As of a few minutes ago, I watched Dead Poets Society for the first time. All I can say is, damn, why didn't I watch this movie sooner. What an awesome film, which so effectively comments on the flaws of society and what it expects from us all.
In high school I remember reading Whitman and Thoreau: two poets whose work, among others, inspired the characters in this film, and a 17-year-old me. Ever since I was old enough to be aware of society, I have felt as though it is flawed. Both in what it emphasizes as important, and in how our desire for acceptance drives us to fulfill these empty and lonely pursuits. Reading the work of these two poets made me feel as though I was not alone in my thinking, and justified in rebelling against it.
Over the years, I have come to accept societal pressure as necessary, and not always evil. But there are times when I feel I give in to that pressure too much, and thus lose myself. It is during these times that I forget what it is that truly makes me happy.
Tonight, though, this movie reinforced my passion for living life freely and beyond what others expect. To be aware of the pressure to conform, rise above it, and follow what makes my heart sing despite those influences on the outside.
I will seize the day, and make my life extraordinary. And with that I will live life on my own terms.
To be continued...
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6 comments:
Girl......GOOD writing. Love it! I haven't posted my thoughts for the day because Duane is home and so, my schedule is a bit off. But, I'm here now, though and thought I'd start my blog time by checking in with your site, first for a bit of inspiration. And as always, I'm ready to write! ha ha! I think I've seen this movie once....and if I remember correctly, I liked it, too. I guess I'll have to see it again. You know....I know that you and I both get accused of being too hard on ourselves alot (at least I know I do). And I agree that......perfectionism is not a good thing. It's harmful and quite frankly, it's a cheap way of calling ourselves God. It's an asset gone to extreme just like any other character defect. But, the thing I struggle with is that I was wired a certain way. And part of my wiring involves doing my best in everything I set out to do (are you relating?). I won't ever justify perfectionism.....but I will say that those of us who slide closer to that side of the perfectionism vs. I-don't-care-about-anything scale put excellence as high on on their values list. That would be me. I value excellence in myself and in the world around me. And when I experience it or see it, it makes my heart sing. And I don't think there is anything wrong with that kind of a value system, except when my need for excellence begins to hurt myself or others. That's where things go south and I don't want to go there. Not sure if that had any revelence on what you wrote about.....I may have just gone on a tangent....ha ha! Perhaps I was struggling with that today and needed to process. ha ha! ANYHOW...loved your piece and can't wait to read part deux.
Perfectionism is an asset gone to extreme...I couldn't agree with that more.
Luckily, I am recognizing the fact that I am a bit of a perfectionist, and am taking measures to deal with it. That is, I'm letting myself be lazy every so often and justifying it! hehehe!
Yeah...it is a good thing, until it hurts someone. Usually that someone is me, though. Its hard to break out of sometimes, because it is as though the mind locks on it. Getting better, though.
And, getting more lighthearted and carefree by the day. Nice to let all of that heavy stuff just melt away!
I enjoyed your post today, keep writing!
Berta said, "I'm letting myself be lazy every so often and justifying it! hehehe!"
Yep....I have to force myself to do the same (just get lazy and let my hair down) or else I get that crappy., tight feeling in my chest (called anxiety and frustration) that makes me feel all icky inside and eventually spills out onto eveyone else around me. Not good. Easier said than done, but I'm trying. It's all about balance, and I struggle with that one big time......like now, for instance. I have about 30 minutes before I am supposed to go to an appointment at 10:00 am and I have yet to jump in the shower to get ready! ha ha! My extremist nature in me is enjoying my blog too much! I am still addicted, I think. Will this ever end???? AAAAAAArrrrrGGGG!!!! ha ha! Have a good one and I look forward to your next post. Will try to get mine out sometime today. I am in the process of possibly doing something on horses. Have been spending my 'appointed blog time' doing research (and posting comments!). BTW...who was the commentor that left the post (or was that spam????) in spanish? I see it was removed.
Hey! I found out how to make your picture bigger, or at least I hope so...
My picture is hosted by flickr. One of the options flickr gives you is to select a size. Once you upload your picture, you go into sizes and copy the link for the bigger picture then paste it onto your header thing.
Hope that works for you! Let me know. :o)
www.flickr.com
Aunt Katie - hehehe. see my latest post on that feeling of chaos related to days when either you or other things are pulling you in multiple directions.
Bee - thanks! I have been meaning to check out flickr for a while now. Now another reason.
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