Okay... this is gonna be long. I watched that movie Dead Poets Society with my family tonight, and in the wake of Robin Williams tragic suicide, it took on a different level of relevance. In the movie, Williams plays the eccentric English literature professor, John Keating. He preaches to his students a message of Existentialism, a worldview that Williams, himself, embraced. It is the belief that there is no God, no creator who loves us and who has bestowed upon us a life that is rich with a value and meaning that exists independently of our own perceptions or misperceptions. For the existentialist, life is meaningless and purposeless unless we create that meaning and purpose for ourselves. The movie is a tragedy because one of the main characters has an earthly father that thwarts his efforts to fulfill his dreams, to create than meaning and purpose for himself, he takes his own life. Upon hearing the news, one of the young mans friends walks out into the snow, remarks about how beautiful it is, and then vomits. Sadly, I would have to agree that, if the only meaning in life comes from what I can generate on my own steam, regardless of the beauty that may surround me, nausea may well be the only appropriate response. In my life, I had my own John Keating, my own professor that had a dramatic effect on how I viewed life. His name was Wynn Kenyon, and he was a devout Christian and a humble, gentle, strong, and kind man. He taught me how to think Christianly, but beyond that, he pointed me consistently towards a sovereign heavenly Father who gives meaning and purpose to life, a meaning and purpose that reaches beyond the grave. While he, like Keating, encouraged me to follow my dreams, he also encouraged me to make my highest dream the pursuit of a God who loves and will not forsake me, a God who never fails to act on behalf of His children. He helped me to understand, embrace, and trust the words, If God be for us, who can be against us? He focused my gaze beyond the horizon. Wynn died a death far different from that of Robin Williams. While I mean no disrespect to Williams, I attended Wynns funeral and witnessed a great deal of grief, but not a shred of pity. His life was full, joyful, and though he was not nearly as animated as Williams character in The Dead Poets Society, he had a dramatic impact on a great number of his students. That which we believe, that which we embrace... matters.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 01:41:08 +0000
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