Today, the entertainment world has lost a legend; and that’s not a word I use lightly.  The comic genius that was Robin Williams has left our world, apparently by his own hand.  In this moment, I also honour and acknowledge all of the other people who have transitioned from our world today.

Much will be made of Robin’s passing because he had an impact on millions of live across the globe.  My first memories of him were in Mork & Mindy and how I loved that show.  Of course he went on to do so much more in terms of entertaining us – Dead Poet’s Society, Patch Adams, Good Morning Vietnam, Mrs Doubtfire…just to name but a few.

The great tragedy in this situation is that so many people will have looked at his life and wished they had that for themselves; believing that Robin had it all.  We see things how we want to see them and this is why we need to resist our programming to judge others – either positively or negatively.  The truth was that he had lived with depression for most of his life and as a child he had been extremely shy. 

I remember reading a biography of him a number of years ago and there are two quotes in this that really stand out for me :
“I want people to like me.  I hate myself for that.”
“I was always the new kid in the neigbourhood.  And since I was suffering from a case of the terminal shy I couldn’t make friends that easily, and I always spent a lot of time in my room and I created my own little world full of all these little characters that had strange and unusual qualities.  After a while, I realised that people found these characters funny and outrageous, and then it got to the point where I realised the characters could say and do things I was afraid to do. And after a while, here I am.”

While there is a part of me that is thankful for the turn of events that lead to him being the comic genius we knew, a part of me feels so desperately sad for him that he was so disconnected with his sense of self and so needing of other people liking him that it lead to the path of self destruction.  And then another part of me is just accepting that this was his soul journey in this lifetime and these were the lessons he sought to learn.

The nature of entertainment fame can be the most rewarding and the most soul destroying industry for the person whose happiness is reliant upon the approval of others.  And we all play a part in perpetuating this situation.  I wonder how many people truly knew the real Robin Williams…  I wonder who Robin Williams let see the real Robin Williams…  I wonder if Robin Williams knew the real Robin Williams…

True peace comes when we are connected to ourselves and when we unconditionally love and accept our perfectly flawed selves.  And peace also comes from connection to others who get us, who love and accept us unconditionally, who want to be in our worlds because of who we are as individuals.

The loss of any life is heartbreaking for those who knew and loved the person who has died.  And this is no different with Robin Williams, it’s just that there’s a few more of us across the globe who loved him.  Robin, thank you for the gift that you were to so many of us.  I truly hope that your soul will now know the peace and unconditional love you so desperately craved.  You were loved.

Today, take the time to communicate with those who are precious in your world and let them know just how much they mean to you; how they are unconditionally loved and valued; how important is their presence in your life.  And if you are the one struggling, please reach out for assistance.  There is someone who cares about you, you just may not be aware.  You are precious.

With love, Sharon