It was a sunshiny morning, a promise of a good day, but then, nothing could have prepared me with the breaking news that came this day.
Part 1
7:30am – As I sat on my office space and sip my morning coffee, I got an unusual text message from an old friend asking how our common friend is doing. I was surprised with the message but I already know where it was leading to so I immediately read the news online and true enough, my friend’s father was arrested.
Part 2
As I was already online, I went to my usual habit of checking Facebook updates and once again, I was shaken… Robin Williams died at 63.
Part 3
The outcome of the morning meeting that I attended was frustrating, to say the least, as all our concerns fell on deaf ears. At the beginning of this year, I was told to kill my emotions when it comes to work and fortunately, I followed that advice because all the frustrations at work couldn’t make me care less anymore.
Reading the news brought mixed emotions. Oftentimes, people from the media can’t take their biases out of the story, or worse, issues blown out of proportion just to deliver ‘an interesting story’ even if it’s far from reality. Objectivity should be the name of the game when delivering the news – no drama, no bullshit – just the real thing.
Indeed, it has been one heck of a day and the death of Robin Williams was what affected me the most. It was truly heartbreaking to think that someone who brought so much inspiration and laughter in this world, decided to leave that same world in pain and suffering. That after 6 decades of touching people’s lives, of effecting change and positive influence, nothing or no one seemed to be enough to make him hold on to dear life.
Depression is indeed a disease.
When fame and fortune are no longer enough to satisfy the beast inside you, where or to whom do you turn to? How do you deal with pain and loneliness? Where do you go when all around you does not make sense anymore? Does anyone really have the answers?
Every single damn day, you strive to find a deeper meaning of life, to serve your life’s purpose but nothing will ever be enough. You either give up or die trying.
“You must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all.” – John Keating (Dead Poets Society, 1989)
Date written: August 12, 2014