Heartbreak — The Way of the World Today

Disclaimer: It is not my intention to offend anyone, but my heart is heavy with the need to say this.

The horror stories are coming fast and furious now, tales of Christians being killed, about the Yazidi’s extermination because of their beliefs, of defenseless women and children tortured and beheaded for a cause.  Tragedy, atrocity, heinous acts, reprehensible acts, abject evil — this is the state of the world today.

And yet, here in the United States of America, arguably the greatest nation on earth,  we grieve for a man who took his own life.

Robin Williams WAS a talented comedian, some might even say genius or brilliant. I have no argument with that. He WAS a great entertainer. I enjoyed his movies and laughed at his jokes. That he had a darker side is not in dispute; most of us do. I don’t question his medical instability; I have friends who suffer–SUFFER–with depression. That’s not my point.

It’s the Facebook messages and news stories that get to me. They speak of “rest in peace, Robin” and “you’re free now” — all gratuitous lip service.  Robin Williams committed suicide. There is no way he’s resting in peace or free of anything. He’s dead. He gave his life away…while the Yazidi’s lives are being taken forcibly. Is it just me, or is there something wrong with this picture?

If you are not a Christian,  then you know the living, breathing body that WAS Robin Williams is dead. It will decay and putrefy, and eventually return to dust. The essential essence that made him so special — his living, breathing spirit — is gone. Dead people don’t feel, not peace and not freedom.

If you are a Christian, well, you know how the story ends. Peace? Freedom? For believers, yes.