I watched the Dead Poet’s Society yesterday, again. The last time I saw it, I was in college. It had left a very strong impression in my mind. Carpe Diem! Seize the day. It remained a persistent and romantic theme in all these years since.
This is about decisions and how they
make you feel. This is about Neil. Can you imagine a young seventeen year old,
all fresh and excited about life. He is very good – in academics and socially.
But more important is his courage. His friends are brave too, but he is a
natural leader. When he proposes, to reconvene the Dead Poet’s Society, he does
not bother to convince them. He knows; the thrill of doing something dangerous
and completely against the rules would be enough to bring his friends along.
They convince themselves! It is so refreshing to watch them. They love every
moment of their meetings. Not because they were breaking the rules. But they
were doing something for themselves, reading and writing poetry for themselves.
Otherwise, their lives were governed by authorities, who were determined that
they spent every moment in bettering themselves academically, for the future
where they would become bankers, doctors and lawyers.
Then comes the day when Neil’s
courage is tested. He can’t speak against his father who wants him to focus on
becoming a doctor. While his hearts wants to do something else. “I am trapped”
he says to his teacher. He is just so young. Dependent on his parents for
everything, especially for approval. He feels suffocated in his father’s
dreams, and by his own desires. What does he do? He chose out of life. You
might think that he choose an easy way out. But can you imagine how trapped he
must have felt? To be so good at something he loved, but knowing that there is
no chance of it in the present or future. It is rare for people to discover
what they like to do, and even rare to find themselves good at it. And here he
was, with his glorious discovery, only to find that the doors are shut for him.
I repeat, he was just a kid. He didn’t give himself the time to find out how
things actually happen. He just chose out.
But imagine how calm he must have
felt after taking that last final decision. He wasn’t trapped anymore. Nothing
could touch him or hurt him now. He was free from his own desires and those of
others. He didn’t need approval for his last action; he wasn’t bothered about
the repercussions. Can you imagine that freedom? Death can be liberating.
What if instead, life was like this?
If we could feel so liberated in life too?