Russell Crowe

Rusell Crowe was staying at the Mercer Hotel in New York City. He was upset that his phone wasn't working and he threw it at an employee. He was arrested and will have to go court to settle the charges. So...why did he do it? Here's what he said:

He blamed his state of mind on "the combination of jet lag, loneliness and adrenalin", having just returned to the US after a flying visit to London for the Kostya Tszyu fight, without wife Danielle.

"I'm at the bottom of a well. I can't communicate how dark my life is right now," Crowe said.

Here is a picture of Russell and his wife Danielle. And at their wedding. He also has a new movie out. On the surface, he has it all--a wealthy movie star, with a beautiful wife. But his actions reflected what was going on inside. It was pretty late at night when his phone wasn't working. Didn't he have a cell phone? I wonder if he was having a fight with his wife.

He said his life was dark! But now? I could imagine at the end of life, or when he was no longer famous. Then I could see how things could be dark. Or even if he was in the middle of filming a movie, and completely absorbed in a role. Or I could see him in a movie playing a depressed person, with those words coming out of his mouth, saying he was at the bottom of a well. But now? He has been married for two years and is now a father. These are things we all dream of--being a parent, having a secure job, providing for the loved ones in our life. Why isn't he happier?

The secret to happiness is being content with what you have. Even if you strive to be better, if it is for the purposes of fulfilling greed, you will be empty inside. Doing charitable things offers some degree of satisfaction, but it is amazing at how people do so much and gain so much and then are left empty. Something is missing and people look all over for it but they never find it.

Of course, Russell Crowe is an actor, so this could all be a publicity stunt that went out of hand. Or a ploy to make people notice him more--bad publicity for a movie star could be good. In any case, I didn't like Gladiator that much, and I am not planning to see his latest movie. But I think he is an excellent role model--if you are looking for happiness and contentment, look elsewhere.