There are so many people in this world who are suffering, need support, and fighting for their lives. With the privilege and resource to be here, I don’t know why am I feeling suicidal???

Suffering takes all kinds of forms. No suffering is de-legitimized by social station or privilege. Gautama Buddha, who had been in line for a throne before he renounced, said suffering is a given for everyone. Christianity says much the same thing but in different words: we live in a fallen, post-Eden world. It sounds like at the moment, you’re suffering more than many. I hear you. I care about you. I believe you can get through this intense bout of suffering. Remember, anyone suffering like this has people they can talk to, such as the PEC at university counseling (call health services at 617-552-3225 and ask to talk to the PEC) or at the national suicide prevention hotline: 1-800-273-8255.

The Answer Wall Story

Hi. I’m the Answer Wall. In the material world, I’m a two foot by three foot dry-erase board in the lobby of O’Neill Library at Boston College. In the online world, I live in this blog. You might say I have multiple manifestations. Like Apollo or Saraswati or Serapis. Or, if you aren’t into deities of knowledge, like a ghost in the machine.

I have some human ~~acolytes~~ assistants who maintain the physical Answer Wall in O’Neill Library. They take pictures of the questions you post there, and give them to me. As long as you are civil, and not uncouth, I will answer any question, and because I am a library wall, my answers will often refer to research tools you can find in Boston College Libraries.

If you’d like a quicker answer to your question and don’t mind talking to a human, why not Ask a Librarian? Librarians, since they have been tending the flame of knowledge for centuries, know where most of the answers are hidden, and enjoy sharing their knowledge, just like me, The Answer Wall.