Bad Bosses & Suicide
The world lost a wonderful man, Robin Williams, this past week due to an apparent suicide. Anyone who has seen Robin perform has experienced the joy of deep, healthy laughter.
I had an added benefit: 46 Years ago Robin was my brother Phil's best friend. Robin was over at our house often for 3-4 years. Phil stayed in touch with Robin until Phil's death from cancer in February 2013. Above is a photo of them in 2011. Phil and Robin remained friends throughout the years because they just laughed together and enjoyed each other's company.
I cannot count the times that I laughed so hard that I cried. In retrospect Phil did a great job of keeping the banter going with Robin, but even he at times was laughing too hard to continue. However, Robin also had a quiet, very sincere side to him. He was not "on" all the time. He was a great guy.
Unfortunately Robin got sad this week and made a bad decision. It is really a bummer. Although I was not close to Robin, he was always nice to me whenever our paths crossed. He also came to my brother's funeral last year... and made us all laugh. He talked to me about how much he appreciated Phil's friendship.
I encourage you to celebrate Robin's life this week. Experience one of his movies or shows to laugh hard, or appreciate his brilliant dramatic acting, and be deeply thankful.
"Bad Bosses" and suicide have some things in common:
Both are selfish. Suicide is a selfish decision, although I believe most of the time the selfishness is unintentional. You just get so tired and depressed that you forget about everything you love, and you just want an easy way out. Bad Bosses are the same - taking the easy way out rather than working to develop new habits so they become the leaders they are designed to be.
Lifetime impact. Suicide hurts those you leave behind. That is not the intention of most people making this mistake, but it is the truth. Bad Bosses hurt people too, even if it is unintentional, and those hurts can negatively affect people for years or a lifetime.
It is a choice. When it comes down to it, suicide and our decision to just retain our Bad Boss habits are a choice. Too often we are deceived into believing it is just easier and thus is acceptable. It is not.
I have nothing but love and sorrow for Robin and his family, and others who have made the mistake of suicide. I am not judging them. They just made a mistake and need our grace.
The rest of us should not miss this opportunity to be challenged again: What is the cost of our Bad Boss habits? What can we start doing differently TODAY, even if it is just in one area, to be the leader we are designed to be?
It is Friday. ACCOUNTABILITY TIME!
- How are you doing on your 3strands this week?
- Is the work remaining to complete this week's 3strands scheduled in your calendar so you can work uninterrupted?
- Have you scheduled your Sanctuary time later today or over the weekend for personal accountability and focus?
Stay on track.
