Pure speculation: but this makes sense to me. Williams did not want to face the consequences of Parkinson's and had no option, in our uncaring culture, but to take his life.
But the disease is not terminal, you say. But it is as far as W's persona is concerned. What made Robin Williams himself? A frantic wit and intelligence delivered with rapid fire speech. The very thing Parkinson's would attack and kill. Survivors of the disease are visible, W well knew what his future would be.
So he had a choice: to continue with a different persona; or to call it quits, refusing to compromise his sense of self and well being. This is a perfectly understandable and legitimate dilemma. The choice is his and no one else's. However, our medical institutions do not accept the choice as legitimate. Williams would get no help if he chose to die as himself, his persona. This is what happened.
In a caring, humane culture, it would have happened differently. He would have taken his concerns to his doctor and psychiatrist. He would have told them his decision - and for this reason alone, in a culture with genuine concern for individual freedom and dignity, he would have been given terminal medication.
Maybe he then would have shared the news with us, given a last concert, a farewell wake, but whatever he did, he would leave us sanely, honorably, courageously, a free man, and not have to take off his belt as if he were a deranged criminal.
The criminal is our hypocritical culture with its lip service to individual freedom and dignity.
But the disease is not terminal, you say. But it is as far as W's persona is concerned. What made Robin Williams himself? A frantic wit and intelligence delivered with rapid fire speech. The very thing Parkinson's would attack and kill. Survivors of the disease are visible, W well knew what his future would be.
So he had a choice: to continue with a different persona; or to call it quits, refusing to compromise his sense of self and well being. This is a perfectly understandable and legitimate dilemma. The choice is his and no one else's. However, our medical institutions do not accept the choice as legitimate. Williams would get no help if he chose to die as himself, his persona. This is what happened.
In a caring, humane culture, it would have happened differently. He would have taken his concerns to his doctor and psychiatrist. He would have told them his decision - and for this reason alone, in a culture with genuine concern for individual freedom and dignity, he would have been given terminal medication.
Maybe he then would have shared the news with us, given a last concert, a farewell wake, but whatever he did, he would leave us sanely, honorably, courageously, a free man, and not have to take off his belt as if he were a deranged criminal.
The criminal is our hypocritical culture with its lip service to individual freedom and dignity.
