Famous quote from Robin Williams: ""A woman would never make a nuclear bomb. They would never make a weapon that kills. They’d make a weapon that makes you feel bad for a while."
Grief impacts all of us from time to time. As we heard of Robin Williams sudden passing I am sure most of us went to You tube and watched clips from his movies. It was a way for us to heal from his loss.
When we lose a loved one it is normal to want to remember their life. It is why photo memory books are a million dollar business. We spend our life time putting together precious memories just so we can remember them when they are no longer with us.
When we lose a loved one it is normal to want to remember their life. It is why photo memory books are a million dollar business. We spend our life time putting together precious memories just so we can remember them when they are no longer with us.
Robin Williams left his mark on our lives through his many depictions of characters from the early Mork and Mindy show, to Stephen Spielberg's Peter Pan to Dead Poet's society to name just a few. Robin also left his mark on our children with many of his child friendly movies.
What we know about Robin is that he suffered greatly from severe depression. According to the World Health Organization there are approximately 121 million people in this world impacted by this condition with less than 25% of these people having access to adequate mental health care. As you can tell from those statistics that depression is an epidemic problem. . Yet, Depression is in some ways one of those taboo conditions that no one wants to talk about.
Who can forget Senator Thomas Eagleton's battle with depression with shock treatments and how all of his legislative accomplishments were overshadowed when he was removed as George McGovern's running mate during the 1972 Presidential race?
The message to the general public became 'depression is a liability, so get over it and deal with it privately to avoid the ramifications of it in your career. Senator Thomas Eagleton was only one famous person with this condition. There are many more and I included this wikipedia link for those who want to take the time to read about them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_major_depressive_disorder
I personally know several close friends and family members who struggle with this condition. One individual I know was my grandfather, Levi Gabrielson. Levi suffered a nervous breakdown shortly after losing his wife, Cora not long after the birth of her youngest child. The grief associated with losing his young bride combined with world war 1 trauma made it impossible for him to raise his boys. Levi went into the St. Cloud Veteran's home while his two sons were cared by the parents of his beloved bride. Two grieving parents of a daughter now dead caring for two young boy's.
I like to think we are more enlighten as a generation of people today, but I am not so sure. I look no further than in the weeks following our tragic loss back in 2007. It was in those weeks when the darkness of gloom fell over our home when few reached out to us For whatever reason people have a hard time reaching out to bereaved people, especially when a lost of a child is involved.
Who can forget Senator Thomas Eagleton's battle with depression with shock treatments and how all of his legislative accomplishments were overshadowed when he was removed as George McGovern's running mate during the 1972 Presidential race?
The message to the general public became 'depression is a liability, so get over it and deal with it privately to avoid the ramifications of it in your career. Senator Thomas Eagleton was only one famous person with this condition. There are many more and I included this wikipedia link for those who want to take the time to read about them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_major_depressive_disorder
I personally know several close friends and family members who struggle with this condition. One individual I know was my grandfather, Levi Gabrielson. Levi suffered a nervous breakdown shortly after losing his wife, Cora not long after the birth of her youngest child. The grief associated with losing his young bride combined with world war 1 trauma made it impossible for him to raise his boys. Levi went into the St. Cloud Veteran's home while his two sons were cared by the parents of his beloved bride. Two grieving parents of a daughter now dead caring for two young boy's.
I like to think we are more enlighten as a generation of people today, but I am not so sure. I look no further than in the weeks following our tragic loss back in 2007. It was in those weeks when the darkness of gloom fell over our home when few reached out to us For whatever reason people have a hard time reaching out to bereaved people, especially when a lost of a child is involved.
Years later when my wife wanted to give one of Maria's stuff animals to a relative's new born she was rebuffed. This new mom believed that accepting a stuff animal from a decease child might bring bad luck to her own family.
Let us not forget that some of the greatest works of art were created by those battling depression.
If we can learn anything about this big loss it is this: it is OK to cry when bad things happen. It is Ok to want to tell someone about your feelings and your struggle with depression because there is no shame in having this disease.It is also OK to admit you need help on a chemical level to help you cope. As a man it is Ok to let your guard down and experience the emotions of loss. Depression isn't any different than someone needing a hearing aid, artificial limb, or a wheelchair.
If we can learn anything from this tragedy it is that all of us are vulnerable to the effects of depression. If it happens we ought to acknowledge it and then seek help from a trusted friend or professional.
If we can learn anything from this tragedy it is that all of us are vulnerable to the effects of depression. If it happens we ought to acknowledge it and then seek help from a trusted friend or professional.
Thank you Robin for providing laughs for all of us and for leaving your mark on film so future generations can get to know you.
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