I was at Cavallo Point today looking up at the Golden Gate Bridge, and came across a sign explaining that “a Physical Suicide Deterrent System is being installed along the west and east sides of the Bridge. The potentially life-saving system will rely on horizontal stainless steel nets supported by steel struts connected to the Golden Gate Bridge structure. The net will lie approximately 20 feet below the sidewalk and will extend horizontally approximately 20 feet from the Bridge. The South Approach Viaduct, Fort Point Arch, Suspension Bridge and the North Approach Viaduct will be fitted with this protective barrier. Further protection is being provided by a 12-foot-high picket fence installed atop the concrete bridge railing at the north end of the bridge.”

It was such a beautiful day and I thought how can this be, that anyone feels so hopeless that they have no choice but to jump off this bridge, and yet, money is spent, and people are working to prevent that.  May this expense, work, and care give hope.

I’m with these words of Howard Zinn: “To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It’s based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, and kindness.”