Seize The Day

(a small reflection on movie Dead Poet’s Society)

For me, the main message of the movie Dead Poet’s Society is Carpe diem (seize the day). I think these words came from Descartes, an old Greek philosopher. These words sound like “enjoy this day, don’t worry about your uncertain future and forget your bad past”. But, in our Christian point of view, it sounds like “live your moment, be thankful of every moment you have, or something like that”.

Henry J.M Nouwen wrote in his book that everyday is special, different from other days. This special day could be bad or good. Everyday God gives us our daily needs, he gives us graces we need for the day. We will find out the difference and the special moment of everyday, if we always try to find God in our very day and try to draw a meaning from our days. It’s one way to be thankful for God’s gifts. In this case, seizing the day means drawing a meaning from everything that happens, either good or bad, so that we can thank to God for everything we get.

Neil and his friends, in Dead Poet’s Society found the liberty and freedom they had never found before when they entered the high school. They were free from their parents who always controlled them. They also found a creative, future thought, and a pleasant teacher. The teacher always suggests that they seize the day. He would like to say that the liberty they have must be used properly, the long youth must be filled with many useful things. Although Neil had done many good and useful things, such as establishing the Dead Poet’s Society with his friend, and participating in the School Theater, he finally couldn’t help himself and killed himself when he found no more freedom from his parents.

When I wanted to enter the Society, the question that my examiner asked me is, “Why I chose SJ, not the other one?” At that time, my answer is that Jesuits look stricter than the others because their two-year novitiate looks so difficult and closed, different from other novitiates. My examiner told me that in the Novitiate I may found such things, but not in the next steps of my formation.

This has become true. During the novitiate, I had to follow the rule, the schedule and the command of my Novice Master. It is like a desert experience, a long-long way to the end of my step. But, it’s a beginning. And the beginning is always the most difficult part. But, I endured my life in the novitiate happily, because it’s my choice. I did find that what my examiner said was true. My novice master was also very strict. The schedule and the formation were very clearly proposed, very massive that I had no more time to relax. I realize that what I had to learn in this Novitiate would be useful in my further step, because in the next step, I would be very free from all schedules, commands and such things in the novitiate.

I feel Neil’s freedom now. I am free from the schedule, from the ringing bell that wakes me up, from the punishment of making mistake and so on. In this juniorate program, I find the liberty and freedom in the Society I had never found before. Now, these all are in my charge; they are my responsibility. In this case, my discernment is challenged. Can I manage one ward and my time so that I can study, pray, recreate and do exercise properly. Can I seize my day? These are the questions for me. I will try to manage my time and my schedule properly, so that I can prove that I really want to be a Jesuit, that I want the Society accept me as part of the companion of Jesus. I won’t kill myself by doing something useless or even making me unable to serve the Lord better.