Vale Robin Williams

To be or not to be?

The news of comedian Robin William's suicide has affected me (softly and quietly) and so many others - it has rippled through the world and raised a chorus of voices asking 'why'? Of course there is no simple answer, and perhaps the question itself may help people re-examine themselves in the world, their purpose, their direction, their choices - everything. Thank you for letting your life give that to the world Robin...

When I ask the question 'why' - it feels like part of the answer may be that he simply felt too deeply...That the paradox of his comic genius was the depth of his understanding and compassion. I feel no blame or anger toward him for the way he ended his life - despite it causing pain to the many people who loved him. I'm certain that emotional pain can be as intense as physical pain and that losing hope can drain the life from you.

Many people can't accept that he was a person of such success and wealth and so very much loved - how could he let all that go? And on the other hand - why is it that people who have so little often have such a strong drive for survival?

Others have talked about how hard this will be for his 'karma' - that he will now have to repeat this life cycle to 'learn the lesson'. Despite my (general) tendency to believe in reincarnation - I could never presume that anyone has the right to anticipate the passage of others people's souls! This is a mystery! Every existence has its own story!  All we can do is be true to our own hearts and how each situation makes us feel - empathy and compassion has to lead us, not a calculation or judgement about whether our actions have been truly virtuous or not...

Actually, I've never really been able to think of depression as an 'illness' - especially now, in this chaotic time. We, as humans, are saturated with information and concepts that no generation has ever faced before, and yet have been created by our own species: nuclear weapons, mass extinctions, climatic disruption, the globalised, corporate economy - those who have their hearts open must be moved to feel, sometimes act, sometimes hide, sometimes pray, sometimes just hold their loved ones ones close or escape into the beauty of a sunrise...Choosing life is not always easy.