The past couple days ( on FB, anyway ) have been rife with the saddening news that our favorite Martian, or Orkian rather, passed from this life at the ( relatively ) young age of 63. Although it is alleged that suicide was the cause of death, and it is known that the actor suffered from severe bouts of depression, we will not jump to any conclusions, here! Of late ( late 902-early 2,000s ), Williams was known for his foray into not-so-nice-guy roles, and for movies like 'What Dreams May Come' This movie was a fantastic foray into a rather large subject of late; 'Heaven'! Is our utopian, other-worldly vision, and especially William's vision of this dream-like place real? Will we really see our loved ones again? Will we walk with them, talk with them, laugh with them, love with them? It's a beautiful dream, no doubt, and those in particular who suffer from debilitating diseases or from any one of the many cancers out there love to hope for this reality; can we or should we conscientiously take away or deflate their hope?
Another big story of late ( related ) is the genocide going on over in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq! Certain of the groups being singled out over there are Christians, but it is not just Christians, it is any that do not follow Islam! I understand that even certain sects within Islam are being targeted, as well as select ethic groups. This is a horrible tragedy, and although certain groups in our own country may try to link it with the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, it was bound to happen. On remark I heard, concerning our presence over there, was along the lines of, 'what do you expect in a democratic Islamic State?' Democracy is, simply put, 'rule by the people', but really, it is 'rule by the Elite'! Those who have the power make the rules! There is no doubt where the power resides over there, and judging even from our showy presence over there for the past ten years or so, it wasn't US!
War, in any circumstance, and however justified, put very simply, is 'hell'! Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to experience it! The genocide/war going on over in the Middle-East, whether it be Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan or Israel is an ancient evil; it has been fomenting & troubling those regions of the world for millenia, and will likely continue to do so for millenia! We may pray for Peace in the Middle East, and that may come, but first, the things that make for peace must first occur. Whether we agree or not, the Christians & other religious or ethnic groups that are being targeted over there are probably not as innocent as we'd like to think! There are many over here in this country that stand with Israel ( Israelis ) in their war with Palestinians, and if you do not take that stand with them, you may not be a Christian! The thing is that many of those Palestinians are Christians as well but even there, we can be sure that war is not one-sided, and neither side is as righteous as some may think!
Getting back to 'Heaven', and the 'untimely' death of Robin Williams, whether by apparent suicide or not; we may hold on to our hope, or not, of 'a utopian dream-state' ( or however we envision it ), but on thing is for sure, Mr. Williams knows for sure now.........................or not!
Charles Haddon Shank
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