robin williams

***pc: mark mann***why write about him?I could write about the unfathomable horrors that have wrenched my heart the past few weeks in the east, and they should be talked/prayed/done something about,but I haven't fully sorted my thoughts out on that subject, and quite honestly I have no idea what I would say...the very word horror means:

"an overwhelming and painful feeling caused by something frightfully shocking, terrifying, or revolting; a shuddering fear"

my heart is unbelievably overwhelmed and pained for the mother's, father's, children, families that are living this very second in a real-life horror that I can only watch movies about to even come close to emoting a minute fraction of what they feel. (side-note: I'm not without hope in this feeling of horror, prayer to an all-knowing God who has said "vengence is mine".  for two reasons: one, the venence He has displayed to people opposing Him is overwhelming, but for an entirely different reason and two, it brings me hope and I'm still currently chewing on the words that tyler talked about on sunday (if you'd like more to chew on, the podcast is worth a listen to)I could write about the laundry list of blog posts I've had lined up. there are many beautiful images I've had the privilege to take...but somehow it doesn't seem right to move on as if his death didn't move me.so why write?did I know him? nope.did I agree with everything that he was about as a person? probably not.no, I write about him today because of the way he lived his life...a life that I got to watch from the outside-looking-in was filled with roller-coaster-esque passion, wit, emotion, intelligence and very much worth writing about.I get poked at sometimes for "loading up" people I meet or talking to openly about specific things that I like about the people I love...someone tweeted this yesterday:"Seeing all of the kind words about Robin Williams makes me wonder how today would have been for him if it had all been said yesterday."so no, I won't apologize for "loading up" those I love...it's a good thing, not a bad thing.I think the world would be better off if we made more of an effort to say the things to each other that are good while there is still time to.these are my thoughts on Robin Williams.he was a great pretender...that is what I've decided to call actors.they pretend.everyone learns to pretend at some point in their childhood...we see something or someone that we want to emulate and we pretend...usually it's super-hero's like superman or spiderman...for my son it was Dash from the incredibles...he would literally need to run fast everywhere we went in pretending to be like him. :)I tend to think that actors are just grown-up children who have managed to tap into that imagination longer than the rest of us and who also have been talented with incredible communication skills.the really good pretenders have the ability to make you feel and experience things you might not ever see/feel in real life.they provide sort-of escape from reality in watching them pretend...like a favorite character from a beloved book but one you can visually see and touch.my dad used to wonder aloud (tongue in cheek) if maybe he was such a great pretender was because he was filled with a legion of humorous demons...sounds weird but when he explained it, it made sense...the wit and voices that would flood from his mouth astounded the world and seemed other-worldly...I honestly don't think there is anyone who comes close to the amount of voices/characters he could play.  aladdin was proof of that. :)he was so good at pretending to be so many different things that when you would see him on talk shows being interviewed, however there were times I couldn't help but wonder if the voices and one-liners were really him or figments of what he let us see who we thought "robin williams" was.as a teenager, I fell in love his passion in one of my favorite movies...his character was not just passionate in teaching but in genuinely loving the boys in his class and wanting to see them succeed as men."We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?""Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation." Don't be resigned to that. Break out!""Avoid using the word ‘very’ because it’s lazy. A man is not very tired, he is exhausted. Don’t use very sad, use morose. Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women - and, in that endeavor, laziness will not do.”one of my all time favorite lines in a movie:"But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? - - Carpe - - hear it? - - Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary."he played a myriad of other roles in other favorite film's of mine (hook, jack, good will hunting, jumanji, mork + mindy, good morning vietnam, what dreams may come, aladdin, awakenings, august rush, happy feet 1+2) but the four films with profound quotes from characters that he's played that taught me about character that are sticking out to me are:night at the museum: to be a leader."Anything's possible, Lawrence. If it can be dreamed, it can be done.""Some men are born great, others have greatness thrust upon them."oddly enough - one hour photo: the details matter...it was a twisted, dirty movie and one that part of me wishes I could un-experience...but his character made me scared, grossed-out and somehow feel sad for him all at the same time...this quote stuck with me:"And if these pictures have anything important to say to future generations, it's this: I was here. I existed. I was young, I was happy, and someone cared enough about me in this world to take my picture.The shutter is clicked. The flash goes off and they've stopped time, as if just for the blink of an eye."patch adams: to be compassionate."What's wrong with death sir? What are we so mortally afraid of? Why can't we treat death with a certain amount of humanity and dignity, and decency, and God forbid, maybe even humor. Death is not the enemy gentlemen. If we're going to fight a disease, let's fight one of the most terrible diseases of all, indifference."what dreams may come: to love deeply and to dream vividly."What some folks call impossible, is just stuff they haven't seen before."it saddens me that this great pretender is gone from this life.he taught me a few things about mine that I thought were worth writing about and I'm thankful to him for that.