the genius and sadness of Robin Williams

You're only given a little spark of madness.

You mustn't lose it.

- Robin Williams

When I first heard

of Robin Williams’ death,

my first thought was:

can’t be.

I’ve always loved Robin Williams.

His genius was palpable.

People like Robin

are few & far between.

When someone like this dies

and so many people feel the ripple of sadness,

you just know the world lost

an important person.

A few things stayed with me

when I heard of his death,

but in particular, a comment I heard

by his good friend, the famous David Letterman,

where he said this about his lifelong friend:

I’m sorry, like everybody else,

I had no idea that the man was in pain,

that the man was suffering.

That’s it, isn’t it?

That’s the point for someone who is battling 

serious depression.

Not letting it show.

Not wanting others to know.

Not letting the world see the sadness.

The darkness is too much for them to bear

so why would they want to share it?

If David Letterman, who was a true friend

and had been for so many years didn’t see it,

how could anyone else see it?

With depression,

it’s not about how many friends you have,

or how many people love you,

it’s about how you feel inside.

Robin Williams was loved by millions.

He had countless, profound friendships

and relationships

with people all over the world.

And yet…

he felt alone.

I am nowhere near understanding depression,

but I still believe there are many people out there

who are using depression (or mental illness)

as an excuse to get attention

or sympathy,

or a week off work.

A disgrace to those who struggle with the real thing,

day in, day out.

Like Robin did.

It makes me sad to know

that so many out there reach the point

of no return.

I am sad that Robin saw this

as his only way out.

Sad that he got so good

at hiding it from the world.

Sad that the world lost so much

when he decided

to leave…