Dear friends, watchers and visitors,

every now and then things happen that shake our beliefs, shock us to the core and make us question our very principles.

As you may have heard by now, famed actor Robin Williams is no longer with us. Under normal circumstances I am not one to post a tribute for someone on the internet, much less for someone whom I've never met... But today I make an exception.

"You look at the world and see how scary it can be sometimes and still try to deal with the fear. Comedy can deal with the fear and still not paralyze you or tell you that it's going away. You say, OK, you got certain choices here, you can laugh at them and then once you've laughed at them and you have expunged the demon, now you can deal with them. That's what I do when I do my act."

Robin Williams

Patch by PhotoshopIsMyKung-Fu 

Mr. Williams will undoubtedly remembered for his many roles in comedy movies. However, the characters he portrayed were usually just as tragic as they were funny; as sad as they were optimistic. This holds true for many characters in many films, but what was special about his characters?
He provided each of them with a piece of himself. This is what made his characters and their emotions real, genuine and loveable.


I can not recall the countless times I watched "Mrs. Doubtfire", and there are many other of his films I love to this day. The role of his that had the most impact on my life, however, was that of English teacher Mr. Keating in "Dead Poets Soeciety".

O Captain, My Captain by bbandittt 

Back in my final year of high school, our German teacher had every one of us write a thorough research paper. Every one of us got a different assignment, and I think it's safe to say that everyone was happy with their assignment! Yes, he knew us that well.
We had watched excerpts of the film in class before, and our great teacher undoubtedly had noticed my interest in it. As a consequence, I had to write my research paper on "Dead Poets Society".

Needless to say, I watched the film back and forth, analyzing various aspects according to my assignment. But there was something else that I noticed: Mr. Keating, as portrayed by Robin Williams, was a firm believer in independent thought. He wasn't merely interested in teaching his students about poetry. It was his way of getting them to start thinking freely, independently, without the shackles of conservatism or dogmata. And it struck a cord with me, especially since he reminded me of my own teacher.

This film, as well as the role Robin Williams played in it, was one of few things that really changed my life and shaped me into who I am today, and there is no amount of words that could properly express my gratitude for his part in it, except maybe this:

You will be missed.

O Captain, my Captain by Fred-Patiences 

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The devil inside your head

Without wanting to discuss any of the circumstances in detail, it appears that Robin Williams ended his own life.

However, I am strongly opposed to thinking of it as typical suicide. The word itself implies that it is something that you do out of your own free will. As anyone suffering from depression can attest to, this is clearly not the case.

Depression is a vicious illness. It attacks and changes us right where we make our decisions, where we think and feel - in our mind. It is a devil that constantly whispers the things in your ear that you fear the most. It feeds on our innate fears and amplifies then; it is a devil that doesn't even bother to disguise itself, that's just how powerful it is.

What I wish for, from the bottom of my heart, is a world where everyone - healthy people as well as victims of depression themselves - listen to those suffering from it, offering a helping hand (even though little can be done it often goes a long way) and an open ear, and doing whatever they can to support them. Maybe, just maybe, the tragic death of a human being who is not just famous, but also beloved by people all over the world, that was caused by this vicious disease is something that shakes up people enough to start rethinking and reconsidering their attitude towards victims of depression.


In my life I have met people who are - or have been - suffering from depression. Moreover, even right now there are people I am close to, people I deeply care about who suffer from it as well, and it eats me up from the inside seeing their suffering, and knowing that there is very little I can do about it. And lastly, I am a victim of depression myself.


So please, if you are lucky enough not to be affected by this illness - neither yourself nor someone you are close to - consider stepping back a moment to think about it. What do you know about it? How do you think of people who are suffering from depression? And how do you view anyone taking their own life as a consequence?

If you are more interested in the matter, please take a moment to view this journal as well - and spread the word:
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Until next time, my friends. May you always find yourself in good spirit, good health and good company!