Twenty Years After Watching "Dead Poets Society"

If I have to name one movie that has influenced how I view life, it is "Dead Poets Society". More than two decades later, I still remember it fondly, and I still endorse its message. In fact, if anything, I endorse it more than before, as I now understand the nuance of the message.

It is no wonder that the young actors of the movie have since remained close friends, and in many ways, lived lives that are based on the message of the movie. It is no wonder that they identified to some extent with the characters they played, as they were also around 20 years old, just as I was, when I first watched the film in Beijing, utterly transfixed by it.

The other day, it was on TV, and I happened to have caught parts of it. If over twenty years ago I took away from the movie an excessively zealous message of "living life to the fullest to do something extraordinary", I now can see that Mr. Keating also advocates for a balance of daring and caution, a time for risk-taking and a time to retreat. Most importantly, he did not advocate being different for the sake of difference, or challenging authority for the sake of it, or even creativity for the sake of creativity. It is indeed about living your life deliberately, in a way that makes you feel most happy and fulfilled. Twenty years ago, I did not realize that - I thought that it was all about doing something great and being someone great. It turned out that I could not have been more wrong. It is about listening to others while thinking for yourself; it is about taking road less traveled because that really will make you happier; it is about staying cautious when your judgment tells you that you cannot afford a certain risk.

Overall, I now understand the movie much better. It is not telling us to treat everyone whom we consider pedestrian as if they were embodiment of Neil Perry's father. It is not telling us to abandon a more traditional path to pursue something wild - after all, even Neil made sure to get all As while preparing for the play. It is not telling us that we should do whatever we like, irrespective of the impact on others. It is simply telling us to do what we believe, when the only thing holding us back is our self doubt or fear of judgment by invisible people with no vested interest in us.

Yes, we should seize the day, even when we are 40 years old. Interestingly enough, I think the message of "carpe diem" is even more relevant for 40-year olds than 20-year olds.