It was a type of sadness that has multiple sides to it: the sadness that a person has taken his own life, the sadness that a person so talented is no longer with us, the sadness that someone who touched a chord in me is no longer with us.
There was the phenomenally talented Williams and, as we all know today, there was the Williams who struggled with addiction, financial instability and psychological challenges.
The Williams that is most memorable to me is the Robin Williams who played John Keating, in The Dead Poet's Society, a 1989 acclaimed classic. In this film, Williams as Keating merge in my memory…. Keating is an out-of –the-box English teacher who comes to an upper-class, all-boys prep school in Northeast USA, but it is not "English" that he ends up teaching but inspiration, vision, purpose and "calling".
Williams throws out the dry, boring and stifling syllabus that is dictated to him in favor of the "inspiration of poetry". Using the Latin words from classic poetry- "Carpe Diem", translated as "Seize the Day"- his words of guidance, and what follows is totally engrossing, motivating and moving. His "preppies" suddenly come alive with nightly meetings in nature, reading poetry from within passion, adventure is combined with self-expression, going beyond borders, passion for life and for living life.
It is only a matter of time that Keating is pounced on by the schools' conservative headmaster, virtually "crucified" by staunch conservative wealthy authoritarian parents- his time is limited at the school and all kids of sad, tragic things happen.
In the end though, Hollywood does not allow for our "good guy" to leave without getting credit for all he has done.
Keating is axed but not before his boys step up on the chairs of the room, tearfully and emotionally part with their teacher-mentor for life.
I cried in this movie, not an unusual thing as I often find myself tearing in the cinema, however, here it was different, more personal, more internal.
I was about 30 when the film came out, apparently far from being a teenager, but you know what? Not so far… because I think in many ways that I (and perhaps you as well?) are forever teenagers, looking to "suck the marrow from life", as we hear in the Dead Poet's Society. It is this "teenager-hood" in us that pushes creativity, innovation and "zest for life'" forward.
Robin Williams, the John Keating forever embedded in my memory, was a remarkable individual.
We miss you Robin, keep up that spark wherever you are and even if you today literally belong to the "Dead Poet's Society" we will never forget---Carpe Diem!
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