RIP Robin Williams

[Davetello]

Originally Posted by Leo656

On the flip side, I guess it's just like how poor people can't imagine anyone who was rich or famous as being depressed or suicidal, because from that frame of reference, if you're rich and famous "You officially have no problems". I'm guilty of making that kind of statement, I confess. It's not true, though; people at all ends of the spectrum end up depressed, and there's no amount of money that can make that go away.

Something which perplexes me is when people say that athletes shouldn't be depressed because of the money they earn. I find it utterly laughable. Sure, some of these people are pretty spoiled by the money they have, but that doesn't mean they don't have the same feelings everyone else does. Having lots of money doesn't change someone psychologically (at least not to any significant extent), and I really question if anyone who thinks so has any basic grasp of what the real world is like.

"The fans give him dogs abuse in the stadium, but he can handle it, he's on 100k a week ffs!". As if earning a fortune somehow makes it easier to be humiliated by 60000 people in front of an international television audience.

These people simply show how materialistic they are - they believe that money is the be-all-and-end-all of happiness, which is one of the biggest myths in our society.

[BubblyShell22]

Yes, exactly. You can have everything in the world, but not everyone is happy with their lot in life. We live in a world where people think money can solve all the problems and as long as you have that, nothing can go wrong. It's a sad state of affairs that people don't seem to realize just how low we've fallen as a society when we glorify people like Kim Kardashian who has done nothing to contribute to society except being on a reality show while people who work hard for what they want get no recognition or praise. Our economy is on a downward spiral and will stay that way for a long time, yet people judge others for living at home with their parents when there really isn't much choice in the matter. Instead of looking at the bigger picture, people tend to judge others without really knowing what the situation is, and I think that's the case with Robin Williams.

And I agree with you, Leo, that it does take a certain amount of bravery to just end it all even if you don't want to. I'm sure Robin struggled with this for a long time, and even though people may not want to believe it, I'm sure it hurt him to feel this way and to leave his family, but he felt he couldn't take it anymore. I don't think anyone who commits suicide is necessarily selfish or a coward because none of us know what goes through the mind of that person and how they really feel about life or what's going on in their lives. The best thing we as a society can do is stop judging others until we know the facts.

[pennydreadful]

Good posts everyone. I think, as y'all have said, it comes down to empathy. It doesn't cost anything to show some kindness and understanding. We're all people, and I think if everyone let their guards down, we'd all realize that those of us who feel the most "outside" of things aren't as alone as we think. And smiling at someone as you walk by or being nice to someone for five seconds can mean a hell of a lot more to a person than you think. It really can make all the difference.

The sad part is that people who deal with depression are usually the people with the biggest hearts - they care about things more and because of that, they're hurt more easily. Lord knows I wish I didn't wear my heart on my sleeve so much, that I could just be impersonal and not give a damn about things. Because if I wasn't such a freaking schmuck, I definitely wouldn't have been screwed over and hurt as much in my life as I have been.

I dunno, maybe I'm just talking out of my ass here. I just wish people took the time to be a bit kinder to each other. It sucks that life has to be like this, that people have to be so douchey. I know it's not exactly a new thing, I guess I just don't understand why. Sometimes the world just seems like a very vast and very lonely place, and I'm never going to understand it.

[Storm Eagle]

Originally Posted by Leo656

I can't speak for everyone, obviously, but I've seen a lot of it in my own family. There are a few who kind of got a good start on life, had everything kind of easy, and ended up making lots of money to the point where they never struggled or wanted for anything, and I guess if it all comes that easy to you you just can't understand why it doesn't work that way for everyone. My cousin is like that, and make no mistake, he worked his ass off for everything he has and he deserves it, but he took a huge risk in changing careers at one point to start his own business and it happened to pay off huge for him. He gambled his wife and kids' futures on a whim, uprooted them to a different state and didn't have an exit strategy if things didn't pan out; they just as easily could have lost everything, which is statistically what happens far more often. But as it goes, it all turned out perfectly and they all made out just fine, and I'm glad for them. But, the drawback is, whenever they talk about less fortunate people, they always come off like if everyone took the exact same path he/they did, everyone would be successful and happy. They're also pretty religious, and use their success as "proof" that God exists and will reward you with everything you want if only you work for it. They genuinely can't understand how people struggle and fail, and it makes them hard to talk to even though they are fundamentally good people. They want people to do well, but they literally think there's a road map to success and happiness, and if you don't have it, you don't deserve it for one reason or another.

Hey, I'm a Christian and I believe in God, and my life hasn't been anywhere close to perfect. So I guess that's why I can understand why it's hard for other people to believe.

[Jephael]

Originally Posted by Xav

Twitter is looking to rethink it's harassment policies after Zelda Williams was driven off the site.
http://vulcanpost.com/17219/twitter-...elda-williams/

Originally Posted by ObiWanFan4life

Man, some people are, pardon my french, dicks.

That's putting it mildly. Why would anyone treat another human being that way after such a tragedy?

[BubblyShell22]

I watched Ellen today and she had a short tribute to Robin Williams at the end of the show. It was very touching and sad.

[TheCanadiandrome]

i watched a PBS broadcast called "Pioneers of Television: Remembering Robin Williams" and it was very well done. brought tears to my eyes!

[fridaynightdestination]

The only films by him I have seen by him are RV and Jumanji, but I'm a huge fan of the movie Jumanji, watching it was a huge part of my childhood, seen it a million times, so this news is still pretty sad to me.