Robin Williams did NOT die of suicide, and art is sh*t

This entry is one that I wish I wouldn't have needed to write, but I feel that I have the obligation to write it, for many reasons. It's been 1 week since the death of my idol, hero and life-changer, the actor-comedian Robin Williams. He committed suicide, and many have tweeted (especially the religious ones) that he had a choice to end his life, unlike those who died of accidents or illness. The word “suicide” gives many people the impression that “it was his own decision,” or “he chose to die, whereas most people with cancer fight to live.” And, because Depression is still such a misunderstood condition, you can hardly blame people for not really understanding. Just a quick search on Twitter will show how many people have little sympathy for those who commit suicide. .............................................................................................................................................. You know I suffer from Asperger Syndrome. It comes with many "side effects" : feeling lonely in the crowds, strange reactions & feelings to the situation around us, need of isolation, inability to communicate or socialize ... and depression. So, I identify very well what Mr. Williams went through, although his was 10 or even 100 times worse than mine (at the moment anyway). Depression is not a choice of lifestyle. You can’t just “cheer up” with depression, just as you can’t choose not to have cancer. When someone commits suicide as a result of Depression, they die from Depression – an illness that kills millions each year. It is hard to know exactly how many people actually die from Depression each year because the figures and statistics only seem to show how many people die from “suicide” each year (and you don’t necessarily have to suffer Depression to commit suicide, it’s usually just implied). I feel the need to clarify the stigmas that continue to surround it. Perhaps Depression might lose some its “it was his own fault” stigma, if we start focusing on the illness, rather than the symptom. Robin Williams didn’t die from suicide. He died from Depression. It wasn’t his choice to suffer that. And it has to do with "art". Eh? Well, let me tell you about it. .............................................................................................................................................. I consider "art" as our vomit, or our sh*t. Yes, it can be THAT disgusting. We create art because it's something inside us that needs to go out of our body, or our system, otherwise it becomes poison for us. That's why sometimes we can't stand listening to our own music, or see our own paintings. The most beautiful works of art so often were born out of pain and sufferings. And that's why, if you wonder why artists sometimes can be such complex people, we have the necessity to "create art", unlike some "healthy people" who can be happy in life without doing it. It's a way to create balance in us. And I wish more people would understand this: creating art doesn't necessarily means that the artist has so much time and "feel like" doing something, Producing art is not a pastime like filling up crossword puzzles. And sometimes, getting that "art" out of our system is still not enough. I do believe that when we who are gifted with creativity, something is also taken away from us. It is the nature's (or God's, if I may guess) way to create balance. And that's why I think you should be happy if you don't have the necessity to create. Coz you're balanced already. .............................................................................................................................................. Anyway, back to Robin Williams, I am deeply grateful for his role as Professor John Keating in the film "Dead Poets' Society". So sad that RW died the way Neil died in this film. Prof. Keating reminded me the meaning of life: coz we're creatures of human race and we have love. Dead Poets Society has changed my life. I identify so closely with Todd Anderson (played by Ethan Hawke) in that film. He transformed me from that kind of boy I was: afraid, confused and insecure to face the world, but Keating has reminded us, through Walt Whitman's poem, that "we can contribute a verse". And oh my, what a verse that Mr. Williams has contributed to us! Requiescat in Pace, Robin Williams. You have changed the life of at least a boy who was afraid to face his own choice for his life.