Oh Captain, My Captain
I was getting ready to start posting again. Life was calming down, about to go on vacation, and I was finally ready to catch up with everything else I have missed for the last couple of months.
Robin Williams is dead.
It's such a surreal thing to type. I mean of course at some point I knew he would die, we all die. But not now, not this early, not the way he went. I will not speak of the darkness that claimed him. I will speak of the light.
Williams had many brilliant performances in his life. He was, as the best comedians are, able to walk that fine balance and capture the joy and sorrow of life, to make it feel real and wonderful and almost out of reach. Usually when someone wants to point out the brilliance of Williams they go for his Oscar performance in Good Will Hunting. And it is brilliant. That scene with him dissecting the genius and how he distances himself from life is probably one of the best character scenes I have seen in a film. But it's not how I remember Robin Williams.
No, the first time I really noticed him was in the Dead Poets Society. And that role, that movie forever changed my life. Because really, when you boil that movie down, it's all about realizing that you are a human being, that you have a soul, have passion, and that this world that we try to make sense of every day is always beyond our understanding, is beautiful and vast and mysterious and sometimes hurts and sometimes takes our breath away. But we should experience it, we should take the day and live it so much so that our very ghosts will whisper in the ears of those who follow us "carpe diem". It let me know that being different wasn't wrong, in fact being different, being passionate was the key to it all. If I could learn how to harness it and grow my life, maybe it could become something amazing. Mr. Keating was right.
My life is great and full of joy and passion and peace (and of course craziness, no one gets away from the craziness). And a good part of that is due to that movie, to that character Mr. Keating, who never gave up on trying to let people be individuals instead of another cog in the machine. For that understanding Mr. Williams, I am truly grateful. Thank you, wherever you are.
ETA: Three years ago I wrote a post about the realities of mental illness/suicide, and it still applies: http://towersofgrey.livejournal.com/75810.html
Please, talk to me or someone you feel comfortable with about this; there are hotlines everywhere staffed with people ready to listen if you just want to speak anonymously. You are not alone, you are loved. We will get through this together.
Robin Williams is dead.
It's such a surreal thing to type. I mean of course at some point I knew he would die, we all die. But not now, not this early, not the way he went. I will not speak of the darkness that claimed him. I will speak of the light.
Williams had many brilliant performances in his life. He was, as the best comedians are, able to walk that fine balance and capture the joy and sorrow of life, to make it feel real and wonderful and almost out of reach. Usually when someone wants to point out the brilliance of Williams they go for his Oscar performance in Good Will Hunting. And it is brilliant. That scene with him dissecting the genius and how he distances himself from life is probably one of the best character scenes I have seen in a film. But it's not how I remember Robin Williams.
No, the first time I really noticed him was in the Dead Poets Society. And that role, that movie forever changed my life. Because really, when you boil that movie down, it's all about realizing that you are a human being, that you have a soul, have passion, and that this world that we try to make sense of every day is always beyond our understanding, is beautiful and vast and mysterious and sometimes hurts and sometimes takes our breath away. But we should experience it, we should take the day and live it so much so that our very ghosts will whisper in the ears of those who follow us "carpe diem". It let me know that being different wasn't wrong, in fact being different, being passionate was the key to it all. If I could learn how to harness it and grow my life, maybe it could become something amazing. Mr. Keating was right.
My life is great and full of joy and passion and peace (and of course craziness, no one gets away from the craziness). And a good part of that is due to that movie, to that character Mr. Keating, who never gave up on trying to let people be individuals instead of another cog in the machine. For that understanding Mr. Williams, I am truly grateful. Thank you, wherever you are.
Click to viewETA: Three years ago I wrote a post about the realities of mental illness/suicide, and it still applies: http://towersofgrey.livejournal.com/75810.html
Please, talk to me or someone you feel comfortable with about this; there are hotlines everywhere staffed with people ready to listen if you just want to speak anonymously. You are not alone, you are loved. We will get through this together.