When having everything isn't enough

Robin Williams' tragic death seems even more difficult to take because he was universally loved, very successful, and seemed to have reached the pinnacle of living the life that should have been satisfying and brought happiness.

In short, what do you do when having "everything" isn't enough?

Besides the obvious reasons, perhaps this is what is most troubling, in that Robin Williams' death casts a shadow of doubt on how we define success and how we seem to pursue fortune and fame with an intense singularity of purpose.

It is as if our vision of success is like the mirage of an oasis that promises to quench our thirst, but upon arrival evaporates into our original reality - a reality for some that is based upon painful experiences and unresolved inner conflicts.

I remember a couple of months ago reading a post here on LinkedIn in which the writer talked about several of his friends who, having experienced great success in terms of achieving wealth and status, openly contemplated "ending it all" when their careers began to crumble when the economy took a dive.

At the time, I could not understand why the loss of fortune and fame would lead to such a sense of hopelessness and a questioning of their self-worth. After all I reasoned, money like fame is ephemeral in its very nature, and therefore should not be the end goal let alone the foundation upon which your life is based.

In other words, who we really are should not be defined by our profession or title, what we earn or the level of fame we attain such as it is. In the end, true success I believe should be defined on who we are with or without money, our life values and the sense of peace we have living in our own skins.

Without the latter, the former will ultimately prove to be insufficient and disappointing.

Like most of us who have been affected by his tragic death, I did not know Robin Williams. However, and from everything I have read about him, he was a decent, caring man who gave more to the world than he took. Within this context he did not appear to seek wealth and fame. It was a byproduct of his gift to make us laugh and for a moment at least, find an escape from the toils of everyday life.

Within this context, I can only imagine that he would have given it all away for a peace and sense of self that ultimately eluded him in life. In fact he did give it all away. Hopefully he has now found that peace.