We didn’t deserve Robin Williams.
I was in a deep dark place, his standups were the only thing that pulled me out of the void. Exceptional human, the only celebrity loss I felt personally.
Yeah. It sucks that he is gone. His comedy was awesome, but he was equally good at being serious when he had something to say on or off the screen.
In hindsight, it must have been lonely for him. He was one of a kind and I often wondered where he went for true companionship or even mentorship. For me, anyway, there are very few people that I would consider equals. (No, I am not referencing myself as superior to anyone else. It’s like how Jerry found companionship with Doofus Rick in Rick and Morty. Just someone… equal.)
Being a celebrity probably seriously limited how he could interact with people, I suppose.
As I’ve progressed and gotten more and more specialized in my field, I may not have anyone else “ahead” of me anymore, but there are still plenty of other people that have specialized in different ways, both in my field more generally, in their own niche, and outside the field entirely. I think so long as you engage with people who keep learning and specializing, people who have empathy and can show understanding, you’re never really short of peers. You’d be surprised at how others’ experience, even in radically different fields, can shape new insights and cause you to grow as a professional and a person. Breadth of knowledge gives you more tools to solve problems creatively.
Robin had been in deep dark places before. Brought himself out of a cocaine addition and was constantly battling depression, which turned much worse and was ultimately what killed him. His death even prompted Wayne Brady to talk about his own depression.
I dare say most comedians battle their own depression, and picked that career choice because being happy and spreading that happiness is an important goal of theirs.
