I'm sure the news has now spread around the world, except where there is fighting, that Robin Williams took his own life and has passed away.
He was only 63, and had been suffering from depression for a long time, as a matter of fact he could be the poster boy for those suffering from acute depression.
It's very sad that such a brilliant and funny man could be so depressed about whatever factors that troubled him in life.
They say that it's not a condition but a disease. I will accept that.
But I have to say that in many ways I don't fully understand it, unless it is something that is neurological or that it is something chemical with in one's body in which an overwhelming sadness blinds a person to the point where only ending your life seems like the only solution.
I myself as well as my family members have been struck with depression, the horrible murder of my eldest brother, which took much of the light out of our lives, but some how we managed to persevere and took what he taught us to a higher course.
My father fought in World War II and saw so much horrible death and destruction, how it weighed heavy on his mind and heart and yet some how with the support of my Mother, his wife and his own Mother and later my sister and I we helped him cope with it.
But my Mother and her Mother I feel suffered the most, first the two deaths of my Mother's older sisters, in the 1930's when there was no cure for many diseases or any surgical procedures for heart surgery, both of them beautiful, young, talented, then the death of her favorite Uncle his chest crushed by heavy equipment, then the death of Grandpa, and then Grandma, followed by the death of Mom's brother due to incurable cancer and then my brother, and I seeing burned to death my best friend and much later the death of a dear friend from AIDS.
When Mom was well advanced in age long after the death of our Dad I asked Mom "What keeps you going? I would have rolled over and given up." She replied "Take me to church" and I did it was open for evening mass and we went into a anteroom where there were statues of several Saints and one of the Pieta, Mom pointed to that statue and said "If she had to endure it, so can I, she gives me strength. I had to remind your father of that when he came home from the war, there is always suffering, we all have our peaks and valley's, when it is really bad for me, late at night I say the Rosary, and then I finish with the 23rd Psalm. There are those who have a hard time enduring anything, I don't know why, but my Faith has helped me."
I took what she said to heart, but I do know that there are those who no matter what cannot get past that valley, chronic or clinical depression needs to be looked at more deeply, it is obvious if a talented man like Robin Williams could not overcome it, some thing is wrong.
I wonder if Robin Williams was Joseph Grimaldi re-incarnated. Joseph Grimaldi was a clown, on several levels, he was a physical clown much like what you see in circus's, slap-stick, as well as a verbal comedian, circus clowns are called Joey's in honor of Grimaldi.
There is a story and it is believed to be true that a doctor who was know to be a specialist in mental conditions as well as physical saw a man who was the saddest man he'd ever seen, he checked the man physically and determined that there was nothing wrong with him. So he told the man "there is nothing wrong with you, you need to laugh and find humor in things, what you need to do is go and see Joseph Grimaldi, he is the funniest man in the world, go and see him to make you laugh."
The sad man said to the Doctor "But Doctor I am Grimaldi." So it is possible that Grimaldi also suffered from chronic depression and yet he worked to make people laugh.
This theme was carried out in the Opera "I Paligachi" (sp) in the aria sung by the tenor he sings "Laugh Clown, though it's breaking your heart"
What broke Robin Williams heart I don't think we'll ever know. He's left this world a little sadder by his leaving, so we need to look at his body of work to make us laugh all over again.
Now about Doyle-----We saw his regular Doctor today and there is the possibility that although the antibiotics have done their work, there is still a small sort of cyst that appears to contain pus from the infection, we'll know more when we see the Urologist at the end of this week, but Doyle may have to have a needle inserted to drain it to finally get Doyle over the last little hump, we'll know more in a few days.
Of course when Doyle was told the possibility of this he seriously winced and later said to me "Now I know for sure I've should have kicked that guy in the nuts. Next time I will." Yes my Bogart tough guy, next time go for it.
Right now I have lasagna baking in the oven, with lots of ricotta cheese, a good red wine, and a tossed salad with a wine vinaigrette dressing. I'm not sure about dessert, but I think chilled peaches will do and Sis bought some orange sherbet last night so I will top them with that. To be followed by a Pink Panther movie, yes some comedy is now in order.
Later Darklings
