Life

I haven't blogged about anything in a while, and thought I'd take a few minutes this evening to just jot down some things on my mind.  I know that with the death of Robin Williams yesterday, my mind immediately goes to depression.  In November 2011, following the death of Don Harmon, I blogged about depression and had an overwhelming response of messages.  I was amazed at how many people actually read the blog, but more amazed at some of the things that people shared with me.

Even though it has been almost 3 years since I wrote that blogged, I don't think the message can ever be overstated in regard to mental illness.  For some reason, especially in the United States, we look at people with a mental illness, such as depression,  as people who must be sad, had something bad happen in their life, or are just simply "broken in the head".  That is the farthest thing from being accurate.  We are so quick to judge people about something we don't have a true knowledge of.  Just a few days ago when Tony Stewart was involved in an incident on the race track, immediately people began stating that this happened or that happened, and did so with no knowledge of all the events of that incident.  I don't follow racing, but I was so amazed at how quick people were to jump to conclusion and to try and state what was going on in Tony Stewart's mind at the time it occurred.  The only person who knows what was going on in Tony Stewart's mind is Tony Stewart.

People who have never experienced a mental illness jump to conclusions about those who have, and have no idea of what is going on in that person's mind.  Robin Williams was a person who seemed to have everything that anyone could want.  He had fame, fortune, fans, family, absolutely everything that we all think should make us happy in life.  And in all reality they should.  But happiness goes well beyond physical and tangible things.  To see him on the screen or doing an interview, you would think he must be the happiest guy in the world.  He gets paid huge amounts of money to simply make people laugh, and he's great at what he does, what more is there.  Obviously there is much more.

On the inside, Robin Williams was fighting battles that none of us know about.  I realize many will say that his problem was alcohol and drugs, and I'm sure that at certain times in his life, that was his problem, but he was battling more than what met the eye.  He was battling with mental illness.  I don't care who you are, how much money you have, how many friends you have, mental illness is just like any other illness, anyone can have it.  Cancer, flu, a cold, diabetes, these are all things that any single one of us on this planet can get, regardless of all the things we do to keep from getting the disease.  Mental illness is that way.  It's not something that you bring on yourself, something you go and try to contract, it just sets in and you've got it. 

Those who have never battled mental illness can not truly understand what the feeling is like.  When you battle with this disease, your perception of life in general is so very skewed, and you don't see things like the rest of the world does.  I wondered in my mind Sunday night/Monday morning, what must have been going through Robin Williams mind.  How sad, depressed, alone, and unloved he must have felt.  How can it seem so bad that taking your own life is the only way you feel that you can relieve yourself of the hurt and pain that you're feeling.  It's hard to understand how anyone, let alone someone who has everything that money can buy, can feel that terrible about life and the future, but many, many people who battle with mental illness have felt that way.

Soon after his death was announced, everyone started chiming in about why he did it, how he brought it on himself with the lifestyle that he lived, how he doomed his soul to hell by taking his own life, and the fact of the matter is, none of us are, or should, qualified to even remotely discuss those things.  He made bad choices in his life, so have I.  On the outside he seemed just fine, so do multitudes who battle with this disease.  He had everything, we all have much more than we deserve.  What not a single one of us can see is what was truly going on in his mind. 

After all that rambling, I guess I'm just going back to the statement I made almost 3 years ago.  We all need each other.  We all need to feel loved.  We all have our struggles and things we battle with, all of us.  So, instead of us judging each other, why not reach out to be there for people.  When you see someone that's down, give em a hug, send them a card, give em a call, let them know they aren't alone.  Let them know that people do care.  Let them know that there is help out there, and help them find it!  Quit the judging and condemning and start loving.

I want to go back to one thing, and that's the religious aspect of suicide.  I have never attended a bible college in my life, and make absolutely no claim to knowing much about the Bible, other than what God has shown me.  I know that many in the Christian world, which I have seen post about it already, will say that suicide is a one way ticket to hell.  And they may be absolutely right, but none of us are in a position to judge, or even try and determine, where someone will spend eternity.  I think about the very day that Jesus was being crucified on the cross for all the sin of mankind.  On either side of him were two thieves.  They were both convicted criminals and were paying the price for breaking the law.  One looked over to Jesus and said, if you really are who you say you are, you'd bring yourself off that cross.  On the other side of Jesus, the thief, who was as guilty as the other one, looks to Jesus and says, you truly are the Son of God.  Jesus didn't look at him and say, well, it's to late, you're out of luck.  Jesus did what Jesus always did, he looked at that man with compassion and said, today you'll be with me in paradise.  At that moment, Jesus wasn't looking at a thief, He was looking at a lost and hurting soul that needed help and hope.  I don't know what went on between God and Robin Williams in those hours before he died.  I don't know that Robin Williams even believed in God.  But, I do know that God loved Robin Williams.  And I know that if the blood of Jesus atoned for the sin of a dying thief, I know that the blood of Jesus can atone for the sin of anyone, at anytime, who calls on His name.  If we want to show the love of Christ to people who are hurting, we need to do what Jesus did, and have compassion on hurting souls.

If you're battling a mental illness, get help, it's out there!  Reach out for someone, and I have faith in humanity, in spite of all of our differences and disagreements, I know that someone will be there to help you!