Robin Williams In Memoriam 1951 – 2014
In the early 1990’s, while I was still studying English Literature and Language at the University of Havana, in Cuba, one of my all-time favorite movies was released, a film entitled “Dead Poets Society.” It sounded like dead people or something strange, but I was attracted to poetry, anyway, so I sat quietly and watched those movies on “La Película del Sábado” (movie session on TV on Saturday night), and “La Tanda del Domingo” (movies on TV, Sunday afternoon, with the critical (literary/cinematographic) analysis of Dr. Mario Rodríguez Alemán.
And sure enough, having read “Hamlet” by Shakespeare a few times, a skull mixed with poetry seemed scary and all, but it could only bring to the young mind, a strange but wonderful sense of magic, the fuel for dreams to come, the energy of great poets departed but never forgotten.
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After that, the magic of dreaming what I wanted to accomplish in Life continued, but the resolve and the method improved considerably. To this day, in the most boring circumstances, in the middle of difficult times, or in the less hopeful situations, one still thinks that when the Sun hasn’t set, we still have time to search, and find, and win.
Carpe Diem, Seize the Day, and you will win the trophy! ¡Aprovecha bien el día y vencerás!
Then the magic of those words lingered forever in my mind. Carpe Diem. Seize the day!
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“That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” (excerpt from the poem “O, Me! O, Life!” by Walt Whitman)
And you asked: “What will your verse be?” Exactly! What will our verse be in this Life?
When the years went by, and we grew up–without leaving the dreams behind, of course–and became, if you will, a bit less invincible, and Life gave a handful of problems and only a few solutions, for us to play and try and sort and match and learn, here and there, the old teaching became the perfect script for a happier existence.
In fact, it’s because of scenes like these ones, from a poem or a movie, that many of us have made a few or a lot of the moments in our own lives extraordinary, really extraordinary. Thank you, Mr. Keating. Thank you, Robin.
And now, to say a proper goodbye to a genius of acting and comedy, here are two of my favorite scenes (and movies), of all time.
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Robin, whoever wrote this script, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and yourself, man, for a tough, rebel kid trying to escape Socialism, like I was, turned social worker, and college professor, for a man with dreams, after the years, having loved, and having lost, nothing, absolutely nothing, tops this last scene. Thank you, Robin!
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Your words and your performances made a huge difference in many lives. I know they did in mine. And they ultimately helped me escape Socialism, and seize the day. And also love poetry and art more, and be a better person. And get to Rome and the Vatican one day, yes, and like you said, feel how the air where Michelangelo painted “smells” while looking up, upwards, to the sky, to the magnificent sky that is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Alright, one more. One more, for the road. Oh, man, you were good!
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You will be greatly missed, Robin, or should I say, Mr. Airman DJ Cronauer, Professor John Keating, Dear Doc Patch Adams, Mrs. Doubtfire, Dr. Sean Maguire. You were a great actor and a very funny and poignant comedian, a passionate artistic mind, and a beautiful human being.
So many great movies! So many great moments!
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May your Soul Now and Forevermore Rest in Peace, Robin Williams. Goodbye!
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Ricardo Trelles, teacher, writer, traveler, dreamer.
Ricardo Trelles 