It still boggles the minds of many people to think that comedians have a rough life when it comes to depression since the passing of Robin Williams and the realization that Bill Murray wasn’t always as funny as he’s been over the years still comes as a shock to many. But the truth is that if anyone is really paying attention, they’ll note that comedy from a very dark place at times, and some of the most famous comedians in the world aren’t always the shiny, happy go lucky people that they appear to be. Hearing Bill Murray’s story and realizing that he was ready at one point to simply float along the river after ending it all is kind of depressing, but hearing that a painting kept him from killing himself is kind of surprising. Apparently, he’d completed one of the worst comedy sets of his life and was contemplating drowning when instead he decided to visit the Art Institute of Chicago, where he saw a picture titled The Song of the Lark, which ended up turning him around making him realize that he could do anything if he just kept trying. Decades later here we are, enjoying just about everything Mr. Murray has given us, and thinking that without him in the picture, things would have been very different.
Learning that someone is dealing with depression often comes as a surprise for a lot of people since there are plenty of folks in the world that are adept at hiding such feelings and that don’t seek help when they need it. But to think that Murray might have ended it that night and not given the people as much as he’s been giving for so long isn’t just tragic, it’s bound to make a lot of people feel that a huge bullet was dodged since the need for comedy has been more than apparent over the years and Murray has been one of those leading the way at times and simply off doing his own thing at other times. A lot of people probably wouldn’t even think that he was once the type to contemplate suicide since the guy has been popular for so long that thinking that he would even consider ending it all is too confusing for some folks. But without meaning to offend anyone, the fact that Robin Williams lost his own battle with depression is proof that people can be fighting an internal battle that others know little to nothing about, and for Bill Murray, that fight was almost lost at one point as he figured that it was better to just check out than to keep moving. One has to wonder what the difference is between those that contemplate suicide and those that find the strength to keep going, but an explanation on this is hard to find since out of the thousands of articles that have to do with suicide, what to watch for, how to handle it, and so on and so forth, very few ever touch upon the reasons why more people don’t become suicidal.
Perhaps the thought is that there’s no need to emphasize why people DON’T attempt suicide, as some folks might actually think that such an article would be an attack or a chance to shame those that turn suicidal and even attempt to set people that don’t attempt suicide on a pedestal. In truth, the fact that many people who experience troubles in life, work, and in other areas don’t contemplate suicide is kind of interesting when one really thinks about it, since it would indicate that there might be a chemical imbalance, a different type of strength of will that some folks have, or something that is lacking in those that seek to take their own lives. It’s no offense to state the differences between those that contemplate suicide and those that do not. The lack of discussion over it, and what can be done to help those that somehow lack the necessary strength that is needed to avoid ending it all is something that feels as though it needs to be addressed. There’s no attempt to shame, no attempt to ‘fix’ people, and no need to make them feel lesser in any way, but there is a desire to figure out what’s there, or what’s not there when it comes to people deciding to end it all over one thing or another. That’s the biggest horror of suicide, the fact that the trigger that sets people to commit this act could be anything that carries importance of some sort to them, but is fairly inconsequential to anyone else.
At this time it’s simply a good idea to be grateful that Bill found a reason to keep moving forward, no matter what it was. But to be fair, the power of art is obviously something that can’t be discounted.
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