X
theAsianparent Logo
theAsianparent Logo
  • Pregnancy
    • Due date calculator
    • I'm pregnant
    • Trying To Conceive
    • Labour
    • After birth
    • Baby loss
  • Parenting
    • Parenting & Play by Friso
    • Parent's Guide
    • Relationship & Sex
  • Ages & Stages
    • Baby
    • Toddler
    • Pre-schooler
    • Kids
    • Pre-teen & Teen
  • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diseases-Injuries
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Meal Planner
    • Health
    • Allergies & Conditions
    • Vaccinations
  • Education
    • Pre-School
    • Primary School
    • Secondary School
  • Lifestyle
    • Money
    • Travel & Leisure
    • Fashion
    • Home
    • Fitness
    • Contests & promotions
  • News
    • International
    • Health
    • Celebrity
    • Singapore
  • Money Parenting
    • Tips for Parents
    • Tips for Toddlers
    • Tips for Older Kids
    • The 5 Personas
  • TAP Recommends
  • Shopping
  • Press Releases
  • Project Sidekicks
  • Community
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Become A Contributor
  • VIP

5 important life lessons to learn from Robin Williams

9 Sep, 2014
 

 

Losing a loved one to suicide - be it a family member or close friend - is an extremely painful experience. As we commemorate World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10, we can’t help but be reminded of the tragic loss of Robin Williams. He was, undoubtedly, one of the best entertainers in the world.

We stumbled upon a social media post on how kind and down-to-earth Robin Williams was. The post generated a wave of comments from fans who had the privilege of being on the receiving end of the late actor’s acts of kindness.

To pay tribute to a man with a heart of gold, we’ve compiled a list of precious life lessons that we all can learn from Robin Williams.

Keep reading by clicking "Next"!

Treat everyone with respect

Treat everyone with respect

One thing that Robin Williams made sure to do was to treat everyone with respect. Whether you were a fan, a member of the production crew or a fellow Hollywood actor, Robin made it a point to treat everyone equally.

According to Todd Akers, an audio engineer who had worked with the actor: "Most artists/celebrities have very specific guidelines in their production riders about their green room and backstage requirements. Instead of special requests for his own space and food, Mr. Williams chose to eat alongside the production crew. He treated everyone from the head production manager down to the lowest stage hand with grace and respect. He was a very special guy who filled our lives with laughter and love."

Do a good deed; give way to others

Do a good deed; give way to others

In Singapore, we seem to need government-initiated campaigns to remind us to "be nice" to others and to "give way" while driving or taking public transport. However, these were the exact things that Robin would do without prodding.

A woman named Janette Hall shares: "He was ahead of me (in the grocery line) with like 20 items and I slid in behind him with only one item, not knowing who was in front of me. He told me, "Oh please go ahead," and I told him, "No I am fine, go ahead. I can wait." And he said, "Hey listen, you have one item, I have 20. There is no problem." Of course, by then I totally knew it was Robin Williams and I said, "Thanks a lot." And he told me, "Pretty girl, you should always be first in line!"

Everyone deserves a second chance

Everyone deserves a second chance

The blogger who orignally wrote this viral post on brianlord.org shared that in the entertainment industry, artists would usually hand out a "rider list" that specified their personal and technical requirements while working on the movie set. When he received Robin Williams’ rider list, he was pleasantly surprised.

"He actually had a requirement that for every single event or film he did, the company hiring him also had to hire a certain number of homeless people and put them to work. I never watched a Robin Williams movie the same way after that," the blogger wrote.

This may have been Robin Williams’ simple gesture of giving second chances to people who were trying to turn their lives around. After all, he did start off his career as a street performer before making it big in the movie industry.

Being generous

Being generous

Some of Robin’s notable displays of generosity included supporting students at their school car wash and making anonymous donations to fund the needs of a neighbourhood public school in the U.S.

Yeva Manu, a mum of 3, shares her experience: "[A friend and I once] bought tickets to his show at Universal. We were broke students and got $20 tickets [for] the very last row. Right before the show started, his staff came up to the people sitting on the last three rows and told us all that Robin Williams had saved the first three rows for us and was asking us to move. What a humble and kind person!"

Show compassion

Show compassion

What would you do if you happen to meet a stranger who’s going through a rough time? Whenever you can, spare a minute or two to offer words of encouragement to someone going through a rough patch. One may never know how a simple gesture of kindness may greatly impact the recipient.

Sherry Campbell, a mum who was caring for her dying son at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles years ago, recounts her encounter: "I was holding my baby and my eyes were shut, singing to him. In walked the nurse, asking if a visitor could come see us. He came to sit with me and held my son while telling me not to give up and to be strong. He made that day a blessed day for me. He did not have to give away his time to me but he did."

Do you know someone who needs help?

Do you know someone who needs help?

If you know (or suspect) anyone in your life who is going through depression or thinking about suicide, here's a list of Hotlines that you can call for help:

Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444 Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019 CHAT @ *SCAPE: (+65) 6493 6500, (+65) 6493 6501 SAF Counselling Hotline: 1800-278-0022
Next
img

Written by

Justina Goh

  • Home
  • /
  • Parenting
  • /
  • 5 important life lessons to learn from Robin Williams
Share:
  • Robin Williams movies your kids should watch!

    Robin Williams movies your kids should watch!

  • Good sportsmanship in kids

    Good sportsmanship in kids

  • "It was like a bad movie." Family of 5 Jumps Off From Their Apartment in Switzerland

    "It was like a bad movie." Family of 5 Jumps Off From Their Apartment in Switzerland

  • Singaporean Sugar Baby Spills The Beans On What Life Is Like With A Sugar Daddy

    Singaporean Sugar Baby Spills The Beans On What Life Is Like With A Sugar Daddy

app info
get app banner
  • Robin Williams movies your kids should watch!

    Robin Williams movies your kids should watch!

  • Good sportsmanship in kids

    Good sportsmanship in kids

  • "It was like a bad movie." Family of 5 Jumps Off From Their Apartment in Switzerland

    "It was like a bad movie." Family of 5 Jumps Off From Their Apartment in Switzerland

  • Singaporean Sugar Baby Spills The Beans On What Life Is Like With A Sugar Daddy

    Singaporean Sugar Baby Spills The Beans On What Life Is Like With A Sugar Daddy

Get advice on your pregnancy and growing baby. Sign up for our newsletter
  • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Education
    • Events
    • Allergies & Conditions
  • Family Occasions
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Child Safety
    • Health
    • Diseases-Injuries
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Money
    • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diet & Weightloss
  • Normal Delivery
    • Cesarean Delivery
    • Behaviour
    • Secondary School
    • Formula Feeding
  • Ages & Stages
    • Latching & Concerns
    • Festivals & Holidays
    • Education
    • Pre-teen & Teen
  • More
    • TAP Community
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact Us
    • Become a Contributor


  • Singapore flag Singapore
  • Thailand flag Thailand
  • Indonesia flag Indonesia
  • Philippines flag Philippines
  • Malaysia flag Malaysia
  • Sri-Lanka flag Sri Lanka
  • India flag India
  • Vietnam flag Vietnam
  • Australia flag Australia
  • Japan flag Japan
  • Nigeria flag Nigeria
  • Kenya flag Kenya
© Copyright theAsianparent 2022. All rights reserved
About Us|Team|Privacy Policy|Terms of Use |Sitemap HTML
  • Tools
  • Articles
  • Feed
  • Poll

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

theAsianparent heart icon
We’d like to send you notifications for the latest news and updates on baby care and health.