I didn't know Robin Williams, but I watched enough of his movies and paid attention to his standup to get a feel for him as a comedian. Sheer brilliance. And so there was shock to learn of his passing, especially the way it went down. You just never really know what someone is going through. That fact was reinforced this morning as I drove my kids to school. As chaos ensued because of toys and blankets and music, none of the drivers around me were aware of what was going on in our van. You just never really know. It probably does us well to think about that and to treat others with a certain amount of grace and compassion when it comes to this life we are living together.
Robin Williams' movies were amazing in a lot of ways, but there seemed to be a common theme, especially in his comedic roles. His character always attempted to bring levity, humility, humor, and some would say grace in difficult situations. In Patch Adams, he played a medical professional dealing with the loss of life, staring that reality in the face day in and day out, he attempted to bring humor and humanity where there was none. In The Bird Cage, a family dealing with another family whose lifestyle is different from there own, he protrayed the father character with love and compassion for those who did not see life like he did. In Dead Poet's Society, he played a teacher facing persecution from an administration, trying to challenge young men to open up their minds and their hearts to the world around them, combatting the stiff rigidity of institutional academia. As the genie in Alladinn his humorous character helped a young man attempt to improve his lot in life. In Good Morning Vietnam, his radio disc jockey character brought humor in a time of violence and war, a dark day in our nation's history. And who could ever forget Mrs. Doubtfire, playing a the title character brilliantly in a story about a family breaking apart because of decisions and circumstances. These are the ones he is most known for to my generation. For me, his most endearing role was not found in a comedy, but rather in Good Will Hunting, playing a counselor, who though broken himself, attempts to walk with a young man battling his own demons. Still a bit of humor and grace came from this role as well. And in all these stories, these movies, though times were dark and bleak, his role was always one to bring light into those places through laughter and smiles.
And so there is a certain irony that exists. As we look upon our loss of such a bright and beautiful man who filled our homes and theaters with much laughter and joy, but was also a man who battled his own darkness. Many know of these things, depression and mental illness, and a variety of other things that ail us as humanity, others simply feel the effects as such. And so a man who spent his whole life making us smile and laugh in the end leaves us sad because he felt too alone to reach out for help from someone else.
So here's the thing. Somehow, someway, we must never forget that we are never, ever, ever alone. No matter what. We might not always be able to laugh, hell, we may not even be able to smile. But we must know that we are in this thing called life together, and all of us hurt. All of us. We are not alone.
May God rest Robin Williams' soul, and the soul of everyone who finds too much darkness in life to carry on, and may we, all of us, begin to be the people who offer hope, peace, love, and laughter to a hurting world.
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