You’re probably wondering why I am writing this, and many of you would understand just by reading Abraham Biggs name.  Abraham Biggs was a 19-year-old Broward College student who committed suicide on a live webcam this week.  Live on the internet and message logs showed that some members of the virtual audience encouraged him to do it, while some even went so far as to discuss whether he was taking a dose big enough to kill himself.  This was a live person and a live audience.  A few viewers tried to discourage him, but nobody picked up the phone and called police until it was too late – hours too late.  It sickens me to think that people watched this man die and didn’t think to lift a finger to help.

Abraham Biggs was known to suffer from bipolar disorder and had been prescribed the drugs that he ultimately used to kill himself.  It’s not too unusual that he would chronicle his life through sites like Justin.tv and MySpace, but to take this step boggles the mind and makes me, as a parent, wonder if the internet isn’t a bigger problem then we let ourselves believe.  People have become so anonymous – even as they share more of their lives than ever before – and society has become callous to pain and discomfort when viewed through a web browser.  Certainly the result would have been different sitting in the same room with a group of peers – could people watch someone kill themself live and in person, too?  I have to believe they couldn’t.

My heart goes out to the Biggs family and the families of those affected.  I am hopeful that those people will be able to come to grips with this senseless act and realize that w can only control certain things in life and some will go on unexplained forever.  I hope that those in the audience – especially those that didn’t act to help – will take a good hard look inside and get counseling for their willingness to watch, participate and ignore a tragedy like this.  And, ultimately, I hope that more parents will look at this and realize the internet isn’t safe because it allows us to be anonymous, but instead, as parents, we will know that it is up to us to teach our children what it’s like to stand out and do right – always.

Ranter