By Jesse Fink
November 13th 2009 @ 7:34am
Related coverage
The tragic fate of Germany’s Robert Enke
Robert Enke poses for a team photo. Robert Enke, Hannover 96 and Germany's national team goalkeeper, passed away on Tuesday Nov. 10, 2009. He was 32. AP Photo/Uwe Lein,File
I can’t pretend to have known much about Robert Enke, the German footballer who threw himself in front of a train this week, but I was more than familiar with the emotional architecture of his story, having written a piece on depression among sportspeople a few years ago for Inside Sport magazine.
In the sporting world, as everywhere, it is rampant. But sport itself presents unique challenges for those working to destigmatise mental illness.
That’s because so many sportspeople, especially in professional ball sports, have to function in macho and ultra-competitive environments where showing any amount of frailty, timidity or weakness can get you dropped from the team or ostracised in the dressing-room.
Depression demands they keep silent.
And so they do, from their teammates, their coaches, often their families, suffering in silence until one day you or I pick up the newspaper or log on to the internet and read that this person whose existence we took for granted is gone.
That’s what happened with Enke.
He kept it to himself until such time as he could take it no more and left behind a letter explaining his torment. His Germany and Hannover 96 teammates are in shock, having known nothing of his troubles. The Nationalmannschaft’s next match, a friendly against Chile this weekend, has been cancelled.
Enke’s death comes only weeks after Paul Williams, the former SBS football commentator, also took his own life. As my SBS colleague Les Murray wrote with great courage, not sanitising the tragedy for anybody, Williams died “in a dark place and in a dark state of sinister despondency, shivering in the ultimate cold of hopelessness… harangued by demons against whom he had long fought but by whom, in the end, he was out-manoeuvred.
“It was, as so often happens in football, a victory for senseless injustice.”
Senseless injustice might be acceptable on a football field, because it’s only a game. In any case one cannot prevent the movement or trajectory of every pass and ensure the result we want. But senseless injustice, when it comes to the ultimate contest of living and dying, is something we should never accept.
Sportspeople need to know they can reach out for help without retribution or judgment. Most can’t, or feel they can’t, either when they’re mid-career or retired, and so we keep on hearing stories like Enke’s and Williams’s that shock us to their core for their needlessness and waste.
Mental illness has destroyed too many lives for us to sit by and let the carnage continue. We all need to do more for those among us who are struggling, particularly men – be they mates, brothers, sons, fathers or whoever, whether they play sport or not. Getting another beer into them and asking them to cheer up isn’t the support they need.
Enke’s death was needless. But if one person is saved by hearing his story and choosing to get help, it wasn’t in vain.
May he rest in peace.
———-
Anyone feeling disturbed by this story or otherwise needing help can take a first step by visiting http://www.beyondblue.org.au, or calling Lifeline (24 hours) 13 11 14, or Mensline Australia (24 hours) 1300 78 99 78.
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Michael C said | November 13th 2009 @ 6:13am | Report comment
The logical extension of this story is to the issues of alcohol and illicit drug abuse by sports people. Andre Agassi has obviously put the focus back on this with his stories of 1997 and pointing out that (he) that fellow back there needed help.
I then can’t help but think to the AFL 3 strikes illicit drugs policy that has as it’s primary focus (given it was pushed forward by the players association) the healthy & welfare (harm minimisation) of the players.
The public all too often got caught up in some silly code vs code macho point scoring….NRL people claiming 2 strikes is tougher than 3….and well before that we had John Howard carping on about ‘zero tolerance’, The experts in the field stated clearly that the AFL 3 strikes policy (which had been designed by some of them!!) was a very good model and that the AFL should ignore all the populist simplistic reaction.
The main problem seemed that many people failed to distinguish between drug cheating performance enhancing drugs and illicit drug use. And failed to comprehend that out of a list of 600-700 players…..you only need a handful with a natural (or ‘induced’) chemical imbalance, or a circumstantial depression/anxiety, family torment – - -etc, etc. The last thing such people need is to be ‘outed’ publicly perhaps at their weakest moment.
btw – I’m not for a minute suggesting Enke used drugs. However,
….. the AFL published results have illustrated that players normally have been failing tests only after first consuming too much alcohol, and of those with 2 strikes, at least half had had diagnosed some form of mental illness. We’ve had a couple of high profile AFL players come forward about their depression….and the never shy Jeff Kennett the public face of ‘Beyond Blue’ has been President at Hawthorn for whom Nathan Thompson was playing when he came forward. Former AFL player Wayne Schwass has also been a high profile advocate, whilst former stars in recent times Gary Ablett and Wayne Carey have illustrated their own battles post career – - – which is effectively another aspect that has been reflected with the tragic tale of Georgie Best and even Diego Maradona’s self destructive behaviour after they’d left the field for the last time.
For Thompson, it most likely helped that Kennett was there, and had made ‘Beyond Blue’ and depression a public discussion point – at least in Victoria.
which leads of course back to ‘MOVEMBER’, sadly I’m not participating this year…..however, if anyone has friends involved, then back them up and sponsor their ‘MO’.
Freud of Football said | November 13th 2009 @ 6:51am | Report comment
AFL’s 3 strikes rule is a joke. Normal citizens don’t get 3 strikes, you don’t show up to the office on a Monday morning still off your trolley on E so why should professional athletes be cut so much slack?
Tom said | November 13th 2009 @ 8:12am | Report comment
Oh for God’s sake…
You pretty much just proved a large chunk of what Michael C just wrote, didn’t you?
Learn something about what it is before you criticise it. I’m not going to bother explaining to you the many differences the AFL’s recreational drug testing regime (it has one) and the vast majority of workplaces (who don’t).
Freud of Football said | November 13th 2009 @ 9:03am | Report comment
Well thanks for that Tom as I really didn’t need a lesson from you.
Karlo Tychsen said | November 13th 2009 @ 8:28pm | Report comment
While it is ‘noble’ of the AFL to give its players two chances to clean up before they are exposed and/or suspended, if a sense of honour about protecting their players were their driving motivation, then all would be well and good. But that is not the case at all. In fact, any argument that rampant drug-use in sport is entirely because of psychological issues does a disservice to psychological illness and the fight against illicit substance abuse. What Jessie is clearly talking about is the need to be very, very aware of the life-threatening problems that can quickly emerge in a macho world that punishes frailty.
The AFL, the biggest PR machine in Australia, is interested only in protecting its product in the eye of the public. By limiting the number of players that will be put up to public scrutiny, they are given more and more avenue to clean up their act behind tightly-shut closed doors.
Of course, the other, much larger problem in all this, is the long-term and extensive side-effects both physically and mentally, that go unchecked as AFL players gallivant about knowing there is only a snowflakes chance in Hades they will every get done three times.
Apologists for the AFL’s (supposed) drug-testing regime should think a lot more about issues other than emotional well-being (which itself should not be forgotten either) when talking about the holier-than-thou AFL’s administration and its drug-testing.
Pippinu said | November 13th 2009 @ 9:14pm | Report comment
This isn’t the place to discuss the AFL’s drug testing regime (the most progressive and extensive in the world) – but the amount of ignorance surrounding it borders on unbelievable.
Freud of Football said | November 14th 2009 @ 12:55am | Report comment
“the most progressive and extensive in the world” – Pip, you know I am an AFL fan as well as a football fan but the AFL “scheme” is a joke, really, 3 strikes is just ridiculous beyond anything that should ever be allowed in professional sport.
But you’re right, this isn’t the place to discuss the AFL’s cover-up policy.
Pippinu said | November 15th 2009 @ 11:22am | Report comment
Freud
the point is – while the AFL had the 3 strikes policy – what did the rest of the world have?
Until very recently – they had absolutely nothing.
danny said | November 13th 2009 @ 2:15pm | Report comment
it’s a bloody minefield out there. young blokes who are idolised by our society for their sporting prowess, earning big dollars, all the guys want to be their mates, all the girls want to be with them. it’s a situation unlike what most of us would ever experience. no wonder lots of them experiment with drugs at some stage. or, potentially, have drinks spiked etc. these guys have very sheltered lives, don’t know how to act in the real world. look at the various scandals involving afl/nrl stars and their treatment of women, for exampl. the new developments with psychology and the like is a great step forward.
in my line of work, i’ve had to counsel a young lad who was a promising footballer, and went through all the above. drugs, women etc. had an addictive personality as well as anxiety issues but the money and fame didn’t help. got in strife with his team and was dropped, turned to crime. not good. fortunately he’s now on the mend and is hoping to get back into professional football. it’s an all-too common story, and so many of them will go unrecognised. for every enke who struggles with these issues at the top level, how many couldabeens are there who never made it and suffer from depression?
good article, jesse.
Freud of Football said | November 13th 2009 @ 6:33am | Report comment
A good read Jesse. Finally someone who hasn’t gone around roundly praising the life and times of Enke and has focused on the real issue at hand.
I find it rather sickening that so many people have come out and spoken of him, people who knew him as a name and not a person, perhaps the reference isn’t entirely befitting but how many people die a day of hunger, curable diseases etc.? Yet the papers get filled with one guy who was hardly a national hero in Germany and not talented enough to hold down the number one spot, a good player yes, but this isn’t Pele, Maradona, Cruijff or Beckenbauer, people whose football has actually touched human beings the world over.
Yes his was a sad case but for everyone to go and either pretend to mourn for this loss or genuinely do so is really missing the bigger picture of the world.
AndyRoo said | November 13th 2009 @ 9:15am | Report comment
He’s a national team player. These days you do feel like you know the players a little and a death is a death, it’s an emotional time.
Not everyone can just shrug it off as “well statistically we are all going to die” or “he was old and had a good life”…and who goes around after someone just died and say “you know he wasn’t that good”?
He got less press than Britany Spears miming despite this being Movember
Daniel said | November 13th 2009 @ 9:24am | Report comment
He was talented enough to become Germany`s No.1 and if he hadn`t been injured twice he would have played in every competetive match since Euro`08.
Freud of Football said | November 13th 2009 @ 4:08pm | Report comment
No he wouldn’t have, if Rensing could have gotten his act together, he was the “annointed one” and Manuel Neuer is about 5X better than Enke ever was, Enke was at best a temporary solution, he wasn’t even good enough to dislodge the ever erratic Lehmann.
midfield general said | November 13th 2009 @ 5:19pm | Report comment
You’re just talking bollocks Dr Freud. So you just think people mourning in Germany are faking it to look respectable. No he wasn’t well known like a Beckenbauer but he obviously touched enough people’s hearts as a public figure and a footballer during his time. I find your comments here a bit distasteful.
Freud of Football said | November 13th 2009 @ 6:34pm | Report comment
Actually, he didn’t touch anyone in Germany. If Kahn had of thrown himself under a train then the mourning would have been genuine, Enke’s death has been beaten to death by the infamous Bild Zeitung, known for it’s trashy tabloid journalism they have used it as a vehicle to sell even more papers as they generally fill half of it with football news, the last days its been half a paper on Robert Enke, he’s still on the start page of bild.de right now.
He played for Hannover for gods sakes, yes he might have had a short spell in Barcelona and Mourinho admired him in his time at Benfica but he wasn’t some star whose exploits on the field touched millions, he was a name who stood in goal for a small club, a public name only because he managed a few caps for Germany when they couldn’t find a natural successor to The Titan Kahn, not a national hero, not a name that anyone would have remembered 2 years after his retirement, “just another footballer” and yes his death is unfortunate but all these people “feeling sorry” are just talking crap.
midfield general said | November 13th 2009 @ 8:01pm | Report comment
Nah forget it mate, I don’t get you at all. And you’re missing the whole point of Jesse’s article. You call yourself the father of psychoanalysis? Haha
Daniel said | November 13th 2009 @ 10:19pm | Report comment
“He played for Hannover for gods sakes, yes he might have had a short spell in Barcelona and Mourinho admired him in his time at Benfica but he wasn’t some star whose exploits on the field touched millions, he was a name who stood in goal for a small club,”
He was similar to Andreas Koepke, Kahn`s predecessor as Germany`s no.1. Koepke played for Eintracht Frankfurt, conceded more goals than any other goalkeeper in the Bundesliga and got relegated with his club in 1995/96. But he was still called up as Germany`s goalkeeper at the following European Championship. He won the Euro with Germany, became “goalkeeper of the tournament”,” Best European Goalkeeper” and the “World`s best goalkeeper” in 1996. Kahn could not dislodge him either and only became Germany`s No.1 after Koepke stepped down in 1998.
It doesn`t matter which club you are playing for. It`s the individual quality that counts. And as the favorite to become Germany`s no.1 he held the most prestigious position in German sports. Hence, his suicide has come as a huge shock that went right into the heart of German society. Of course his tragic life and death and the fact that he was well liked across Germany are another reason for the intensive media coverage.
Daniel said | November 13th 2009 @ 6:54pm | Report comment
I think you are referring to Adler – not Rensing. Rensing was only Germany`s No.1 in Hoeness` imagination.
Freud of Football said | November 13th 2009 @ 7:47pm | Report comment
No, Kahn took Rensing under his wing at Bayern and held high hopes for him, I most certainly mean Rensing, he has been disappointing but wait and see what happens when he leaves Bayern, he will come good.
Kahn was only so good in Munich because he is Kahn, to expect someone to come in and fill his shoes with the three amigos constantly hounding their own players in the press is a ridiculous situation but one that exists at Bayern and will until those three amigos leave, then finally the club will come good again.
Daniel said | November 13th 2009 @ 10:23pm | Report comment
Yes, agree on the three amigos but I have the impression that the amigos will be replaceed with new amigos (Nerlinger for instance). I wish Rensing all the best.
Derryn said | November 13th 2009 @ 7:10am | Report comment
Was going to write up an article about this but didn’t know where to start. Such a stigmatised illness that often gets swept under the carpet. Steve Rogers, Marco Pantani and soccer player Justin Fashanu are others who took the their own life.
I found the Paul Williams case particularly sad, having grown up listening and watching to him on SBS he seemed to have everything to live for but ended up in an dark world finding it difficult to leave the house. If only people would see depression as a real illness and offer the support needed before it’s too late.
Gaz said | November 13th 2009 @ 7:48am | Report comment
Jess, might be wroth mentioning that anyone feeling seriously disturbed by this story or otherwise needing help can take a first step by visiting http://www.beyondblue.org.au
Chris said | November 13th 2009 @ 8:03am | Report comment
Enke is (was) an extremely selfish person. He had the kind of life most on this earth could only dream of – yet it still wasn’t good enough. I have no sympathy for him whatsoever – the people I do feel horrible for are the wife and child he so selfishly abandoned.
Tom said | November 13th 2009 @ 8:15am | Report comment
Chris, perhaps it would be in your interests to do a little more research on the subject of depressive illnesses before you make up your mind about people like Robert Enke.
Art Sapphire said | November 13th 2009 @ 8:35am | Report comment
Alright Chris – here is the deal. Why don’t you make a Faustian pact.
Lead the life you can only dream of and in return have the Big Black Dog hang over you.
Life would be pretty enjoyable…don’t you think??
AndyRoo said | November 13th 2009 @ 9:24am | Report comment
Firstly wether you have a good life or not doesn’t effect wether you get depression or not. It’s not a case of just feeling sad because you had a bad day.
Also I might not be a football star but I am pretty sure I have had a better life for the last 3 years than Enke. You do know that his young biological daughter died from heart problems, and that one of his big concerns was about losing his newly adopted daughter when people found out he had depression.
I wouldn’t be prepared to trade shoes with the poor guy.
AGO74 said | November 13th 2009 @ 10:09am | Report comment
Chris,
Putting aside the issue of depression which you obviously have an inability to comprehend let alone understand, I suggest you read this piece which really only scratches the surface of Robert Enke, do you still think that the last 5 or so years of his life sound like the kind that “most on this earth could only dream of”?
http://fourfourtwo.com/blogs/confessionsofacorrespondent/archive/2009/11/11/speaking-to-robert-enke.aspx
Jesse Fink said | November 13th 2009 @ 8:35am | Report comment
Just on Rogers, I believe the coroner ruled it an accidental death through a mix of antidepressants and alcohol.
Daniel said | November 13th 2009 @ 9:28am | Report comment
“Enke’s death was needless. But if one person is saved by hearing his story and choosing to get help, it wasn’t in vain. ”
Great read, Jesse.
The Bear said | November 13th 2009 @ 10:33am | Report comment
It really is not fitting that the first few posts on this item are about AFL whining that they get a backlash over the “drugs in sport” stance. Poor taste if that can be said about internet discussions (at least it could be said on this, the reasonably ethical forum that is the Roar). Thanks for keeping it real Jess, and to those contributing some sensible discussion points on Enke and depression among sporting types, agreeable or not.
Michael C said | November 13th 2009 @ 11:13am | Report comment
you read that as ‘whining’???
I wrote it as viewing this topic from a player welfare perspective.
The Bear said | November 13th 2009 @ 1:57pm | Report comment
Player welfare perspective? It came across more like AFL welfare. Your “logical extension” disappeared up it’s own arse, to put it bluntly.
Ben of Phnom Penh said | November 13th 2009 @ 10:59am | Report comment
It is good to see this article and some of the posts that are showing a willingness to destigmatise mental illness. It is a problem prevalent in society and sadly it takes high profile cases for it to be brought back to our collective attention.
Kento said | November 13th 2009 @ 11:55am | Report comment
Touching piece Jesse, beautifully written.
Joe FC said | November 13th 2009 @ 12:10pm | Report comment
Nice work Jesse.
Brett McKay said | November 13th 2009 @ 12:11pm | Report comment
great piece Jesse, all very well said. Enke’s case just proves that depression and mental health generally don’t discriminate. Even the most outwardly upbeat and happy individual can be carrying an unbearable battle inside them, and no-one should have to go through that on their own.
I’ll reiterate Michael C’s comment above, if anyone’s brother, father, husband, team-mate, colleague, barista, barman, or whoever is participating in Movember, then give them your support, and donate whatever you can.
midfield general said | November 13th 2009 @ 12:17pm | Report comment
A complex issue, but depression, anxiety and suicide are not uncommon among high achievers in any walk of life. Their self esteem and acceptance by others are completely conditional on how successful they are in their field, and when they hit a blip they just don’t know how to cope – somthing for all pushy parents out there to think about. Having said that the death of his daughter was a major contributor.
Pippinu said | November 13th 2009 @ 12:34pm | Report comment
Jesse
good article.
There are definitely lessons here that can be applied across the whole of the Australian sporting landscape, and beyond.
Zac Zavos said | November 13th 2009 @ 12:43pm | Report comment
Brett – nice suggestion.
I’ll put a call out for all Roarers who are growing Mo’s this November and aim to list them somewhere so we can drive some donations.
Apart from the obvious candidate – Spiro – is anyone else on this thread participating in Movember?
Brett McKay said | November 13th 2009 @ 12:49pm | Report comment
Great idea Zac, anything to help the cause…
Vicki said | November 13th 2009 @ 1:54pm | Report comment
A well written article Jesse. Thank you for shedding light on the issue. Depression is an illness just like any other illness while it’s serious it can be treated and people with depression deserve compassion and understanding not being stigmatised.
Midfielder said | November 13th 2009 @ 2:58pm | Report comment
Jes
Sober article and it is something we should never take for granted … a younger cousin of mine hated school and left school at 15 and went to work on a farm…
He came back from the farm and appeared to be fine at 18 he killed himself and left a note that the farmer had molested him… the police got involved very messy nothing could be proven … but over 20 years ago my cousin had deep depression and shame…. no one in the broader family does not feel guilty but he hid it so well and he just wanted to be excepted…
Everyone should be aware of it…
Andre Krueger said | November 13th 2009 @ 8:00pm | Report comment
I know Robert Enke very well, a great nice person, fantastic sportsman, fair and loved person.
35.000 people went on the street to say goodbye, 50.000 and more are coming to his farewell on Sunday at his stadium.
Now we know he was very sick, a kind of sickness we can not understand. In his last letter he said that he will leave this world, so no one will ever heard that he is sick !!??
He was out of this world in his last few hours. He hoped, when he is gone, no one knows what is happened to him.
I was at the place where was hit by the train, he walked straight and looked at the train …. It was raining, and fresh ….. Than it was over for him. – He is saved …. That’s what he thought … but its not over for the train driver, not for his so lovely wife, not for his adopted child, not for his thousand of fans and kids, who called him an idol.
At the end it’s a tragedy, and I am afraid that many will follow him.
He is still the nice guy for me, ever, but he made a bad mistake. Not only for his self …but for many other people.
Andre Krueger from Hanover.
Freud of Football said | November 13th 2009 @ 8:24pm | Report comment
The person I certainly feel for here is the train driver. Yes its extremely hard for his wife and he has left a kid behind which is extremely unfair on the both of them and particularly his wife, obviously she has this the hardest.
But I’ve been quite annoyed by the selfishness of people throwing themselves in front of trains before – I missed picking up relatives from the airport, they stood in a foreign place for 4 hours, totally confused and I couldn’t contact them because the trains weren’t going after someone decided they needed to kill themselves this way – and this is no exception.
Yes he was depressed and that is a terrible illness and he was obviously suicidal but we are to “accept” that his last act was to go and ruin someone elses life? Perhaps none of the oh-so sensitive Roar crowd cares about this but something like this holds up traffic for hours, what of all the people who were late to their anniversary dinners, missed 3-4 hours of a girlfriends birthday, how do you think this delay has affected their lives? These aren’t “inconveniences”, they are just unnecessary to put on the rest of society.
How do all of the well-wishers think that the train driver is holding up? He just killed a man, it wasn’t his fault but he was the one sitting at the front of the train, he saw the whole thing and yet everyone is writing the nice obituaries about Enke, not about how selfish peoples actions can be.
Art Sapphire said | November 13th 2009 @ 11:27pm | Report comment
Your priorities are pretty warped Freud.
You must become apoplectic when a plane or late is delayed or 3 to 4 hours late due to the weather.
Why can’t you accept that somethings are out of you control. That’s what the essence of life is.
Just like what happened to the train driver. Everyone feels sympathy for him and everyone hopes he copes with whats happened to him. Humans have a wonderful ability in the main to endure and to overcome tradgedies. There are millions of examples of this. This is what makes us what we are.
There is no point getting angry about a tragic circumstance.
Lastly, I don’t think most of the roar readers are over-sensitive, they just have different insight and perspective
You come across as sort of Nietzchean Ubermensch.Is this what you strive for??
Well, if thats your gig, good for you.
But it ain’t mine.
Kurt said | November 14th 2009 @ 12:23am | Report comment
Oh FFS Freud normally you have some interesting comments to make but can you not find it within yourself to recognise what this guy must have been going through and show a little compassion? Yes suicide is a selfish act, possibly the most selfish act a human being can carry out, but surely the fact that someone who was by all accounts a decent person took this step says something about his despair.
But I mean if you were delayed in picking up relatives at the airport, well then I can only empathise with your horrible plight you poor dear chap.
Freud of Football said | November 14th 2009 @ 12:36am | Report comment
No, Enke didn’t interrupt me picking up relatives from the airport, that was some other git. There are plenty of ways to kill oneself and if one really desperately wants to do it and doesn’t see any other way out, that is indeed sad but they don’t need to go and wreck everyone elses life.
dasilva said | November 14th 2009 @ 8:44am | Report comment
I don’t believe this
yeah why doesn’t Enke just hang himself, slit his wrist, ingest poison, blow his head off with a shotgun
That’s a far more selfless way for suicide
I’m quite sure most of the people who were inconvenience by this suicide were thinking about their own sense of mortality instead of blaming Enke
I’m quite sure most of those people who were late or couldn’t make their appointment would get some understanding from their boss/girlfriend/wife/children etc.
Yes it is selfish but there’s point being bitter and angry about it
Midfielder said | November 13th 2009 @ 10:47pm | Report comment
Bravo and well put Andre.. well said..
megatron said | November 13th 2009 @ 10:45pm | Report comment
Well said Jesse. May he rest in peace and may the millions who suffer from this terrible illness find peace within their own lives. It’s time for society to understand the impact of this killer and try and help the sufferers find peace.
Midfielder said | November 14th 2009 @ 12:04am | Report comment
Jes
Maybe because of my cousin but I @!&%$% cannot find the right word … but enjoy nay respect nay appreciate nay all those …but when an artist in a song crosses that line and speaks of an warns of normally unspeakable things.. here are some songs that just come to mind.
Elton John ……. Song for Guy
REM…………… Everybody Hurts
Five for Fighting .. Superman
Gary Jules …. Mad World … imo pulls at the heart the most …
Melaine … Rugby Tuesday … heaps of other including the stones have done this song … but Melaine does the best version..
J.D. Souther … Your only Lonely
And then the songs about dependence but classic songs crying out for help..
Pink Floyd……. Comfortably Numb
Enya ……. May it be ( AHHhh what a voice)
John English or Metallica …. Turn the Page.
Heaps more I am sure
gazz said | November 14th 2009 @ 1:59pm | Report comment
what a shame of a story. well put Jesse, but this whole story just sickens me. i still can’t quite believe it.
Kath said | November 22nd 2009 @ 9:03pm | Report comment
The idea that spectacular talent and material reward offer some sort of protection against the vagaries of life is a recurrent theme in the comments on this excellent article.
In reality, the super-talented are very often isolated in lonely towers of high expectation and punishingly hard work. Worst, they are starved of the true intimacy we need before we reveal our real pain to others. No amount of material comfort can protect people from the lethal effects of loneliness.
Big talent and lavish reward may look invincible from the outside. Whether they’re on the sporting field, in the performing arts or corporate life, most of those with talent and reward will tell you that when the chips are down, it’s still one hell of a solitary ride.