Emily Kwong

Yeah, it requires a lot of focus, but you have to center the person in despair.

And it sounds like that philosophy was really carried over into how Joe approached this film project.

Can you say more about that?

What would you say are the most important lessons the song has to teach?

I love how these are all active verbs, you know, observe, share, help me, because it is an active choice to be there for someone going through this.

Like an image that really helped me in supporting my mom, it was a screenshot in my phone, was

If a person is sitting at the bottom of a hole, you can't just shout down into the hole.

We'll climb out of the hole.

That's right.

In fact, what you have to do is have the courage to go down into the hole and sit with them, to accompany them in that moment.

And that's when change can really happen.

What's compelling about this music to me is it embodies how I wish my mom was treated before and after her attempt.

But so often this compassion is not shown to people who have suicidal thoughts.

Exactly.

And people can respond in ways that are very counterproductive.

Yeah.

We talked about this a few years ago that most people naturally want to call 911 in an emergency situation, but that is not always the best approach when someone is in a suicidal crisis.

Yeah.

And I'm right here.

These are beautiful things.