What I Learned From Robin Williams
The news of Robin Williams’ death devastated the world.We could not have known all of the pain that was hiding behind his crystal blue eyes and big grin.
. He stole our hearts in “Hook,” cracked us up in “The Bird Cage” and “Mrs. Doubtfire” and made us question life and death in “What Dreams May Come.” He’s had me questioning life and death again in the last week. In the wake of his passing, we’ve become obsessed with all things Robin Williams: videos on YouTube, montages of him on the news, or articles discussing the details of his suicide. So many of us have seen or written lovely notes to Robin on our statuses on Facebook, cried in mourning or even donated to charities for those suffering from substance abuse or depression. All week we’ve been discussing our favorite movies and how much we loved and treasured this man that few of us had ever met. His death has brought out this loving, generous side to humanity. It’s beautiful to watch the outpouring of love for Robin and support for his family members but it’s had me thinking, “where was all of the love when he needed it?” His bouts of depression and substance abuse were well documented and yet, we wait until he dies tragically to offer our love to him. For the celebrities that are going through the same, we only focus on their stints in rehab or public outbursts instead of the underlying emotional issues. We soften once tragedy strikes. His passing has made me question our nature, as humans. If we outwardly offered support and love when Robin was still alive, would it have changed anything? Do you think that if he saw how important and loved he was that he would have chosen differently that day? We’ll never know the answer to those questions. But we can decide to be more loving today. Don’t wait for tragedy to tell people how much you love them. Don’t wait for a special occasion to express your gratitude to someone. Don’t wait for someone to be in severe emotional pain to tell them how much you value them. Take the time today to share that love and support to the people you know. Robin fooled many of us with his smile.
There are many others who fool the world everyday too. So be kind, generous and loving today because you never know what battle that person is dealing with on the inside. A loving word or two might just save their life. .
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