"He was 56. A former-minister-turned-podcaster, someone who had spent years helping others question and rebuild their faith. When I asked if he was depressed, he said, No. Everyone thinks that. But I'm not. He never mentioned any drama, breakdown, or addiction. It's not some crisis, he told me. It's just clarity. Or maybe resignationI don't know anymore."
"He said he'd tried antidepressants, mostly to appease those around him. Didn't move the needle, he said with a shrug. The party ended for me years ago, he said, and I've just been lingering around the punch bowl. One morning he called just to say, You're still here. Guess we both made it another day. We laughed."
A man declares his intention to end his life by the end of the year and asks a friend to accompany him without attempting to dissuade or fix him. Their modern friendship began through a podcast and deepened into frequent voice notes and late-night calls. He is 56, a former minister turned podcaster who spent years helping others question and rebuild faith. He denies being depressed, describing his state as clarity or resignation. He tried antidepressants to appease others with no benefit. He likens his life to lingering around a party that ended years ago.
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