Nanoo nanoo Robin Williams

He must have been so tired.  He must have been under so much unwanted pressure.  He must have felt so burdened.

I’m talking about Robin Williams and his tragic death.  Death by suicide as was reported by the media and as a result splashed all over Facebook, the television and internet.

Robin Williams never made any secret of the fact he struggled with depression. 

With that comes a deep knowledge that everyone else is affected by it too.

Imagine the stress of that.  Depression affects family, social groups, the workplace, the economy, everything.  Those who are depressed are cognizant of this; of being surrounded by people watching, asking after them all of the time, being concerned and worrying incessantly.

It can become a burden.

Imagine the strain of that.

Every time Robin Williams was interviewed he was lauded as a genius, an amazing person, the funniest person alive, a force, inspired, and a brilliant artist, gifted. 

Maybe Robin Williams didn’t want to be all of those things.  Maybe he just wanted to be.

Every time he was interviewed it was mere minutes before he morphed into one of his characters.   He was never himself.  For long anyway.

Maybe he felt he couldn’t be.

Good Will Hunting saw him act in a state of unusual sobriety, a less manic, less crazed persona.  It was a different Robin Williams to the one we had become used to; the fireball of energy, unable to sit still and relax.

It must have been so tiring having to live up to his name all of the time.  Feeling like he had to prove himself to everyone, to always be the funny man, the life and soul of the party.

Robin Williams was also a husband, a father, a work colleague, a friend and last but not least, an actor.

It was said on social media he had reached an unbearable level of sadness and couldn’t deal with it anymore.

The opinion of one in thousands of people discussing his demise.

This is mine; I think Robin Williams was tired in the end.   Of it all.

RIP Robin Williams. 1951 - 2014