Like everyone else around me, my social media news feed has been flooded with photos of the late Robin Williams for over 12 hours. Each picture posted came with words expressing the joy that Robin Williams brought to the lives of his fans, quoting their favorite quotes from the legend, and reliving moments in their life that Robin William’s played a part of through his films. With over 5,000 #robinwilliamsrip and over 319,000 #riprobinwilliams post on Instagram, and counting, it is fair to say he was loved by many, respected by all, and will be missed tremendously. So with that much love for one person it came to me as a real shocker that he died of suicide, Robin Williams was battling depression…and it hurts that much more because maybe it could have been prevented. It hurts to think that with all the love around him he felt lonely, sad, and so much that he could not bear to see another day. However, we only knew what the media showed us, we did not know what was going on behind closed doors, we were not witnessing the battle with drugs…we did not know!
It makes me think about those around me, from family to strangers…everyone has feelings, everyone has a story, everyone is going through something and it is our responsibility as humans to take care of each other. Smile just because a little more, say hello to people you catch eye contact with, ask someone how they are and actually listen. There are so many instances where I’ve said hello to someone at work in passing and I did not even get a smile back, why? There are times where I call a business and say “hello, how are you?” and the response is “who are you looking for?”…it is mind boggling that people either do not know how to reciprocate simple kindness or just do not care to. Unfortunately, due to social media our generation is forgetting how to have a real relationship and it is sad to think the generation after us might never know how to. So many of us are chatter boxes online, liking every picture with a follow up comment, in the mix of all the twitter debates, but then face to face we do not even say hello or engage in conversation. We get our news and updates on Facebook, hell we can even send gifts via Facebook! We are like nosey neighbors with our family and friends, we know all of their business but not because we asked but because we saw or heard. What would the world be like if we took the time out to talk to people, listen to people, understand people and make them feel like they matter, like you care? I am not suggesting become the town therapist but become a friend, be kind, get to know those around you. Try a random act of kindness, it really is contagious and can make a world of a difference in someone’s day. We have the power to be the reason behind someone saying “Wow, there really are good people in this world!”. Take a minute to think about someone other than yourself, remember you have no idea what someone is feeling or going through…asking someone “how are you?” and listening might save a life. To think one of the funniest men in the world could not crack a joke to snap himself out of it, or buy something with his millions to make him “feel better”…depression is an illness. No amount of money or fame can cure depression, maybe he needed more than a simple “hello” but a simple “hello” might be the starting point of saving another life. Spread love, be kind!