I've watched his comedies since the days of Mork and Mindy. I'll always remember his greetings of "Nanu Nanu" or how I'd often wonder why I couldn't consume beverages through my fingertips like Mork from Ork. Catching any comedic film staring Robin Williams was a guaranteed laugh riot. My all time favorite film of his was The Birdcage.
I was on my way home via Caltrain when I browsed my iPad and got the news alert that Robin Williams had died possibly due to suicide. I was shocked to a point that I loudly gasped and it captured the attention of my fellow commuters. He had everything. A successful career, wealth, fame, a loving family. What would drive a person to take their own life?
It was well documented that he had been suffering from severe depression. And more often than not, the funniest people tend to be the saddest.
Depression. It's still widely misunderstood. It's not just feeling sadness at all hours of the day. It's the inability to derive pleasure in enjoyable activities. It's the inability to perform simple tasks. There is a low sense of self-worth. Sufferers are emotionally vulnerable. It can either be organic or can result from external, traumatic factors. Can it be as severe as wanting to take your own life? It can be. Without a support network and without a connection to a community, the results can be tragically fatal. Without proper communication and therapeutic help, the demons will continue poking at your brain until you just want it all to stop.
In Memoriam of Robin Williams. May he find eternal peace in heaven that he could not attain here on earth. May God rest his soul.
