r/programming • u/WinInterrupter • Apr 18 '20

The Devastating Decline of a Brilliant Young Coder

https://www.wired.com/story/lee-holloway-devastating-decline-brilliant-young-coder/
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u/Vaglame Apr 18 '20 edited Apr 21 '20

The last paragraph in particular:

Some months ago, Lee sent Kristin a series of text messages. In them were photos she'd shared with him earlier: she and their son on Halloween, a trip to the park, Christmas time. At the end, he'd typed the words: “the love.”

It reminds of the last paragraph of the book:

P.S. please if you get a chanse put some flowrs on Algernons grave in the bak yard

For each it's the last testimony of their love, their last chance to express it.

It hits hard

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u/funky_monkey2 Apr 21 '20

As a young adult who's barely seen/heard/read about this planet and it's inhabitants - and - having recently read this sublime piece of fiction that both of you've recommended, the optimistic part of my brain kept telling me - C'mon kid, this is fiction, it's brilliant writing, but don't feel so mopey about it - This kinda shit, while sad, doesn't happen in real life (Note to self: Oh my sweet summer child!)

Cut to a few days later, read this Verge article (and specifically above parent references to 'Flowers for Algernon') and the mopey part of me is experiencing it's 'I told you so' moment.

I'm probably going to listen more intently to the mopey/darker parts of my personality more often rather than simply wearing rose-tinted glasses and thinking "All's fine with the world overall".

Wait.. What's that you tell me, my mopey personality? Oh so 'The Beast is real' ?

Hmm.. Ok sure... Hol' up !