Abstract

Deeply felt condolences! A sad repeat of my own son’s suicide a year ago.

Sad. Pretty shocking really. I dunno man. Very sad.

He is somewhere causing something to learn and think, he like all energy has not ceased, only changed. May you call em as you see em Abstract, you will be missed.

consider his signature “Love is the gravity of the Soul” I’m not a big proponent of a soul and it still made me stop and think.

He seemed afraid of an imminent choice between two options- incarceration or hiding who he was. This is an eerie comparison:

Socrates on Trial, Apology by Plato


[size=85] I am convinced that I never willingly wrong anyone, but I am not convincing you of this, for we have talked together but a short time. If it were the law with us, as it is elsewhere, that a trial for life should not last one but many days, you would be convinced, but now it is not easy to dispel great slanders in a short time. Since I am convinced that I wrong no one, I am not likely to wrong myself, to say that I deserve some evil and and to make some such assessment against myself.[/size] [size=110]What should I fear?[/size][size=85] That I should suffer the penalty Meletus has assessed against me, [/size][size=110]of which I do not know whether it is good or bad?[/size] [size=85]Am I then to choose in preference to this something that I know very well to be an evil and assess the penalty at that? Imprisonment? Why should I live in prison, always subjected to the ruling magistrates, the Eleven?[/size]

[size=110] I should have to be inordinately fond of life[/size][size=85], men of Athens, to be so unreasonable as to suppose that other men will easily tolerate my company and conversation when you, my fellow citizens, have been unable to endure them, but have found them a burden and resented them so that you are now seeking to get rid of them. Far from it, gentlemen. It would be a fine life at my age to be driven out of one city after another, for I know very well that wherever I go the young men will listen to my talk as they do here. If I drive them away, they will themselves persuade their elders to drive me out; if I do not drive them away, their fathers and relations will drive me out on their behalf.

    Perhaps some might say: But Socrates, if you leave us will you not be able to live quietly, without talking?  Now this is the most difficult point on which to convince some of you.  If I say that it is impossible for me to keep quiet because that means disobeying god, you will not believe me and will think I am being ironical.  On the other hand, if I say that it is the greatest good for a man to discuss virtue every day and those other things about which you hear me conversing and testing myself and others, [/size][size=110] for the unexamined life is not worth living for men[/size][size=85], you will believe me even less.

    I was convicted because I lacked not words but boldness and shamelessness and the willingness to say to you what you would most gladly have heard from me, lamentations and tears and my saying and doing many things that I say are unworthy of me but that you are accustomed to hear from others.  I did not think then that the danger I ran should make me do anything mean [[i]unworthy[/i]], nor do I now regret the nature of my defense.  [/size][size=110]Neither I nor any man should, on trial or in war, contrive to avoid death at any cost.[/size] 

[size=85] You too must be of good hope as regards death, gentlemen of the jury, and keep this one truth in mind, that a good man cannot be harmed either in life or in death […] What has happened to me now has not happened of itself, but it is clear to me that it was better for me to die now and to escape from trouble. So I am certainly not angry with those who convicted me, or with my accusers. This much I ask from them: when my sons grow up,avenge yourselves by causing them the same kind of grief that I caused you, if you think they care for money or anything else more than they care for virtue […] Reproach them as I reproach you, that they do not care for the right things and think they are worthy when they are not worthy of anything.

   Now the hour to part has come.  I go to die, you go to live.  Which of us goes to the better lot is known to no one, except the god.[/size]

If Abstract were still here, the only thing I would suggest to him is this part: “that a trial for life should not last one but many days”

The sadness is now ours. Abstract is beyond it. A beautiful soul, now reaching beyond what we know. May the God of love comfort family and friends.

Yes yes! The death of my son destroyed my family. It was a very hard hitter. And I saw the same loss destroy my uncle’s family. The loss of a child is a parents worst nightmare.

All prayers and good thoughts to his family. Hang in their. Much love and compassion your way.

I’m so sorry to hear this. I confess I don’t know what to say. My thoughts are with his parents, his sister… anyone who was close to him.

I was corresponding with him quite often for the past few months except this last one as my computer needed to be fixed, I wish I Had been able to speak with him and find out what in particular was troubling him.

Never Recalled him speaking of Suicide, we talked Politics, Philosophy, Theology etc.

Played Games chatted during then.

He was an interesting Character, from how he spoke often and especially in the last thread he made I think the frustration he was having was a result of an excessive amount of Empathy and his apparent inability to come to terms with other peoples Apathy.

How old was Abstract? Does anyone know more about him, was he living at home, going to school?
This really resonates because my son took his life a year ago, and there was no inkling. I too feel overburdened by the thought that I could have said X number of things to connect. My son was 33.

As I understand he was 25 yrs old. See my tagline …

He lived with his Father.
Apparently he did some work for Missile defence programs or something like that.

Man the whole city of Huntsville is into missiles and rockets and all that stuff. Extremely high concentration of engineering types. He really shoulda come to Birmingham. There are a lot more philosopher types here, and a lot more crime. I can’t tell you how many people I know have done things similar to what he described himself doing while out in the road and for the most part you just stuff em in the car and take em home. It’s crazy. When I was 14 I got my hands and feet zip tied together and I was thrown in a van and taken to a facility for people on drugs, even though I’d never done any drugs. It’s a weird place to be when you’re under the mental microscope.

Either way, a terrible tragedy. I mean there’s always some pleasure to be had no matter where you are in life. Sometimes you just gotta suspend all philosophical discourse in your mind and sink into the superficiality of life. It can be looked down on at times, but it’s a useful tool when the world gets to be too real.

There’s nothing I can add here, R.I.P. Abstract.

He was brave enough to place the bet… R.I.P


How’d you find out he committed suicide?

His sister signed on as Abstract and told us , and Administration was told also.

Only sane mod I ever met, I liked him, I am genuinely upset he is gone. People who you remember and genuinely get on with are hard to forget. Tragic: thoughts to family and friends. Kinda been messing around on other threads, talking shit, you know the usual, didn’t want to come to this one 'til I had thought about what I wanted to say: sure he was just an acquaintance, sure I never really knew him, but the fact I will miss him nonetheless, speaks volumes: a unique honest and clever man. A rare soul in the world.

I don’t know Abstract at all … don’t even think I ever had a dialogue with him … maybe … but don’t think so.

But I read the threads where he express his struggles with his demons (as an expression, not literally.)

And reading just those threads was all it took for Abstract to move and grab my heart. As a result, as crazy as it sounds, I’ve been having dreams were a shapeless Abstract is a presence … and a force behind the scenes.

Does the dead come to us? Yes! The dead visit us in our dreams. My dad and my son visited me the other night. It was so nice to see them again. I woke up happy and in a good mood. Hope they visit again real soon. The welcome mat is always out for them.

R.I.P. Abstract … and visit your loved ones …

That’s odd but somehow interesting.

I don’t sugar coat my words with people, and I certainly don’t feel the need to do so, but I did genuinely like Abstract he had a way about him that both put you at ease, and made you think. I spoke to him both on threads and in PM. The only mod I ever thanked for banning me, 'cause sometimes like him I do go off the rails and lie down in the street, all be it figuratively in my case. That may be because I am slightly crazy to, but as I said to him in my last post, all the best people are. I just found it sad that he was gone. I had a friend who was Schizophrenic who eventually learnt to deal with it, perhaps that is why it resonates with me?

Born and raised in the wrong place at the wrong time, ever feeling the lack of compassion and understanding so sorely and truly needed.