In August/September 1997 Princess Diana, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Viktor Frankl all died during the same week. The two former need no introduction. Frankl was a neurologist and psychiatrist who, having survived a concentration camp during the Holocaust –where most of his family was annihilated– developed a psychotherapeutic method on the principle that suffering can be overcome by finding a meaning in life.
At the time I was reminded of a poem in one of Silo’s Guided Experiences, one that stresses the need to overcome Resentment (the name of the Guided Experience) and effect a deep and true Reconciliation.
Oh Death! Whose unlimited domain
Reaches the living wherever they may be,
On you depends the span allotted to our life.
Your endless sleep annihilates the multitudes,
For no one escapes your powerful presence.
You alone have the judgment that absolves,
And no art can prevail upon your fury,
Nor plea revoke your design.
…………
You have the power to awaken us from our stupor,
Uniting heart with head,
Freeing our minds from emptiness,
Removing darkness and forgetfulness from inner sight.
Come, beneficial power: True memory
That straightens life into its rightful meaning.
In a sort of déjà-vu I was again startled by the coincidence of three deaths, two of them famous, one who should have been so, but I was only made aware of him by Jason Burke, Guardian journalist to whom I feel immensely grateful as otherwise such important human being and his death would have passed me by without notice.
Famous person one:
Robin Williams, who shocked the world by committing suicide aged 63 after making us all laugh and cry in equal measures. He was depressed, and this made a huge impact on awareness of depression. From the WHO factsheet:
“Depression is a common mental disorder. Globally, more than 350 million people of all ages suffer from depression. Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and is a major contributor to the global burden of disease. More women are affected by depression than men. At its worst, depression can lead to suicide. There are effective treatments for depression”.
In spite of this Fox News host Shepard Smith described his death as “cowardly”. He later apologised. There were other negative comments in social media. Bravo Robin! Your stand up humour has managed to ruffle a few idiotic feathers, showing that you can educate a lot of people through comedy about the horrors of this world:
(On George W. Bush) “People say satire is dead. It’s not dead; it’s alive and living in the White House.” And “You’ll notice that Bush never speaks when Cheney is drinking water.”
“Politicians are a lot like diapers. They should be changed frequently — and for the same reasons.”
Was his hyper-awareness so painful that not only led to depression but also, previously, to alcohol and cocaine addictions, which he had managed to overcome? Perhaps that is why so many people prefer not to look, but the world keeps getting in. We need tools to deal with so much pain and violence; we need tools to deal with the pressure of striving for success in a highly competitive environment. So many “successful” people, not just actors, but footballers, stockbrokers, politicians fail to deal psychologically with the contradictions of “success”, and the “safety valves” are anything but safe. I feel sad that his huge talent did not protect him from real life.
By way of tribute I am hoping to quote reasonably accurately two of my favourite RW jokes:
“On a first date women are looking for Mr Right whilst men are looking for Ms Right Now!”
And “I went to the ballet: Dancers were wearing clothes so tight you could tell their religion”.
Famous person two:
Lauren Bacall, Hollywood goddess, one of the longest film careers starting in 1944, acclaimed with awards both for drama and comedy, married and having relationships with the most hunkish A-listers of her time and, along with other Hollywood figures, a staunch opponent of McCarthyism. She died at 89 having been part of the early years of the Hollywood make-believe machine that create and destroy idols, ideologies and lots and lots of money; Hollywood, the greatest enemy of Reconciliation where most (photocopied?) scripts present revenge as the one and only meaning in life. Actors are not to blame for this monstrous assault of the human being’s subjectivity, and even some, together with independent minded directors manage to use its resources to present a more humanising message. Some like Bacall use the money and fame to work for human rights and freedom.
She was a “star”. Our challenge is to see the “person” as acting is one of those arts where the “artist” is so often confused with the artistic production.
Not famous, but he should be: Rahed Taysir al-Hom
‘My wife thinks I will come home in a box’ – and three days later Gaza bomb disposal expert was dead: Rahed Taysir al-Hom headed northern Gaza’s only bomb disposal unit. He spoke to [journalist Jason Burke in Gaza City] for the Guardian just days before he was killed by a 500kg explosive”.
“The 43-year-old father of seven lies next to his brother, a Hamas fighter killed in an Israeli air strike two weeks ago. But the Hom who died on Wednesday was not a warrior. He was head of the sole bomb disposal unit of Gaza’s northern governorate and his job was to protect several hundred thousand people from the unexploded ordnance that now litters the streets, fields and rubble of many homes.”
“Hom, who died when a 500kg bomb he was trying to defuse exploded at 10.30am on Wednesday, was an incidental casualty of a month-long war that no one seems able to stop. Three of his colleagues and two journalists were killed with him. He was well aware of the risks he was taking but believed in his work.”
“Every time I hear that someone has been injured by a bomb on the ground I feel very sorry. This is my responsibility. But we are very limited and don’t have proper equipment. My wife thinks I will come home one day in pieces in a box.”
“Hom had been defusing bombs, rockets and shells for five of his 20 years in the Gaza police. He had some training from international experts but gained most of his skills “on the job”.
“He had no protective clothing and used basic tools – screwdrivers, pliers and cutters – as he worked to make everything safe, be it Hamas rockets which had fallen short of their mark or bombs dropped by Israeli warplanes.”
In the midst of death someone working for life, how many children did he save? Who will now do his unsung job? When will the rockets and bombs, ALL the rockets and bombs stop? Let us think Reconciliation, and they will.
