Charlie Sheen

     I've been reflecting a little bit on this latest Hollywood drama.
     At first my attitude was one of indifference. I don't know any of these people personally and why should I care. Then I was entertained. I found it humorous to watch Charlie be an arrogant fruitcake on 20/20. I felt he was playing with the media and just trying to break the mold of censored  and controlled interviews.  He was drug free so he had to be acting on his own bad ass behalf. Sure, he has two women, but so do half the men in the industry. Sure he's done drugs and partied and bought hookers, but again, so have half the men in Hollywood. Big deal. He's a narcissistic boob and crazy to boot. NEXT! (yawn)
     Then...then I saw his children. Now, I'm not longer entertained. Now I'm sad actually. Before the world's eyes we see two innocent boys having to deal with this shit. Great. Is there no end to what America finds entertaining? I've already admitted I was too, at first. Oh how we love to set them up just to watch them fall.
     Why? What is the difference between this man's situation and a thousand other dysfunctional families. I'll tell you. Money. Money is what we think should change these situations. Money is what should prevent them in the first place. People with money have access to the best child care, doctors, lawyers and help.People like myself, who are money deficient, think we would never be in this situation if we were them. Maybe this wouldn't have even made the news had it been a middle class man having a midlife crisis.
     The truth has illustrated once again, money is nothing. Money can't heal brokenness or make good parents. Having everything at your fingertips doesn't mean you will be mentally or spiritually sound. Money has this way of causing people to think they are above it all. In the end, no amount of money will fix the damage done to these poor children.
     Just sayin'.

Two and a Half Men producer/show-creator Chuck Lorre had this to say in explaining his take on Charlie's mental health. I found this interesting---
      I understand that I'm under a lot of pressure to respond to certain statements made about me recently. The following are my uncensored thoughts. I hope this will put an end to any further speculation.
     I believe that consciousness creates the illusion of individuation, the false feeling of being separate. In other words, I am aware, ergo I am alone. I further believe that this existential misunderstanding is the prime motivating force for the neurotic compulsion to blot out consciousness.
     This explains the paradox of our culture, which celebrates the ego while simultaneously promoting its evisceration with drugs and alcohol. It also clarifies our deep-seated fear of monolithic, one-minded systems like communism, religious fundamentalism, zombies and invaders from Mars. Each one is a dark echo of an oceanic state of unifying transcendence from which consciousness must, by nature, flee.
     The Fall from Grace is, in fact, a Sprint from Grace. Or perhaps more accurately, 'Screw Grace, I am so outta here!'