"What's the difference between a tornado and divorce? Nothing. Either way, someone's losing a trailer." Robin Williams
The world has lost a very, very funny man. By all accounts Robin Williams was a good man who truly seemed to care about others. He was also a man who they say was suffering from depression, and had issues with addiction to drugs and alcohol in his past, too.
I don't mean to sound uncompassionate, but I don't understand depression or addiction. I don't have an "addictive personality" myself and I'm not close to anyone who does. Not my wife, or my kids, or any of my friends or family. I understand they are legitimate diseases, but I suppose I just live in a small, probably naive world with other like-minded naive people. I've never been exposed to those dark things.
I don't understand how the brain works. I've never taken a formal course in psychology. Why would someone so talented, someone able to light up a room when he walked into it, someone who could travel where he wanted, do whatever he wanted, probably meet whoever he wanted, have to resort to drugs or alcohol, and eventually suicide? I just don't get it.
In my little pea brain I can't see what he had to be depressed about. When people have an empty pantry, hungry kids, and no money, I can see them being desperate and depressed. When people (who want friends) have no friends, I can see them being depressed. When people are cold and homeless and don't even know if they'll survive the night, I can see them being depressed. Thankfully most of us reading this right now don't (I'm guessing) have those problems.
And drugs and alcohol....again, I don 't get it. If I'm healthy and fed and clothed and housed, why would I want to screw it up by abusing myself? If you have enough money to afford booze or drugs in mass quantity, I'm guessing you should be smart enough to find something a lot more fun to spend it on than booze or drugs.
It's one of my great shortcomings....I just don't understand the abstract. Last night when we heard the news that he was dead K said incredulously, "But Robin Williams should still be alive." Then she asked, "How do we know that's true? How do we know this wasn't meant to be?"
All I could do was sit there, my mouth open, and say, "wha...what?" Great, deep philosophical questions go straight over my head. I see the here and now, the rocks and trees, not the what might have beens or the philosophical dilemmas of life.
If any of you are hurting or addicted or in mental pain, I wish I could help you, but I wouldn't know where to start. Thank God there are people out there who can.
I'll never know what was going through Robin Williams mind at the end. I'll never understand his addictions. I do understand that a funny, caring man is gone. Pity.
S
If you look at a list of 'famous' people who suffered from either depression or addiction writers and actors are over-represented. Faulkner, Harrison Ford, Winston Churchill (politicians were well represented also). Howard Hughes could have bought up most of LA, he could have lived or traveled wherever he wanted, instead his depression kept him in an isolated room.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't seem to have a lot to do with fame or fortune. I don't know how to treat it either, but I have known some who suffered from it who seemingly had everything.
So maybe it's something to do with creative minds? If so then I'm safe.
DeleteYou said the same thing when Philip Seymour Hoffman died. Maybe some education would help.
ReplyDeleteAs I said, those are abstract concepts. It takes a mind that thinks in abstract to comprehend them. My mind is devastatingly logical.
DeleteSafe to assume you're an atheist then. If not, then you're on your way to understanding the abstract.
ReplyDeleteHow so? The Bible says clearly how we should live our lives and who we should give thanks to. That's not at all abstract.
DeletePersonally, I find the idea of an invisible, loving, omnipotent creator that allows evil to exist rather abstract. God works in mysterious ways...God's ways are higher than ours are the usual ways of reconciling that paradox. That seems pretty abstract to me.
DeleteHere's another example though: Watching football stimulates dopamine in some people's brains. Gives them pleasure. Others get no pleasure from it. An MRI wouldn't reveal any difference in their brains. But the difference is there. Undeniable.
Same thing with addiction and/or depression. Some people get a much bigger jolt from alcohol than others and once that switch is turned on, it becomes almost impossible to turn it off. Environmental conditioning can make it worse - or better.
And not all of this is purely abstract - some is scientific. This is clearly evidenced by how effective anti-depressants are with some people. Or how Adderall helps kids with ADD.
Statistics I've seen say that about 10% of the general population suffers from addiction and/or depression. If your pool of friends and family is big enough, than chances are you're going to encounter it on a personal level someday.
I've never bothered too much about how or why God does what He does. I don't try to figure Him out. I see a sunrise or a sunset, the birth of a living creature....that's concrete, tangible proof enough for me.
DeleteI don't deny addiction/depression exists. It's a terrible thing, and it hurts a lot of people. It's a genuine disease that needs treatment. That part "I get". But I would think something triggers it....something traumatic for instance. I can see how war would cause those involved to suffer from PTSD. The tragic loss of a loved one, to find your world has somehow, suddenly been turned upside down might be a trigger. As "Should Fish More" said above, somehow creative types seem more susceptible to depression. Is there a trigger in their lives that causes this to happen to them? If not, then why them?
Which reminds me....you keep signing in as "Anonymous". Who are you?
Please don't misunderstand. I'm enjoying hearing your views. I'm not at all offended or being argumentative. I'm just curious.
DeleteI'm glad you don't "get it" Sadly, suicide, depression, alcoholism and drug addiction run in my family. Luckily I was spared all of those things and didn't used to "get it" either. I hope you never have to.
ReplyDeleteSadly, the world has lost a great talent. I appreciate your post.
I'm sorry you had to learn, Jenn. Yes, he was a great talent, and even more impressive, I'd like to think a good person.
DeleteRIP Robin.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shock yesterday to turn on my computer and find the news of his death on my homepage. :-(
ReplyDeleteDepression - from what little I know about it - is a chemical imbalance somewhere in the body. Replace "depressed" with another disease in your sentence, I can't see what he had to be depressed about. For example, I can't see what he had to become all diabetic about. Doesn't make sense, huh? It can hit anyone, even the people we consider "lucky."
This is really interesting to me. You are very fortunate to have no feel for the things you mentioned. I envy that.. I wish I knew nothing of depression, alcoholism or the rest. I'm surprised when I see that there are people who don't struggle to maintain a semblance of a survival instinct.
ReplyDelete