Simply Human

I've had the idea for this particular post in my head for quite some time now. I've been slowly gathering information for it but could never seem to find the right time to start writing. As with most of my posts, I never feel fully prepared or organized and so I end up waiting. Stupid, I know. This time, there has been an event that has pushed me to finally get started, and that is the untimely passing of Robin Williams. I hope that this wonderful, talented and beautiful man will somehow help guide me to write something worth saying.

No amount of money, fame, love or people surrounding you can take away the pain or difficulty of mental illness. Many of us look up to celebrities and say, "that's what I want" or "I want to be like them." What we need to realize is that we are only seeing the bits and pieces of them that they allow us to. There is so much below the surface that they are keeping to themselves, and it's not all pretty. 

Sometimes, whatever sort of illness that particular person is dealing with can be a catalyst that drives them to succeed. Obviously this isn't the case for everyone. Depression can paralyze some, while it can also drive others to look for something better or something outside of that sad, dark place. Sometimes they are able to find some little piece of happiness and sometimes it just reinforces the realization that it's an internal issue and nothing on the outside will fix it. It truly is a unique experience for each person, which makes it all that much harder to find help or to offer help. The real tragedy is when that overwhelming sadness forces these people to fight alone and not speak a word.

My goal with this particular post is to share with you some of the issues that celebrities that we look up to deal with. They are only human, after all. When I hear comments about how much money they have or how famous they are, it infuriates me. Why do people think that those things are cures to any ailment? All those things mean is that that talented individual was able to work towards a goal in spite of other issues they were dealing with. We all need to look deeper and think a little harder before we make comments like these.

I have a list of other celebrities and what they supposedly deal with. (I only say supposedly, because there's no way of me ever really knowing unless they have come out in the media themselves.) I had planned on including that in this post, but I think I will leave it out for now. I guess the main point I am trying to make is that no one really knows what is going on in someone's life. If they don't want you to know, they will go to all extremes to make sure they don't show it to you. There are some really special people who are able to see beyond all the bullshitting, but those people don't always know how to approach the situation. In the world of mental illness, nothing is pretty and everything is messy. Please be gentler with people and keep in mind that they may be dealing with something that you could never fathom. Just be good to one another. 

To you, Robin Williams:

While you were open with your past struggles and never shied away from sharing those parts of yourself,  there was obviously so much more that you were holding in. I hope you know how much joy and happiness you brought to others and I'm so, so sorry that you didn't feel as if you could stay with us any longer. I truly hope that your soul has found peace and that you are no longer in pain. You were a wonderfully talented man and I'm thankful that your work will continue on and will bring joy to others and myself as the years pass on. You will be forever missed.

1951 - 2014

"Genie, you're free."