O Captain, My Captain

I was so saddened  to hear about the death of Robin Williams yesterday. He was an amazing talent and will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. Depression effects not only the person experiencing it but their family and friends as well. It shows that you can’t always tell by looking at someone what they are experiencing on the inside. Sometimes those that have the biggest smile are feeling the most profound pain.

You made us laugh, you made us cry but you always had us as your devoted fans.

Rest in peace O Captain, My Captain!

Dead Poets Society (1989)
Screenwriter(s): Tom Schulman

‘O Captain, my Captain.’ Who knows where that comes from? Anybody? Not a clue? It’s from a poem by Walt Whitman about Mr. Abraham Lincoln. Now in this class, you can either call me Mr. Keating, or if you’re slightly more daring, O Captain, my Captain. Now let me dispel a few rumors so they don’t fester into facts. Yes, I too attended Hell-ton and survived. And no, at that time I was not the mental giant you see before you. I was the intellectual equivalent of a ninety-eight pound weakling. I would go to the beach and people would kick copies of Byron in my face….

‘Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.’ The Latin term for that sentiment is Carpe Diem. Now who knows what that means?…Seize the day. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. Why does the writer use these lines?…Because we are food for worms, lads. Because, believe it or not, each and every one of us in this room is one day gonna stop breathing, turn cold, and die.

Now I would like you to step forward over here and peruse some of the faces from the past. You’ve walked past them many times. I don’t think you’ve really looked at them. They’re not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they’re destined for great things, just like many of you. Their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen. Do you hear it? (whispering in a gruff voice) Carpe. Hear it? (whispering) Carpe. Carpe Diem. Seize the day boys. Make your lives extraordinary.

No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.
~ Robin Williams

You’re only given one little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.
~ Robin Williams

Great links in memory of a great man:

• Remembering Robin Williams in Photos (Huffington Post)
• Remembering Robin Williams (Mashable)
• International Directory of Suicide Hotlines
• National Suicide Prevention Helpline (U.S.)
  1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK)