Dead Poets' Society Revisited

I was fortunate today to be able to watch a great film like 'Dead poets' Society'. The film stars Robin Williams in the role of a teacher who inspires his boys in class to think for themselves, not conform, but freely express themselves. He leaves the school seeing his little students taking the path giants are made of. Mr. Keating, as played by Mr. Williams, has a singular belief that the purpose of education is to enable young minds to think for themselves. So, he asks the boys to follow their heart without worrying as to what the society has to say. Mr. Keating's character reminded me of Mr. Emerson who once wrote, "Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of its members, the virtue in most request is conformity." Truly inspiring.


Another strong message conveyed by the movie was that of seizing the day, "Carpe diem". Basis this message, Mr. Keating's boys find themselves daring to do things they normally wouldn't even dream of. So we see a student finally following his passion in acting, another kissing his beloved on her forehead, while still another who writes an article that sends ripples across the school and so on and so forth. The idea of seizing the day reminds me of Steve Jobs who said that when in doubt, he asked himself that what he would do if it were the last day of his life. The same helped him break his inhibition and propose to the girl he later married.

As Henry David Thoreau is quoted is the movie, "Too many men live lives of quiet desperation. Don't be one of them."




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