If you were looking for a favorite Olympian to cement these 2016 Rio Games as the most memorable yet, then do we have a guy for you. During the 105kg weightlifting competition on Monday, David Katoatau showed the world his epic dance moves in between lifting enormous weights.
Spectators from around the world, however, might be surprised to learn he wasn’t dancing to celebrate his sixth-place finish. Rather, he danced his heart out to bring awareness to Kiribati, his island nation and home currently getting swept away by rising tides. Located in the South Pacific, rising sea levels spurred by climate change have been creeping up the shorelines of Kiribati’s 33 coral atolls, endangering the lives of the island’s 102,000 residents.
In an interview with Reuters, Katoatau said, “Most people don’t know where Kiribati is. I want people to know more about us, so I use weightlifting, and my dancing, to show the world. ... I don’t know how many years it will be before it sinks.”
Getting to the Olympics from Kiribati was an accomplishment in itself. “There was no gym when I started training as a boy, and there is no gym now,” Katoatau told Reuters, “I trained on the beach in the open sun. The bar [on the weights] would become too hot to touch so I had to train at 6 in the morning.”
In an open letter published last fall by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Katoatau wrote of global warming’s extreme consequences and the imminent dangers facing Kiribati. He wrote,
“Everyday my people fear for their lives as their homes are lost to the rising sea levels. We live on an atoll with nothing but flat land and ocean surrounding us. We have nowhere to climb and nowhere to run to… The simple truth is that we do not have the resources to save ourselves. We will be the first to go. It will be the extinction of a race. Open your eyes and look to the other low-lying level islands around the Pacific—they will soon fall with us.”
To learn more about how climate change is currently devastating Kiribati, check out the masterful reporting documented by AJ+ below. And head over to International Business Times to learn how innovators are proposing to build artificial islands to save Pacific Islanders from a disastrous fate.
Image via YouTube/NBC Universal
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This response to someone grieving a friend might be the best internet comment ever
When someone is hit with the sudden loss of a friend or loved one, words rarely feel like enough. Yet, more than a decade ago, a wise Redditor named GSnow shared thoughts so profound they still bring comfort to grieving hearts today.
Originally posted around 2011, the now-famous reply was rediscovered when Upvoted, an official Reddit publication, featured it again to remind everyone of its enduring truth. It began as a simple plea for help: “My friend just died. I don't know what to do.”
What followed was a piece of writing that many consider one of the internet’s best comments of all time. It remains shared across social media, grief forums, and personal messages to this day because its honesty and metaphor speak to the raw reality of loss and the slow, irregular path toward healing.
Below is GSnow’s full reply, unchanged, in all its gentle, wave-crashing beauty:
Why this advice still matters
Mental health professionals and grief counselors often describe bereavement in stages or phases, but GSnow’s “wave theory” gives an image more relatable for many. Rather than a linear process, grief surges and retreats—sometimes triggered by a song, a place, or a simple morning cup of coffee.
In recent years, this metaphor has found renewed relevance. Communities on Reddit, TikTok, and grief support groups frequently reshare it to help explain the unpredictable nature of mourning.
Many readers say this analogy helps them feel less alone, giving them permission to ride each wave of grief rather than fight it.
Finding comfort in shared wisdom
Since this comment first surfaced, countless people have posted their own stories underneath it, thanking GSnow and passing the words to others facing fresh heartbreak. It’s proof that sometimes, the internet can feel like a global support group—strangers linked by shared loss and hope.
For those searching for more support today, organizations like The Dougy Center, GriefShare, and local bereavement groups offer compassionate resources. If you or someone you know is struggling with intense grief, please reach out to mental health professionals who can help navigate these deep waters.
When grief comes crashing like the ocean, remember these words—and hang on. There is life between the waves.
This article originally appeared four years ago.