R U OK? 2011

Last year I wrote a post about R U OK Day.
This year R U OK Day is on Thursday 15 September.
Gavin Larkin, the founder of R U OK Day points out that the day is:

a national day of action which aims to prevent suicide by encouraging Australians to connect with someone they care about and help stop little problems turning into big ones. On that day we want everyone across the country, from all backgrounds and walks of life, to ask family, friends and colleagues: “Are you OK?”.
Staying connected with others is crucial to our general health and wellbeing. Feeling isolated or hopeless can contribute to depression and other mental illnesses, which can ultimately result in suicide. Regular, meaningful conversations can protect those we know and love. It’s so simple. In the time it takes to have a coffee, you can start a conversation that could change a life.

I noticed that this year the RU OK? website has a section on sport.

Australians love to celebrate our sporting triumphs – and so we should – but we also need to look out for those people who may be trying to ‘tough it out’ alone. We want sporting communities across Australia to host events in the lead-up to R U OK?Day and encourage teammates, opponents, spectators and supporters to ask “R U OK?”.

Last year I wrote about my brother John. Writing about him helped me a great deal and during the last year I have spoken with a number of people about the post.
This year I thought I would post a video about John captured from VHS tapes.
[wpvideo e6GATMYJ]
The video underscores for me just how important it is to ask R U OK today?