When I saw “Robin Williams hanged by belt in apparent
suicide” I prayed it was another hoax on Facebook. But it wasn't. Robin was
found hanged in the bedroom of his home, with a belt around his neck and slight
wounds to his wrist. Apparently he had been grappling with severe depression.
Robin Williams was a comedy legend! Watching his movies, he
would make me laugh and cry. I could watch his stand up comedy skits online for
hours and never got sick of it. I loved all the quotes he had come up with! He
was one actor I had hoped to meet and wondered what he would be like in real
life.
It’s even more sad to realize that a person who was so funny
on film, who made the whole world laugh, who cheered everyone up when they were
sad just by watching him…was actually depressed himself. There didn't seem to
be much Robin Williams couldn't do. He spent a career entertaining us and
making us laugh. He used humour to bring others happiness, which made it all
the more heartbreaking to learn of his suicide.
Who could have given back to him what he gave the world? Who
could have made him laugh when he was sad just like he did for the rest of us
when we were sad?
It’s impossible to understand how someone so cheerful on the
outside could have actually been suffering on the inside. I am certain his
family and friends tried everything to keep him happy but depression is
actually a battle.
Everyone feels sad at some point or another. Depression, or
feeling sad is a normal emotion. We feel sad when we encounter disappointments
in life or the loss of a loved one. However, for most of us, over time we learn
to overcome our problems or accept the changes in our lives. But for others,
the depression can become so severe that it dominates their lives and prevents
them from coping as they used to.
Depression of this degree is not just a passing ‘blue mood’…
it is an illness that needs to be treated. It will affect the body, mood and
thoughts to a point of dysfunction. It is not something that can be simply
willed away.
Then you get these so-called Christians harassing his family
and poking fun of Robin Williams saying he was a coward and suicide was the
easiest way out.
We do not know how much pain he had been in and feeling like
there was no other way out or cure. To me, having to end your life takes as
much courage. If you say it is the cowards way out then you try to put a belt
around your neck, or jump out the window or pull the trigger. I would never
have the guts to do that.
From what I have learned is that major depression feels like
intense pain that can’t be identified in any particular part of the body. The
most (normally) pleasant and comforting touch can feel painful to the point of
tears. Depression is utterly isolating.
So who could blame Robin Williams for what he has done? He
probably had no
There
is terrible shame about the actions depression dictates, such as not
accomplishing anything or snapping at people. Everything seems
meaningless, including previous accomplishments and what had given life
meaning. Anything that had given the person a sense of value or self-esteem vanishes. These
assets or accomplishments no longer matter, no longer seem genuine, or are
overshadowed by negative self-images. Anything that ever caused the person to
feel shame, guilt, or regret grows to take up most of his or her psychic space.
That and being in this state causes the person to feel irredeemably unlovable,
and sure everyone has abandoned or will abandon him.
Who could blame Robin Williams for what he has done? He
probably had no choice and did what he had to do to end all the suffering.
I hope he’s finally found peace and he’s up there with a BIG
smile making the angels laugh.
----
“You’re only given one little spark of madness. You mustn't
lose it. “
-- Robin Williams --
No comments:
Post a Comment