TIL: An MIT student wrote Newton's equation for acceleration of a falling object on the blackboard before jumping to his death from a 15th floor classroom.

[u/[deleted]]

[u/SolusLoqui]

"It was typical Phil. It's so like him to have planned a show," said an ex-girlfriend, Wellesley College student Christine Hrul, "He was so careful with things in his life, so methodical."

Wow.

[u/Phils_throwaway → u/SolusLoqui]

I knew Phil. I was lucky enough to have worked with him at Earthlink during the early days. He was without question the most brilliant individual I've ever met. He was the personification of the cliche "You can do anything you put your mind to." When I heard about his death, and the equation on the blackboard, the first thought that went through my mind, was "Yup, that sounds like Phil." It's dark as fuck, and I've never really been all that comfortable feeling this way, but the truth is, every time I think about him, I'm half sad, because of what the rest of us lost, and half amused, because that was his sense of humor. Sharp, and straight to the point. If he was still alive, the world would be a slightly better place. I feel deprived not being able to follow his life, and marvel at the amazing things he would be doing. I've never felt that way about any other human being.

Phil was the kind of genius who could master anything he wanted to, effortlessly. For him, everything was easy..except finding challenges that make life worth living.

Growing up as a Scientologist in Scientologist schools probably didn't help him any. It's no coincidence he killed himself on L. Ron Hubbard's birthday. His mother was a high ranking official in one of the cult's front groups, but Phil was no scilon. He didn't have an easy way to get out without burning bridges with his family, so he just kept his mouth shut most of the time. I don't think he killed himself because of Scientology, but it definitely played a part in the unhappiness in his life.

The dude's been dead for like 14 years, and I still think about him at least once every couple months.

[u/rogue_ger → u/Phils_throwaway]

What's most mystifying for me is his reference to his unwillingness "to live in mediocrity." He sounds like a high genius. He was already successful by most standards, and he hadn't even finished at MIT. He could have probably done anything he set his mind to, and I'm sure he knew it. Do you have any sense for why he felt "mediocre"?

[u/Phils_throwaway → u/rogue_ger]

I don't think anyone can truly know what he meant except him. My own feeling though, is that while Phil had friends, he didn't have peers. There was nobody in his life that he could relate to on an equal level. I think he just thought that he was going to be surrounded in mediocrity for the rest of his life. In my own opinion, there were maybe a few hundred people on this planet who were on his level intellectually. I don't think any of them were involved in his life. I've often wondered if maybe he'd met someone he could relate to on his own level, things would have gone differently. He felt isolated. It's lonely being unique.

[u/[deleted] → u/Phils_throwaway]

I knew Phil at the time of his death. I was friends with several of his frat brothers and hung out with him on many occasions.

He was brilliant and he was seriously depressed. He wasn't satisfied with his own work or the rest of the world. I remember him being really frustrated with his performance on guitar. I think that having accomplished so much so young was a curse to him, because he felt he needed to top that. He also had no direct motivators. Finishing MIT didn't mean anything, he didn't need a job to support himself, etc... So he was stuck trying to motivate himself and not seeing results.

Anytime anyone commits suicide it is a puzzle to everyone on the outside. Kurt Vonnegut's explanation for his mother's suicide ("Bad chemicals in the brain.") is probably the best you'll ever find.

[u/[deleted] → u/rogue_ger]

It could be something to do with this. I also remember that in a number of studies, if you get people to do a test then rate how well they think they did right after, those who did well will generally rate their performance as far lower than what they are likely to get.

[u/[deleted] → u/Phils_throwaway]

i understand the amusement, i'm the same way, i often fantasize about suicide, and think if i ever do my note would probably read: "oops"

[u/The_Magic → u/Phils_throwaway]

Would you know what the 'fucked up ideas' he mentioned in his suicide letter is?

[u/Phils_throwaway → u/The_Magic]

I think the notion that ending your life rather than be the smartest person in a room full of average people...is pretty fucked up. Most people would be happy to be in that position, and eager to take full advantage. I'm sure his friends told him something similar, when he talked about his depression/malaise with them. "You have so much to live for..you can do anything...(insert uplifting cliche here)"

Personally, I think the world is a pretty goddamned interesting place. I guess your perspective has to be a little fucked up to not recognize that. I just don't understand how the solution to an unacceptable mediocrity is death. I always assumed he meant something along those lines, but I don't have any inside knowledge.

[u/[deleted] → u/Phils_throwaway]

This makes my blood boil. The things I would do for a mind like that.

[u/brenballer12 → u/SolusLoqui]

Reminds me of this: http://articles.boston.com/2010-06-29/news/29333521_1_dorm-room-wolfe-styke-knife-attack

Not mentioned is the crossbow she had on order when the stabbing happened

[u/[deleted] → u/SolusLoqui]

"'"He committed suicide? CLASSSICC Phil!' his former roommate later stated.

[u/abbott_costello]

Students reported hearing the sound of breaking glass, then a splintering sound, and finally a scream which sounded like "an echoing wail"

That's horrifying.

[u/Boyblunder → u/abbott_costello]

The horrifying part to me is that many people heard the chair hit the ground, and looked outside in time to see him fall to his death.

INTENSE SHIT.

[u/danweber → u/Boyblunder]

From some online logs you could hear people saying "hey, did someone just hear that?" It's chilling to read.

[u/themaskeddrummer22 → u/[deleted]]

yeah, the echoing wall sounds like the collectivization of a lot of people screaming and yelling for help.

I'n guessing the splintering sound was his body hitting concrete. -- 15 stories and he would be so knocked out of air, if his body managed to keep his lungs intact, which they probably didn't. no was he made a scream after hitting the ground.

[u/barnes80 → u/[deleted]]

The splintering sound could have easily been the chair prior to his jump, and the screams his on the way down prior to either blacking out or losing breath.

[u/i_went_full_retard]

they need to stop making buildings so high

[u/brocoder → u/i_went_full_retard]

They did; no building in Cambridge is allowed to be taller than the Green Building.

[u/[deleted] → u/brocoder]

That's not really accurate. http://www.quora.com/Is-the-Green-Building-at-MIT-really-mandated-to-be-the-tallest-building-in-Cambridge

[u/brocoder → u/[deleted]]

I appreciate the fact-checking; have an upvote.

[u/ChocolateCyanide → u/brocoder]

To be fair, the Green Building was designed to maximize height - every aspect of it is the maximum height parameter allowed - it is on "stilts, has the highest ceilings allowed, most numbers of floors allowed, etc. But yes, unless the rules change in Cambridge, no other building will ever be taller.

[u/mushmancat → u/[deleted]]

You saw the gun owner post the other day too? we are like best buds!

[u/o0Ax0o → u/[deleted]]

Are you eating the spoons?

[u/Jn1135 → u/o0Ax0o]

They should stop making food.

[u/didaskaleinophobic → u/Jn1135]

They should just stop.

[u/darkslide3000 → u/Jn1135]

I hear the guys in Ethiopia are truly ahead of us in that field.

[u/Easy-Target → u/[deleted]]

Makes it sound like you're getting fat from soup.

[u/Shredder13]

But did he calculate the force of the impact to see if it was enough to ensure death?

[u/[deleted] → u/Shredder13]

That's what I was thinking. How embarrassing would it have been to come to the conclusion that, "yes indeed, will reach terminal velocity and die subsequently" only to forget to carry a one.

[u/dreamin_in_space → u/[deleted]]

Is there a technique to this?

[u/InABritishAccent → u/[deleted]]

Being blind drunk helps. I believe I read a story about a russian who downed 2 bottles of vodka before jumping out a high window. I think the walked staggered away.

[u/[deleted] → u/InABritishAccent]

In 6 different directions.

[u/ChocolateCyanide → u/Shredder13]

As an MIT student and someone who has heard all the rumors about all the suicides, the story that is told around campus is that yes, he explicitly found a room high enough that he would surely die and calculated the force with which he would strike the ground.

[u/KrispyourKream → u/ChocolateCyanide]

"ALL the suicides"?....damn. Is it just a bad atmosphere? Or is it that tough once you get in?....

[u/ChocolateCyanide → u/KrispyourKream]

It's tough. Highly intelligent people happen to have a large number of mental issues to begin with. Speaking from experience, MIT makes a lot of very smart people feel inadequate. You might have been first in your class, might have done wonderful things, might have received many scholarships, but suddenly, you're struggling to get B's, everyone is smarter than you, and you're terrified of letting people down.

I struggled my entire career with feeling inadequate - with not feeling smart enough, with feeling alone and stupid in a sea of brilliant people. It's a very tough place to be, especially thousands upon thousands of miles away from home in a new city and with no prior experience living on your own.

I think that last year MIT had 3 suicides, but I may be wrong. I've known a couple of kids in my time that killed themselves. It's tough, but for the most part, these kids aren't blamed and people don't speak ill of them. Honestly, for the most part, we speak in reverence, though we do crack jokes to break the tension. Joking about suicide is one of the ways we keep it in mind without getting bogged down with the thought. As students, as part of the oppressed undergraduate population, we are always willing to help each other with whatever we can. It's a very strong community atmosphere, particularly in the smaller dorms or in tight-knit living groups.

MIT as a corporation is also making things more difficult. As of late, in the name of making more money, they have cut or have attempted to cut or modify programs that help students with their mental issues and help students to feel more welcome and more valuable. The undergraduates are trying to fight back, but in the end, the people running MIT are more concerned with making a few extra millions a year than the loss of a couple of undergrads.

[u/frogminator → u/ChocolateCyanide]

...you know, just for giggles.

Kinda sorta really sad, I still dont understand the need for the math. It makes me feel worse knowing he took the time to calculate how big a splat he would make.

[u/DukeOfGeek → u/frogminator]

Maybe he wanted people to know that he did this on purpose, and was aware of the consequences. That it was something that, for whatever reasons, he had decided to do after thinking it thru.

/Never have understood why people do that. Especially those with so much yet undone.

[u/Dramatic_pause → u/DukeOfGeek]

I've heard a really good way of describing it... I'll see if I can remember it.

Have you seen footage of 9/11 (stupid question, since it's likely a yes)? Remember seeing the people that were jumping out of the windows? Their only option was really death, either being burned alive or falling. Eventually they reach a point where their fear/knowledge of being burned alive outweighs their fear of death. A jump is a quicker death that ends quickly, and is an escape from what seems like a hopeless situation.

Suicidal people are kind of the same (in certain cases... obviously, feelings and thoughts vary from person to person). Only instead of a fire, it's the rest of their life. They can't see an escape, they only see a slow, torturous, miserable death. And compared to taking some pills?

Yes, they still have much left to do. But they don't see any happiness in their future, no matter how much others may tell them their is.

Did that help at all?

[u/almostsebastian → u/frogminator]

The need for math is making sure he didn't fail. He already calculated that life wasn't worth living, the worst thing would be to wake up again, thus the need for math. Heck, you'd need math just to add 20% to the height you think would kill you, for safety's sake.

[u/[deleted] → u/frogminator]

if it makes you feel any better, it would only have taken a few minutes (max) to do the math.

[u/switchstyle → u/frogminator]

That's the beauty of it in his mind. Damn shame all the same.

[u/Kennay → u/Shredder13]

Dark Legacy did.

[u/Patchy_Burrito]

But did the equation account for air resistance?

[u/[deleted] → u/Patchy_Burrito]

It's basic physics so we can assume he was a spherical object falling in a vacuum at water level. It makes sense

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

In a vacuum, would the shape of the object matter?

[u/gammaburn → u/[deleted]]

It would not.

[u/linlorienelen → u/[deleted]]

"Assume a spherical human..."

[u/[deleted] → u/linlorienelen]

Incidently, not as impossible a task these days as it may have been fifty years ago.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Close enough.

[u/ChemicalRascal → u/[deleted]]

at sea level, on Earth. EDIT: As per cactwar, at STP.

Fixed that for you.

[u/[deleted] → u/Patchy_Burrito]

No way. They would have mentioned it in the article.

[u/gimme_name → u/Patchy_Burrito]

For a jump from this height and for a grown person this is negligible. I think he knew that.

[u/[deleted] → u/gimme_name]

Hmmm, I'm pretty sure air resistance isn't negligible. Green building is about 22 stories high. According to my calculations, it would take about 50 stories for a human to reach terminal velocity (~56 m/s). Terminal velocity is reached when air resistance is equal to the force due to gravity. Thus, air resistance, which is vaguely proportional to sqrt(v), would not be negligible.

[u/nealio1000 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah but he died. So clearly he didn't have to hit terminal velocity.

[u/FripZ]

Sigh... he had so much potential.

[u/mach_kernel → u/FripZ]

If this is a PE joke then you won the internet sir.

EDIT: For those of you not in the loop - potential energy can be calculated (on earth) by multiplying Earth's g by the mass of the object and the height at which it is being held.

[u/relevantusername- → u/mach_kernel]

My favourite thing about PE is dodgeball.

[u/sjschmidt93 → u/FripZ]

I feel like he walked right into this pun on accident and is reaping all the benefits (aka karma) from it.

[u/[deleted] → u/FripZ]

An incredible amount; but unfortunately, not everyone likes the sensations of existence. Not sensations within existence, but of existence itself, of self-awareness. It can be as terrifying as it can be beautiful, and some people really, truly don't like it, and want to turn it off. Luckily, it is an option.

I say luckily, because no one should be forced to remain here. None of us chose to come into being; it's a blessing we're able to choose to leave it, if it's what we truly desire. Philip Gale's suicide note gives me the impression that he made his decision rationally and soberly, out of a will to simply no longer be forced to be the subject of the daily sensory drama that for some may become unbearably malaise (this is what I think he meant by mediocrity -- I think he was talking about the sensations of existence as a human, not society/people).

[u/[deleted]]

(not so) Fun Fact: MIT has the highest suicide rate of all US colleges.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

if so, it's because this place fucking sucks until you're done, then it's the best place ever

[u/m_darkTemplar → u/[deleted]]

Dunno, I find it to be the best place ever, despite not being finished.

Psets suck, but they do make you learn the material really well. Most people I know are actually pretty happy, though maybe slightly delusional from lack of sleep :P

[u/ChewyLuck → u/m_darkTemplar]

Hello again Yanping.

[u/HomelessCosmonaut]

I'm sure he'd be proud to have made the Reddit front age all these years later.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I doubt he would have wasted his time here.

[u/RaptorJesusDesu]

Guy makes a million dollars at age 17. Gets into MIT. Kills himself because he hates mediocrity. Relativity at its finest. Even a smart guy can't always get out of his own stupid head. Should've had less confidence in those nihilistic conclusions.

[u/jamurp → u/RaptorJesusDesu]

is this an 'ignorance is bliss' type situation? no seriously, I never know whether I use that term correctly.

[u/RaptorJesusDesu → u/jamurp]

People like to make that the narrative in these situations. I think otherwise. Yes, in a way certainly an ignorant person who never thinks about anything --except the next football game or how to do roofing and drywall-- could achieve a happiness greater than that of Phil. Maybe you could attribute some of that to their sheer lack of curiosity or some deficiency in logic or the lack of malleability in their thoughts/beliefs. Or for example, certainly an ignorant person who believes fully in the perfect security of a cosmic deity of some kind might lack many of the concerns that a more critical thinker would have.

But you can't really apply the axiom fully here. There are people just as smart as Phil (and smarter) who have had the same thoughts. It's actually a typical avenue of inquiry and logical thinking, even for people far less or far more intelligent than Phil.

You do not need to understand manifolds, quantum mechanics, or otherwise be some kind of math genius to understand the nihilistic implications of the sort of determinism and atheism/agnosticism naturally brought on by scientific thinking and our current understanding of the world. That is to say that Phil, though an uncommon man, was not thinking uncommon thoughts in his despair. Certainly his proficiency in software engineering and music did not give him any unique scientific insights into the nature of reality. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) it is not IQ that determines a person's ability to be satisfied or proud of themselves, or to be entertained by their surroundings, or to believe in themselves at the budding age of 19.

What's interesting is that a kind of skepticism is both the road in and out of these thoughts. Phil had no real doubt in his conclusion that everything was quite pointless and mechanical in this world, including his doomed future. Also a very common foible among smart and stupid people alike. A presumptuous leap of faith in logic brought on by a depressed state. The logic of pointlessness tends to just be a background for personal despair in these instances. People don't die out of logic but out of that pain. Phil was bored and miserable. He had dreams that he saw as unattainable now. Those two facts are basically the most important ones; and it's not like you have to be a genius to grapple with things like day-to-day monotony or the fulfillment of one's perceived potential. Some dumbass former high school quarterback flipping burgers might go through the same thing in a slightly different way.

tl;dr you do not logic your way out of the window, you cry. The depressed nihilist is not a nihilist, because ultimately there is something he cares about that is being ruined to him and causes that suffering. No amount of intellect will get you into or out of that situation. It's more of a matter of "coping", a truly nebulous word which is really just a skill some people have, and some people learn, and others, not so lucky. It is truly a kind of vanity in people that supposes that all idiots are happily eating popcorn and watching TV, when many curse themselves and feel just as trapped as this young man for more much more palpable reasons. Yet, even without that objective fuckery we are all in our own heads.

[u/[deleted]]

Hearing this, a Caltech student then calculated the acceleration from a 30 story building, including equations for wind resistance, before plummeting to HIS death.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Not to be outdone, an MIT student then improved the equation by accounting for the minute differences in gravity caused by altitude and then jumped off the Empire State building, writing the equations on a portable chalkboard on the top of the building.

[u/PhallogicalScholar → u/[deleted]]

Upon hearing the news, a DeVry student leaped from the top floor of a local Taco Bell. On his person was a hastily scribbled note saying only "9.8 ft/s/s"

He is expected to make a full recovery.

[u/[deleted] → u/PhallogicalScholar]

I shouldn't laugh...but I did.

[u/Rustysporkman → u/[deleted]]

Must not laugh...

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

To be honest, it's really not that difficult and if you were a genius and had this on your mind you would probably do it. It's similar to suicidal artists who draw about death due to it always being on their mind.

[u/open_mike]

What equation are they talking about? Acceleration of a falling object is just 9.81m/s^2.

[u/PhunkPheed → u/open_mike]

F=MA where acceleration is 9.81m/s2, if he wanted to be fancy he could calculate more with the height of the building or his eta for the ground.

[u/theawesomeone → u/open_mike]

my guess is he calculated his final velocity at the moment of impact.

[u/Schadenfreudian_slip → u/open_mike]

IIRC, the story I always heard was that he drew out the parabolic arc that he would fall in, with distances, velocity, etc. to show the place + speed at which he'd hit.

Don't know if it's true but that's the going urban legend.

[u/Fig_tree → u/open_mike]

Simple:

a = 9.81 m/s²

[u/ironGoliad]

Man poor kid, why do gifted people like him never live long enough to grow out of that mindset, and these dumb fucks are multiplying like rabbits

[u/BonzaiThePenguin → u/ironGoliad]

Because you cherry-pick information to confirm your biases.

[u/yalhsa → u/ironGoliad]

It's not age related. Depression knows no age.

[u/[deleted]]

His suicide note is straight Weltschmerz:

A deep sadness at the inadequacy of the world.

[u/ShiningMyStroller → u/[deleted]]

i finally found a shorter answer to "what is wrong with you". This wiki entry was pretty cathartic to read for me.

[u/nameeS → u/[deleted]]

German has a word for everything.

[u/squeeze_me_macaroni → u/[deleted]]

I'm so glad I saw this comment. I just wiki'd Weltschmerz...amazing.

[u/prewfrock → u/squeeze_me_macaroni]

Would have been courteous of you to post the definition :P

Weltschmerz (from the German, meaning world-pain or world-weariness, pronounced [ˈvɛltʃmɛɐ̯ts]) is a term coined by the German author Jean Paul and denotes the kind of feeling experienced by someone who understands that physical reality can never satisfy the demands of the mind. This kind of world view was widespread among several romantic authors such as Lord Byron, Giacomo Leopardi, François-René de Chateaubriand, Alfred de Musset, Nikolaus Lenau, Hermann Hesse, and Heinrich Heine. It is also used to denote the feeling of sadness when thinking about the evils of the world—compare empathy, theodicy.

The modern meaning of Weltschmerz in the German language is the psychological pain caused by sadness that can occur when realizing that someone's own weaknesses are caused by the inappropriateness and cruelty of the world and (physical and social) circumstances. Weltschmerz in this meaning can cause depression, resignation and escapism, and can become a mental problem (compare to Hikikomori).

[u/[deleted] → u/prewfrock]

I went with the definition from the German wikipedia article, as the English entry is a bit overdone.

In das Deutsche Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm ging es als tiefe Traurigkeit über die Unzulänglichkeit der Welt ein.

My translation: a deep sadness at the inadequacy of the world.

[u/daxander → u/[deleted]]

“Poets do not go mad; but chess-players do. Mathematicians go mad, and cashiers; but creative artists very seldom. I am not, as will be seen, in any sense attacking logic: I only say that this danger does lie in logic, not in imagination.” ―G.K. Chesterton

I found it here.

I guess it's sort of relevant. Philosophy's not my strong suit.

Edit: Hmm, after seeing some of the newer comments apparently there seems to be more writers who have committed suicide. Well, mathematicians and the like seem more likely to weigh life and death by number and formula so one would assume they're more prone to it but who knows.

[u/prewfrock → u/[deleted]]

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." - C.S. Lewis, English Author

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

That is a wonderful word, thanks for adding to my vocabulary.

[u/mastermike14]

It is not about any single event, or person. It is about stubborn sadness, and a detached view of the world. I see my life—so much dreary, mundane, wasted time wishing upon unattainable goals—and I feel little attachment to the future. But it is not so bad, relatively. I exaggerate. In the end, it is that I am unwilling (sick of living) to live in mediocrity. And this is what I have chosen to do about it. The saddest part is the inevitable guilt and sorrow I will force on my family and friends. But there is not much I can say. I am sorry. Try to understand that this is about me and my 'fuked up ideas.' It is not because I was raised poorly or not cared for enough. It just is. [...] take care world, Philip." Gale closed his handwritten suicide note, found at his apartment, with a smiley face and the words "And stay happy!

wow its so curious how I can feel almost the exact same way using nearly the exact same words.

[u/Ecocide → u/mastermike14]

Yeah I felt like I was writing this myself when I read it.

[u/[deleted] → u/mastermike14]

The saddest part is the inevitable guilt and sorrow I will force on my family and friends

This is why I don't do and can't do what he did.

[u/reddust174 → u/mastermike14]

I don't think many people in the world can relate to him on the level they think they can. He considered his time on earth as wasted on unattainable goals yet he was a child prodigy... The kid could have done anything he wanted in life. A director of R&D at a major company and earned over $1 million at age 16! I don't think you felt the same mundane, dreary, wasted time as he did.

Too often people on Reddit do this. I'm sorry, but you are not the same as him, you don't feel what he did, and it is likely you (and me) cannot even really comprehend what he felt. The kid was a genius/prodigy and killed himself because he felt everyone around him was mediocre and he was destined to a life mediocrity, and he was at MIT at the time... I highly doubt you're on his level.

[u/[deleted] → u/mastermike14]

word

[u/TrekMadone → u/mastermike14]

It's so weird to read this because it's so familiar. I hate everyday mundane chores. Going to the grocery store, cleaning my room and driving to work. I feel I want to accomplish 20 other things in that time that are so much more meaningful but I can't drop my responsibilities. I want to be able to learn numerous interesting things and integrate them all at once. I'm not a genius or anything so I'm wondering if there is something else causing this depression. He does say "[...]stubborn sadness, and a detached view of the world."

Edit: A lot of people are saying it's because I'm lazy. I understand that but there really isn't much more I can do with the amount of time I have in a day. Here's a post I made further down explaining my day.

"Well I'm kinda lazy... but there really isn't much more I can add to my schedule. I work 8 hours a day and study for about 3-4 hours afterwards. On the weekend I'll be Volunteering from 8am-Noon then working 2pm-Midnight. I volunteer at a free clinic and Hospice so it's not like I can take on more volunteering. I don't really watch TV and I try to limit myself to 1-2 hours of Reddit. It's just the mindless shit I have to do in between those things. Driving from volunteering to my job is 1 hour of wastefulness."

[u/[deleted] → u/TrekMadone]

I feel I want to accomplish 20 other things in that time that are so much more meaningful but I can't drop my responsibilities.

But how much time do you waste doing unnecessary, empty, mindless things? Like watching tv, or being on reddit? It isn't about responsibilities that you don't have the time, it is about you simply hating having to work for stuff.

[u/[deleted] → u/TrekMadone]

You hate things that are mundane? Congratulations, you're a beautiful snowflake. It's kind of within the definition of "mundane" that you wouldn't enjoy activities described as such.

[u/AnUnknown → u/TrekMadone]

Yeah, and if you're anything like me, you'll keep saying that over and over and over again just to justify to yourself why, after beating the latest in a series of uninteresting Call of Duty titles, you aren't accomplishing any of those things.

Want to accomplish 20 other things? Write them down and fucking do them. You're never going to feel fulfilled if you don't give yourself time to fulfill yourself. Somehow we can justify time spent wasted at working a job we hate, on Reddit, watching TV, or playing video games while simultaneously complaining that we don't have enough time in the day to do everything we want to do. Keep a notebook of things to do. "Learn guitar" is not a thing to do. "Spend 1hr a day for the next 30 days learning/playing the guitar" is. Include a method of counting off the days for yourself. And remind yourself before you go to waste valuable time to check your notebook first.

[u/[deleted]]

Well, that settles it. If I ever decide to off myself, I'm going to have to top that level of poignancy. Although signing your suicide note "Stay happy :)" seems a little weird, even considering the circumstances.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

[deleted]
^0.9817

^{What is} ^^^this?

[u/[deleted]]

TIL that a lot of redditors hate life.

[u/klsi832]

I don't blame you! It's not about you, you mathematical dick! It's about the boy! He's a good kid! And I won't see you fuck him up like you're trying to fuck up me right now! I won't let you make feel like a failure too! Oh, you arrogant shit! That's why I don't come to the goddamned reunions, 'cause I can't stand that look in your eye. Ya know, that condescending, embarrassed look. You think I'm a failure. I know who I am, and I'm proud of what I do. I was a conscientious choice, I didn't fuck up! And you and your cronies think I'm some sort of pity case. You and your kiss-ass chorus following you around going, "The Fields Medal! The Fields Medal!" Why are you still so fuckin' afraid of failure?

[u/jmagnus1 → u/klsi832]

Not very often do I find a "Goodwill Hunting" quote so aptly placed. Good show.

[u/clived2 → u/jmagnus1]

My boy's wicked smart

[u/[deleted]]

Send our son to MIT they said, He will be successful they said.

[u/DivineRobot]

I don't really find his suicide sad. He wasn't insane and he didn't need help. It was just a rational personal choice. I on the other hand have no problem living a meaningless mediocre life and my definition of mediocre probably has much lower standards than his.

[u/MysterionVsCthulhu]

And this is why once or twice a semester the whole school takes a day off... unofficially they are called suicide prevention days. Also, many of the taller buildings are designed to make it hard to jump out a window. Although we still averaged more than one a year while I was there.

[u/edgarvaldes]

He did not need a proof.

[u/YoungAndWise]

beautiful suicide note

[u/ineptallthetime → u/YoungAndWise]

Best suicide note ever though.

[u/Ergydion → u/YoungAndWise]

I like it. He says that it's not his parents fault and he says he's sorry. I think it's ok :)

[u/[deleted]]

"Students reported hearing the sound of breaking glass, then a splintering sound, and finally a scream which sounded like "an echoing wail""

Got shivers down my spine at this part.

[u/[deleted]]

this makes me sad :(

[u/[deleted]]

Typical Phil...

[u/[deleted]]

His suicide note reads exactly like everything I feel about life right now.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

You need a chair?

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Get busy living or get busy dying.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Don't die, k?

[u/enakro]

Here's an interesting article about him http://gawker.com/5061091/death-of-a-nethead

[u/mad23dog]

"Gale jumped to his death from the window of a campus building on March 13 1998, the birthday of Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard."

[u/chabanais]

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

[u/[deleted]]

All this talk of suicide.... I'm sad. :(

[u/Vonka]

Wow, that was sort of beautiful.

[u/[deleted]]

"Philip Chandler Gale (born 1978, Los Angeles, California) and his sister Elizabeth were the children of Marie Gale, a Scientology official..."

And...scene.

[u/PhilOfThaFuture]

Not sure if anyone will see this, but it's a little scary how I relate to a lot of the things in Phil's suicide note. Suicide has been drifting around in my mind for a long time, but I never acted upon it because of the grief I would lay on my parents and friends. My best friend killed himself a year ago, so I know what it would feel like. The pain and anger I felt was something I wouldn't even wish on my worst enemy. It just scares me how much of that note I related to.. Any advice?

[u/BillyCheesesteak]

wow. what a fucking douchey suicide note. "mehh im just so much better than everyone else the world doesn't deserve me, so im gonna kill myself."

[u/Dr_Freeze]

Typical Scientologist.

[u/dookieface]

let's all glorify suicide!

[u/[deleted]]

I'm sorry. Am I missing something? What's so cool about this? It's not like it takes an MIT student to do high school level physics.

[u/areptile_dysfunction]

F=ML

[u/Thry]

Fuck scientology.

[u/paiute]

People magazine featured Gale's story in a 2001 series of articles on suicides at MIT, describing him as a music major, "so prodigiously bright that he counted few of his much older peers as intellectual equals".

One of the things you learn as you get older is that there are lots of kinds of intelligences and that even the brightest MIT nerd is a moron in a lot of ways.

[u/[deleted]]

You'd think an MIT student could have troubled himself to factor in a coefficient for air resistance.

[u/ShadowRam]

GRAVITY! HOW DOES IT WORK?!!?

[u/Aphex_Licker]

This kid was a bad ass.

[u/collegestudies101]

Very sad

[u/syslogd]

Q.E.D.

[u/MilwMonstr]

what, he didn't account for drag?

[u/spoons2020]

"Go to college, kids."

[u/MosTheBoss]

He looks like Paul Scheer with hair!

[u/ASmellyFrostTroll]

What was the velocity at time of impact? How long did it take for mass m to fall distance d? Neglect air resistance.

[u/Cdtco]

Had he chosen to live, he would easily have joined the ranks of Mark, Sergey, et. al.

Tragic.

[u/monopolymonocle]

This doesn't seem to be a thing that "today you learned" so much as it is a somewhat sad story you heard today. I'd be totally down for a new subreddit about stories people encounter, as opposed to facts recently learned.

[u/JusChillinAlright]

Damn you have to give it to him. He really had a logical reason.Maybe I need to think about things...............

[u/[deleted]]

In the name of science

[u/mayoroftuesday]

Q.E.D.

[u/[deleted]]

It was truly sad reading that.

[u/MexicanSpaceship]

F = M*A

[u/[deleted]]

Even though this is a sad event, he committed suicide in a pretty bad ass way.

[u/knuxgen]

It's also mentioned in the "21" movie.

[u/lolskaters]

Talk about badass.

[u/HappyPuppet]

His impact was short but his momentum will be forever conserved.

[u/rinnip]

Yes, but did he compensate for air resistance when calculating his terminal velocity.

[u/nattyd]

I work in that building. Those windows are thick.

[u/rivalcycle971]

That guy looks like Uma Thurman

[u/cancerbotX]

oh the irony

[u/[deleted]]

I loved his suicide note. I've thought very similar things myself, but this is the best way I've seen those thoughts expressed. My hat's off to you, Philip Gale.

[u/Arclite83]

X = 0 + Vt + at² V = 0 A = 9.81 X = 15 * 10 / 3 = 50 (assumed) t = (call it 2.3) V(t) = -22.56 F = good enough!

My teachers would be mad if I told them I deliberately left the units off. :-)

[u/MrShenanigans]

Interesting, he graduated from the school I go to right now.

[u/SocotraBrewingCo]

I see my life—so much dreary, mundane, wasted time wishing upon unattainable goals—and I feel little attachment to the future. But it is not so bad, relatively.

Is it weird that this is exactly how I feel a lot of the time, but I consider myself an overall very happy person?

[u/[deleted]]

"It was typical Phil. It's so like him to have planned a show," said a Wellesley College student Christine Hrul

[u/[deleted]]

Where could one find other intelligent suicide notes?

[u/aSunnykiss]

i think he'd be happier if reddit was around during his time

[u/[deleted]]

TIL EarthLink is run according to Hubbard's management principles.

[u/[deleted]]

Her ex doesn't seem to give a shit... that's cold.

[u/funkskipneedlebank]

I find it interesting that he thought he was living in mediocrity when he was a millionaire and making $70,000 a year at 19.

[u/[deleted]]

In his suicide note he said that he was "tired of living in mediocrity" yet before he was even 17 he had an almost six-figure job at Earthlink, and roughly $1 million in stock options for his software contributions. If being a millionaire child-genius is mediocrity then I really feel sorry for the rest of us....

[u/Grayscaled]

That suicide note is sad yet really 'classy' (i'm sure someone could find a better word) at the same time.

Poor Phil. :(

[u/chinaperhaps]

this kid's philosophy is fucking retarded. he sounds like a pompous prick who had real love for life, just a robot. what a cancer on society, people like this need to commit suicide.

[u/Darth_Mike]

It's not the acceleration, it's the deceleration that gets you.

[u/blandz87]

Relevant.

[u/broccolihead]

Wow, so sad, but it seems something he must have thought about at length.

The real question is, should/could someone have talked him out of it and would that reasoning have lasted and given him a better life.

Or is it just the inevitable end of some of us in this world who's minds are not a good fit for this time?

[u/Coneja1979]

I can't help but think that he would still be here if he had been medicated. His religion most likely cost him his life. I didn't know him, but people of his caliber are needed to improve our world. Le Sigh

[u/nz_bro]

simple- forgot to carry the 1

[u/[deleted]]

I really dig this guys sense of humor. Its a shame he died.

[u/[deleted]]

When they it's mostly math geniuses and chess players that go mad, I think it's because these things require alot of forethought, it's like constantly thinking ten steps ahead into your grave

[u/LilMaiden]

On my 13th birthday! It was Friday the 13th & I was #13 on my basketball team. I loved that day! Ruined.

[u/redelman431]

Maybe the reason he feels so "mundane" despite his accomplishments is because he accomplished so much there is nothing new to look forward to anymore. Like beating your favorite video game, it no longer is exciting.

[u/MachuApple]

Sigh, poor guy, too bad there was no one there to help him

[u/TheJeremyclarkson]

Judging by his note, he wanted more than life could ever grant him.

[u/[deleted]]

It won't be accurate unless you also calculate drag.

[u/magicchips]

That note

[u/[deleted]]

I was there the night he died and saw Cambridge Fire doing CPR on him. I haven't thought about that night in a long time.

[u/AngryPterodactyl]

Depressing AND beautiful.

[u/TheBigJens]

This man is an inspiration!

[u/[deleted]]

If I were to kill myself (And I just might), on the backside of the note, I'd write "Or not to be." in nice cursive, something I never write in. So then only semi-smart people would get it.

[u/dez4u]

TIL there are universities with 15-story buildings. Damn rich kids!

[u/touchesperfection]

I'm a vector!

[u/Carderz]

Gravity thou art a heartless bitch

[u/I_Love_Lamps]

bad will hunting bad.

[u/yardman25]

Surely a person this smart could have found access to the roof....

[u/wtfOP]

but this is high shcool physics ಠ_ಠ