In the Koran, a place in a paradise is reserved for those who make their companions laugh.
There are few comedians who made us chortle, giggle and scream with laughter as hard or as often as Robin Williams.
Making people laugh seemed like more than an occupation for Williams - it felt like his holy mission.
That effort he expended in his performances makes it an even grosser inequity that this surpassing comedian - renowned for his skill and generosity of spirit - suffered such misery in his final days.
Depression doesn't discriminate. Unfortunately, people still do.
Recent high-profile athletes who sought help for anxiety and depression had to deal with myopic viewpoints about their courage, toughness, or -
most ridiculous of all - their manliness.
But they did seek help.
Mental illness, long misunderstood as a cage without a key, is finally being seen for what it is: a treatable disease.
At this moment, approximately 16 per cent of Canadian troops are suffering from a mental health disorder, the most common of which is depression.
It behooves us all to be mindful of the consequences of ignoring mental illness, particularly when we hear about a budget that creates efficiencies by reducing mental health funding.
On the North Shore, Lions Gate Hospital will soon boast a four-storey mental health centre at East 13th Street and St. Andrews Avenue.
It's a state-of-the-art facility that will be useless if we are silent.
If you need help, be brave, be smart, and say something.
