This morning we heard about the death of Robin Williams – an apparent suicide. How tragic! How sad. And what a huge loss to the world! The man was so very talented, so versatile, so very quick. I admired him greatly. His death will leave behind an emptiness, a loss that goes beyond the death of merely “one more actor,” and a talent that perhaps should have received greater recognition that it did.
There is, however, a looming shadow, a greater horror, that casts an overpowering pall over all humanity that is even more tragic. It is the devastation that depression leaves in its wake. It is the horror that depression wreaks upon individuals, and ultimately upon their families when it has become an unbearable burden with which to live.
As with many who experience hard times and are forced to utilize welfare, who then are unable to climb out of the deep holes that have been dug, so too, depression worsens. One moves from sadness, to hopelessness, to not caring. Soon, the world becomes so overwhelming that no longer can they see its value, or their own, and they take their own lives.
I don’t think I can comprehend just how devastating a state that must be. Having experienced only mild depression, I never want it to become worse. I have also seen what such a tragic death does to families. Sudden death by natural causes leaves enough devastation in its wake! Too often, sadly, families and friends have absolutely no idea what their loved one has been experiencing. It is difficult to understand what makes a person feels so alone or unwanted.
My heart goes out to the family and close friends of Robin Williams, as it does to families and loved ones of suicide victims everywhere. I pray, too, that the loving God in whom I believe, is holding each of those victims in His all-encompassing arms, understanding whatever reason life became too much for them. May they all finally know a lasting peace they were unable to find while they were alive.
The Prisoner's Prayer Book 