
That being said, I would have to disagree with Sam's opinion on the matter. Certainly this child isn't responsible for finding the gun and bringing it to class, but the best way to get a message across is to make a bold statement. The local government and school board's questionable reaction to this situation was the appropriate response. In order to assure the safety of children in schools, we must bring awareness of dangers such as weapons or drugs. When a 5 year old child brings a loaded hand gun into school, that is kind of a big deal. Issuing a full police report and having close media coverage will send a message to parents watching the video that children don't always know what they're doing, and that it is there job to ensure they are aware of dangers they are exposed to. The problem that needs to be addressed is the negligence of his parents. His step father should keep his firearms well out of reach of children, and be more attentive to what his child is doing. I believe that the resolution to the problem would be to award the step father with gun safety classes, and a nice fine that he won't soon forget.
Perhaps the problem isn't with the parents, but rather with guns in general. I personally believe that we, as a society, can live together without weapons. However, I do not want to see the day that we as a society begins to take steps towards this goal because it will only mean more government intervention, and less freedom for us.

This man's incarceration has led him to a long life of reflecting on his actions. It is true that most of the offenders do mature and realize the error in their ways. They remorse for the wrong they have done, and often wish to make amends. Listening to this man's tale makes me truly believe he has matured, primarily because he did not mention how he longs for life outside of prison. He understands the crime he committed and the consequences of his actions. He realized that his life would be lived out in a prison cell, that he hurt both his family and the family of the victim. Many convicts long for a life free of cells and walls, but do not deserve it. I believe that this man may deserve a consideration for parole. He faced two of the family members of his victim, listened to the pain he caused them, and expressed his remorse in a way that was accepted by one of the members. I do not believe that one deserves to be freed from prison if they meet with a member of their victim's family and mature through their time incarcerated, but I do believe this man does. His crime was committed when he was a young adult who was unsure of what being a good person is. He admitted he used to be a coward, and his imprisonment was because he was immature.
His meeting with the family members really demonstrates his maturity. He understood he did wrong to these people and must attempt to make some form of amends. Many people would not do this, and live with the shame of his previous actions. Being a good person requires you to take responsibility for your actions. His responsibility is demonstrated through his meetings. He listened to how he hurt them, felt the pain in his own heart and was truly sorry for the loss that he had caused.
This man's message makes me think of who and how I've hurt people throughout my 19 years of life. I would like to meet with certain people that I teased growing up and apologize to them for upsetting them. Certainly my actions do not have the same weight as this man's did, but I was still wrong in my ways and should properly apologize for my bullying.

Listening to this man's reflection of what made him spiral into his downfall make's me wonder how my previous mistakes and actions have set me back in my life. My first semester of college was one I will never forget. I partied every week from Thursday to Monday and put very little effort into my school work. My GPA after my first semester has put me in a position that I can no longer pursue careers or interests of mine. My previous failures have set back the rest of my college education, and I begin to wonder what led up to my troubles?
I think back to my first applying to Penn State. My cousin had been attending the university for his second year when my application went in the mail, and my parents had an expectation for me to at least be accepted to the University. I had no doubt in my mind that this was the school I desired to attend, nor that I would have trouble to get in, but I didn't anticipate the workload that would be expected of me. Had my parents not warned me well enough of my future endeavors? No. I recall countless lectures from my father of how school was a full-time job and that I was to be putting in 40 hours to my school work each week. I recall my mother begging me to try my hardest and not dig myself into a hole my first semester. That couldn't be the case.
Then I recall having my cousin living on campus, one who accelerated above many of the other students at Penn State, was quickly accepted into the business college and currently is enrolled in the MAC program with a GPA of 3.9. He partied with me every week and managed to make his school work look easy. I assumed I could do the same and went on with partying. This wasn't the answer either because even on week days or various weekends he would stay in and study for upcoming exams, while I ventured out to have a good time, neglecting my studies.
My final resolution was that my partying was the downfall of my first college semester. I needed to cut out my glamorous social life and focus on my studies. I think my original perception of college was lived out through my first semester, and now I'm going through the real deal now.

Thinking of how this man has been raised through the prison system, I wonder how this would change his perception of the world. Luxuries that most people take for granted are longed for so much by inmates. Simple luxuries such as having the right to go out each day or spend time with family and friends. This man has spent over half of his life in prison. Thinking of this makes me wonder how my attitudes towards life would be in prison. How would I feel about matters such as religion or the judiciary system if I were raised behind bars? Would I be more or less dedicated to matters such as education? I feel relief that I am able to step back and realize how important these components of life are to me. I am able to take great relief that I still have life's pleasures.
At the same time, I consider if I were to take a bitter approach towards life and its endeavors. Would I curse the "gods" for slighting me in my chances? Would I treat everyone I encounter with displeasure and rudeness? I would certainly hope not. With my current attitude towards life I understand that everybody is living their life day to day. We are all simply organisms going about our daily work. I understand that no one has the same perception of life. No body feels the same about every aspect of life because no one has the same experiences and memories that shape their attitudes. How these "invisible strings" truly do affect our lives. These questions challenge what I was raised believing, and are difficult to accept. Thinking that our life is not in our own control and how different experiences change how I encounter future ones. I hope that I am able to locate these strings and loosen them so that I am in more control of how my life turns out. It is hard to accept that I am unable to change aspects about me such as my sensitive eyes or skin, and I can not change my being raised in the middle class of the Philadelphia area as oppose to Europe, the middle east or even a few hours inland in Pittsburgh. I accept and love my life, and what I have encountered so far. I wish I could view the life in a complete strangers eyes, just to see how different we are.