I really liked this comment by reader Chattering Mind regarding Heath’s Ledger’s death because it brings up a lot of emotions I’ve been feeling lately, and also addresses my fears about my very sensitive boy:

There are people on earth who are excruciatingly sensitive, who are sponges
for the public’s projections. Actors, singers, performers, people in public
life take hits because of this. They have to have a really strong,
protected, resilient ego to stand up to the pressure and scrutiny of public
life. But their sensitivities won’t go away and without a devotion to a
spiritual practice and occasional quiet, life can seem too intense. I once
read that Sophia Loren said that if she’d only been able to have lunch with
Marilyn Monroe, she could have saved her. I wonder what wisdom she would
have wanted to impart!
If we’re running under the interesting assumption that depression and
mental illness are gifts, and signs of sensitivity and creativity, then we
must all take care to take care of our precious selves, our talents, and
those closest to us. I’ve been talking to my kids (eleven and thirteen)
about how life in the fast lane can take its toll, but any life of any
thinking sensitive person has to be fed and nurtured and protected by
healthy spiritual practices and framed by a lot of love–which sometimes
seems hard to find, as you all know.
It’s sad that Ledger was on his way to getting a massage…