Robin Williams
8/17/14 – RW
There is so much I want to say, I don’t know where to begin. There has been a lot of backlash in the news and media concerning my death, and it is so difficult for me to talk about all of this but things need to be addressed. What happened to me is part of the bigger culture of celebrity, and it is ill. I am not the first one to cross by suicide, and it is well known that overdoses, whether intentional or accidental, are almost the “norm” in Hollywood.
There is a reason for all of this, and that is what I want to address. We have a dangerous obsession with celebrity in this society, and it is to the detriment of nearly all who choose this path. Depression and anxiety occur because of the immense pressure we are under to live up to society’s standards of nearly inhuman perfection. One slip and we’re destroyed by words, press, gossip. We are not allowed to be human in this world, and until this changes, the deaths will not stop. Drugs are an easy way out, a temporary escape from the stress and fear we live under about screwing up, just once, in the eyes of the public. Drugs ease the pressure, help us cope, help us get through one more day.
I know these words will not be met with open hearts by many because in your eyes, we have money and fame, and are living the dream – so who are we to complain. It is so much more complicated than that. Yes, we chose to become famous in this life to learn some deeper lessons, that is true. Yes, there are soul contracts we have in place which were necessary for us to address some of the deeper issues we bring from other lives. I am not saying we signed up for this without knowing how it would end. We did. We all do.
My message is that the culture at large needs to change how they see “celebrity” and fame. It is a sickness in this society that famous people are worshipped and placed on impossibly high pedestals and then when one crack appears, that pedestal is smashed to the ground with sledgehammers, gleefully. The public enjoys tearing down what they have built up, when it no longer interests them or when human traits escape from the famous “untouchables”. This must change.
It is no coincidence that so many of us have crossed early in the last few decades – the pressure was too much, and many of us decided to exit because we could not take it. No one can live up to impossible standards of perfection that the media and society place on the famous in this culture. It is unhealthy, it is dangerous, and it leads to dire consequences. I am just one story. There are many more of us who wish to speak about this, who wish to try to make a difference for future generations.
Humanity must change its view of celebrity and fame if we are going to evolve as a species. On a soul level we are all One, we are all of love. We are all the same. There are no pedestals, no hierarchies, no power differences. No one is any better or any worse than anyone else. We are all here to learn our lessons and evolve and grow, and the culture of fame is just a part of that greater lesson that we are here to master.
There is so much judgment, without any understanding. People seem to think that because we are rich and famous we don’t need compassion and understanding, that somehow we are exempt from the treatment “regular folks” deserve. It is time to realize that everyone is human, and everyone has their dark days. We wouldn’t be here trying to learn our lessons if there wasn’t darkness to overcome.
I want to end with a call for compassion, for love, for understanding, and for empathy. We are just like you. We are you. We are human, and this madness has to stop. For all our sakes.
