Everyone else has had their say about the Robin Williams tragedy, so why not my two cents as well. Mostly what I feel is that we are missing the moral of the story. When my brother Rob decided to end his own life in 1990 at the ripe old age of 17, my life was turned inside out and upside down. I was 12 years old, and 24 years have passed since then, but I can still remember every word spoken, every emotion and every moment of that night and the following days which passed like years. Yes, I wanted to be angry with him. Yes, I wanted to lash out and scream and yell into the night, “WHY HAVE YOU LEFT ME ALONE?!” It wasn’t a selfish act on Rob’s part, not really. Yes, it hurt his family. But that was not WHY he did what he did. He was desperate, scared, and felt like he was all alone. After years of pain and questioning, it finally occurred to me; if Rob had waited one more day, maybe one more night…maybe something good would have happened to change that feeling. Maybe someone would have hugged him, or loved him, or said just the right thing that encouraged him to go on. Believe me, I wish I had had the chance to be that someone. But that is the thing about depression, or addiction, or mental illness. Real, inner pain can be hidden so well and so deep, the face or smile we see on our loved ones could be a beautiful mask and we would never know. So what is the moral behind our reaction to the Robin Williams story? What can we do TODAY that might make a difference; a difference that we may never realize we have made and yet makes all the difference in the world? Love each other. Forgive each other. Be kind to strangers, to the waiter, to the crossing guard, to your children. Love is the simple and easy answer. Show it. Everyday.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 22:00:35 +0000
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