I’ve been trying to figure out why the passing of Robin Williams, an actor and comedian, has impacted me so deeply.   There have been many notable figures that have passed away recently, and yet none have had such a profound impact on my heart and mind. I consider myself to be rational and I can very easily convince myself that the perception I have of Robin Williams is closer to the characters he played than his true self.  He obviously suffered addiction and depression and lived a much more complex life than what he showed to the public.  But, I have to ask myself, why do I feel so much sadness at his passing? Why does it physically pain me that he took his life and did not receive the help he needed?

Digging deeper, I know that it isn’t because of what he accomplished.  It isn’t because he was a gifted actor who could impersonate many different people.  Many actors have done this in the past. It isn’t because he played kind characters that had a penchant for saving the underdog(s) – such as in Good Will Hunting or Dead Poet’s Society.  And it isn’t because he was  a kind person to me – I’ve never met him.  It’s something deeper, something that many obviously feel too given the outpouring of love and sentiment for him taking over my Facebook feed.

Ultimately, I think it’s about connection.  When we connect to people, truly feel them, we can deeply feel the loss to the world when they pass away.  Robin Williams was able to establish a connection with people that transcended the characters he played.  He connected to me through the happiness he invoked in me through his movies.  It doesn’t matter if it was my perception of him or if it was truly him.  Whether it be real or fake,  I realize that the impact he had on me is the same.  He inspired me to be a better person because he embodied happiness and joy.  He was able to convey what it felt like when someone was truly free within their character and truly themselves in their character.  He made me realize that life can be equally serious and equally humorous.  He showed to the world what it meant to be humanly funny – not the humor that relies on belittling someone else, but childlike humor, the type of humor that makes you crack up and cover your mouth because you just guffawed and it was embarrassing.

I honor Robin Williams because he was able to connect, to connect to me personally, with a spirit of happiness that few in real life can convey and many on the screen today can even aspire to.  He was able to truly give through his acting, and that’s what I treasure.  Even though I did not know him, I treasure the happiness he gave me and the rest of the world.

Photo credit:  BagoGames