For a promise I made to myself, an open letter to Todd Bridges and Shepard Smith: Dear Todd Bridges and Shepard Smith, Let me make one thing clear because Im sure there are others who will jump on your respective band wagons. I get you have apologized, but Im still convinced you actually believe what you said. Contrary to your very limited, short-sighted beliefs, anyone suffering through depression is brave, strong, tenacious, and a quiet blessing to the world and society each morning they are able to face the day, or each time they wake and simply decide to sit up. Heres why: we all go through our own personal hells. Some of us sit in a ring so dark and painful, that the thought of it ending is the only respite. The thought of not being numb and finally feeling release is extremely tantalizing. Why not welcome that instead of facing another 24 hours of feeling the void, or at times worse, feeling the incredible emotional and/or physical pain for another day, another hour, another second? Why are they a quiet blessing? Because maybe if you bothered to try to help someone in this circumstance, you would see how much their strength and basic reaction to facing the seemingly impossible is an inspiration and a mind opener to an entirely unique perspective on what each of us as humans can take. You would learn that sometimes, you as an outsider might later understand the pain, THEIR specific pain, or maybe you will never understand it. But you would learn that both you and your suffering friend will both grow just by sitting together and hurting, side by side. Hopefully your perspective helps them. Hopefully your ability to feel will eventually help them feel. Hopefully there will be hope. Was I a fan of Robin Williams work? Not at all. But I AM a fan of the person he seemed to be, and now that I know this about him, I am a fan of his survival of 63 years. I don’t deem myself enlightened enough to understand the pain he was going through, but I am sure it was extreme, and I am sure he was strong, and brave, and tenacious until the time had come. I wish circumstances were different. I wish things fell into place in a way that would have given him more time with us. But they didn’t, and it’s no one’s fault. Not the people who are now seeing his pain in hindsight, not the people who saw his pain and didn’t know what to do, and definitely not his fault. To call him “selfish” or a “coward” (respectively) is incredibly revealing, and what I’m being shown is incredibly ugly. Either you have never felt the pain of depression, and/or, you have never known anyone close to you fighting this fight, and yet you have no qualms in judging someone so harshly in spite your own ignorance - OR - You HAVE known this suffering, and just because it’s not happening to you, you have no qualms in judging them harshly based on callousness. Which ever you are, ignorant or callous, I really hope you can eventually see this in a more helpful perspective. Your lack of brains/heart in this matter is an archetype that eats away at people’s faith in humanity. It is your responsibility to do something about this. You said you’re sorry. Now it’s time to try and show a fraction of the grit and fortitude that Mr. Williams had for decades, and at least begin to become some sort of positive influence in society.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 06:26:46 +0000
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