IN MEMORY OF ROBIN WILLIAMS
Robin Williams was one of the most prolific and misunderstood actors of all time.
In my mind, he was so famous, and so infamous, that I knew the laughter could not last much longer. He tried too hard; and when a man tries as hard as he did to “please everybody,” nothing is going to make HIM happy even when he goes above and beyond to assure the happiness of others.
Robin made us laugh, cry, smile, cringe, cry some more, then laugh hysterically. I can see him clear as day doing “Popeye” like nobody’s business…like that cartoon was made just so Robin could play him.
His sheer professionally trained skill as an actor was so profound and well-rounded that when I began to play “Cityville” more than five years ago, when it was time to pick one of those coin-paid theaters and the game asked me what I wanted to name the theater, the first and only name that popped in my head was “Robin Williams” of course. Who else?
To this day, it is still and forever shall be named “The Robin Williams Theater.”
If life is any indication whatsoever, most of us can forget the idea of how “choices” (good or bad) affect outcome.
They most assuredly do not.
The man who seemingly “had it all” – even a new movie that was about to be released soon – tells us a story about “having it all.”
And he tells that story right along with all of those whom we believed “had it all” who have transitioned from this life intentionally. Though they made the top grades of life, made the best choices they could have possibly made for themselves, it simply wasn’t enough.
They were exactly where they belonged in this world, even the ones who had Perfectionist’s Syndrome where nothing was ever going to be ‘good enough.’ All of the “if onlys” from people that we saw as having been born for a real reason.
My favorite book of the Bible is Ecclesiastes, for those who are scripturally-inclined.
When a man of Williams’ caliber decides to take his own life, the clear-eyed reality of Ecclesiastes comes into broad scope: Cast your bread upon the waters, for it will return to you buttered and toasted. – Ecclesiastes 11:1
…rrrriiiighhhtttt…
There is really no power whatsoever in thinking positively; one can only hope for a brighter outcome or a “better return.”
When the day is upon us that one man can make all the right choices and have a bad result and another man can make all the wrong choices and have a better result, it says one thing and one thing only: Support systems are everything.
Without them, you lose…period.
No one knows if Williams had the proper support systems in place or not, but there was a fellow member of one of the Something Anonymous groups that he attended who said that he was “open and spontaneous and vulnerable” during group sessions…that he didn’t hold back; so I’m sure they know quite a few intimate details of his life that we will never know about, nor do we need to. What someone says in the room stays in the room, it’s an “Anonymous Attendees” life code.
It is a sad day indeed when the world can lose a phenomenal talent like Robin Williams to suicide. It is an even sadder day when there are people in the world who understand why he did it and wish they could get up the nerve to do the same. Some ultimately will.
For what it’s worth, the sadness overcame me like a veil and shroud at losing yet another awesomely talented man to the disease of deep depression.
As a woman who believes in God, I won’t say he’s “in a better place,” and I can’t say, as some would, that he “went to hell” for killing himself. There are people who have killed other people who didn’t go to hell (wherever in the hell that is) for doing it–the Apostle Paul being one of many.
Sometimes, nothing helps. Sometimes, good people get crapped on by life while evil seems to live on forever.
Sometimes, making the right choices doesn’t make a hill- of- beans difference, especially in a world where evil gets more support, applaud, accolades and cheers than good. When evil and good are sleeping together, the only real choice left is whose bed it is.
The ‘bed owner’ dictates the outcome of whatever choices you make–and the owner of the bed doesn’t much care what you were thinking, positively or negatively, when all hell breaks loose. It’s what they decide to do at that particular moment that matters in the end. – Micah 6:8
Though this is a newsblog about Black issues for Black people, there’s a lesson to be had in the Black community for all of us about ignoring or overlooking or “glossing over” severe mental health issues, which African-Americans tend to do far too much.
Sometimes, most times … slapping somebody upside the head and telling them to “get over it” ain’t gonna cut it — not now, not ever.
That isn’t a support system, that’s a “do us all a favor and kill yourself…the faster, the better” system.
Who knows? Maybe that’s the tune Williams kept playing over and over in his own head.
Ecclesiastes 12 King James Version (KJV)
12 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: 3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, 4 And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; 5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: 6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. 7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. 8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity. 9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. 10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. 12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
REFERENCES
Suicide Prevention Hotline – 1 800 273 8255
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