Robin Williams committed suicide yesterday.
What an awful, ugly, disgusting statement. Not for the reasons you may think, either. It feels like in today's society, the act of suicide is such a taboo subject. It's an act unspeakable that rattles us to the core with feelings of anger, sadness, and regret for some. No one is willing to talk about what makes suicide such a disgraceful subject. Which, I find ironic, due to what I feel makes suicide so terrible:
We are the ones making it disgraceful.
Let's refer back to the initial statement. Robin Williams committed suicide yesterday. The terminology that we have been using to refer to suicide in itself makes it seem as the deceased is criminalized. Robin Williams did not die from suicide or was a victim of suicide. He committed it. Even the word commit from the dictionary states committing is the act of carrying out or perpetrating a mistake, crime, or immoral act. Suicide causes us to see less about the celebration of one's past life and focuses around the death of the individual. Not very often do we hear of the accomplishments or the positive aspects of a suicide victim's life. It's always how they died, how awful it is that they could commit such a selfish act, as if there was no issue to begin with. Let me make one thing clear:
There is always a reason behind taking your own life.
I am in no way here to advocate for suicide. Suicide is the most tragic of ways to lose your life. This is why it is such a tragedy to hear of Robin William's death. It limits what was left in the life of one of the most inspiring and incredible figures to have been born. So much joy and love and happiness spread throughout one lifetime. How could such a positive person take their lives and essentially give up? Well...that's what else bothers me about suicide as viewed by the public. Whether we acknowledge it or not, generally the public sees victims of suicide as a lost cause, severely mentally ill, depressed, even diseased. We wonder after the fact how someone could have ever felt like this and not have sought help. Yet, when we hear of those who claim they're depressed or having difficulty in their life, we scoff at these people. We tell them to get over themselves or cop out and say things will get better.
What hypocrisy.
What an obsolete and outdated way of viewing people with depression based on their characteristics. The fact of the matter is it doesn't matter how happy or cheerful or joyous any one victim of suicide is. What this all boils down to is that these people simply needed help. Needed someone, something, to keep them positive. When you are in such unimaginable pain for an extended time to the point where you must contemplate whether your existence is worth continuing or not, you're not necessarily thinking about all of the incredible things in your life. I'm in no way cleared to speculate why exactly Robin took his life. Is it shocking? Yes. Is it terrible news? Yes. Is it wrong?
Well, not quite.
Robin devoted his entire life to doing what he loved. Spreading laughter and happiness and being a source of inspiration for the masses. In the meantime, he was going through a severe stint of depression. Ultimately, that wound us up to where we are right now. There aren't any words that can be said to express the difficulty that he experienced, and consequently the difficulty we all must experience to mourn his and his family's loss, but also celebrate the person he was. Although circumstances did not play out in the greatest manner, this entire situation has taught us all something:
Care for everyone.
We won't know when our last day on Earth will be. We won't know when anyone's last day on Earth will be, really. Fate works in such strange ways that transform the impossible into the realm of possibility. What we all should be doing is celebrating that each and every day, we are one day further into this gift of life that has been so generously donated to us for us to experience. Situations like this remind us of the fragility of life, that not every day is guaranteed. But it is always up to you, to decide your fate. Why not choose life?
"No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world."
We'll miss you Robin.
