O Captain! My Captain! A Crisis of Conscience

[DISCLAIMER]

*Dead Poets Society (1989) spoilers contained herein.

Photo credit, property of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, fair use

I can’t recall when I initially watched the coming-of-age drama film Dead Poets Society (1989), though I remember the first time was in my youth. In any event, I recently re-watched it for what may’ve been my third or fourth viewing of the film. Regarding the plot, one source states:

Painfully shy Todd Anderson has been sent to the school where his popular older brother was valedictorian. His roommate, Neil Perry, although exceedingly bright and popular, is very much under the thumb of his overbearing father.

The two, along with their other friends, meet Professor Keating, their new English teacher, who tells them of the Dead Poets Society, and encourages them to go against the status quo. Each does so in his own way, and is changed for life.

It’s fascinating how each time that I’ve watched the film I’ve parted with lessons worth remembering only to forget what I learned. Now, for posterity, I’m writing about one of the important takeaways. Concerning the last cited source, another source provides context:

Status quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the status quo refers to the current state of social structure or values.

In Dead Poets Society, Professor Keating flouts the status quo by teaching critical thinking. Having attained knowledge, wisdom, and understanding since initially viewing the film, I now view Professor Keating’s actions similar to that of philosopher Socrates, as one source states:

The Trial of Socrates (399 BC) was held to determine the philosopher’s guilt of two charges: asebeia (impiety) against the pantheon of Athens, and corruption of the youth of the city-state; the accusers cited two impious acts by Socrates: “failing to acknowledge the gods that the city acknowledges” and “introducing new deities”.

The death sentence of Socrates was the legal consequence of asking politico-philosophic questions of his students, which resulted in the two accusations of moral corruption and impiety.

At trial, the majority of the dikasts (male-citizen jurors chosen by lot) voted to convict him of the two charges; then, consistent with common legal practice, they voted to determine his punishment and agreed to a sentence of death to be executed by Socrates’s drinking a poisonous beverage of hemlock.

Regarding Professor Keating’s circumstances, “corruption of the youth” related to foregoing dogmatic school principles of tradition, honor, discipline, and excellence. Instead, he taught his students to think about enlightened self-interest. This is a topic I recently discussed with client X.

Before going further, brief context may be helpful. In the vein of corrupting the youth, my late mom practiced magic after obtaining a divorce from my dad who subscribed to the tenets of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. From both parents, I learned of Luciferianism, as one source states:

Luciferianism is a belief system that venerates the essential characteristics that are affixed to Lucifer, the name of various mythological and religious figures associated with the planet Venus. The tradition usually reveres Lucifer not as the Devil, but as a destroyer, a guardian, liberator, light bringer or guiding spirit to darkness, or even the true god.

According to Ethan Doyle White in Encyclopedia Britannica, among those who “called themselves Satanists or Luciferians”, some insist that Lucifer is an entity separate from Satan, while others maintain “the two names as synonyms for the same being”.

In my youth, I was taught that Lucifer was a light-bearer—as his actions in the Garden of Eden were said to have enlightened (having furnished knowledge to) Adam and Eve about their state of ignorance (lacking of knowledge, education, or awareness), albeit it against Jehovah’s desire.

Thus, the fallen angel who many regard as Satan brightened the minds of Jehovah’s children through bestowing knowledge, enlightened their paths regarding Lucifer’s wisdom, and advocated understanding when shining upon Adam and Eve the tool of critical thinking.

The words are bold and highlighted in the previous paragraphs, thus representing terms of Luciferian enlightenment. Regarding this outlook, I stated in a blogpost entitled Tower of Information:

Comparisons between Lucifer and Prometheus have been made by a number of people, as a sympathetic illustration of Lucifer the light-bringer is credited with being a spreader of information. If dissemination of information wasn’t what Jehovah intended, then Satan is viewed as bad.

Given this perspective, and considering how Jehovah of the Old Testament ostensibly desired for humans to remain ignorant, one can better understand Satan’s fall from grace. Furthermore, one can comprehend how some authority figures increasingly challenge the dissemination of information via the Internet.

Unlike most of the clients with whom I professionally practice Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)—individuals who intentionally remain dim, unenlightened, or in the dark concerning the spiritual matters I’ve discussed thus far, client X is well versed on this topic.

In this way, I think about the second chapter of Genesis and how Jehovah placed the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” in the Garden of Eden. I imagine that had client X been present for the event, this individual would’ve creatively prepared a savory dish using fruit from the tree!

When discussing with client X my approach to REBT through use of psychoeducational lessons, a scene from the recently viewed Dead Poets Society popped into my mind when the topic of Luciferianism arose. For context, in the film, Neil completes suicide via an express method.

When the matter is investigated, a pupil blames Professor Keating’s influence over students for an apparent causal element of Neil’s death. Ultimately, a number of schoolboys are coerced into signing a statement against their educator, as Professor Keating’s employment is then terminated.

The death of his career is a figurative representation of Socrates’s fate for having shed light to his students, apparently corrupting the youth. As Professor Keating gathers his belongings in a classroom filled with students—many who betrayed him—Todd has a crisis of conscience.

For clarity, a crisis of conscience is a relatively profound, emotional, and ethical dilemma in which a person’s moral convictions clash with external pressures, such as authority or social expectations, forcing a hard choice between doing what is right or complying with expectations.

In Todd’s case, a crisis of conscience represented a conflict between his personal integrity and situational necessity that involved the termination of Professor Keating’s employment. An element that influenced Todd’s ultimate reaction was a poem about which one source states:

“O Captain! My Captain!” is an extended metaphor poem written by Walt Whitman in 1865 about the death of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln. Well received upon publication, the poem was Whitman’s first to be anthologized and the most popular during his lifetime. […]

O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done;

The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won;

The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,

While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:

But O heart! heart! heart!

O the bleeding drops of red,

Where on the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! My Captain! rise up and hear the bells;

Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills;

For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;

For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;

Here captain! dear father!

This arm beneath your head;

It is some dream that on the deck,

You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;

My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;

The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;

From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;

Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!

But I, with mournful tread,

Walk the deck my captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

Lucifer was cast out of Heaven, enlightening humankind, as Lincoln plummeted to the Earth with the ringing of a gun being shot after shedding light of freedom. At least, that’s how versions of these imagined or real events have been disseminated throughout the years.

So, too, was the fate of Socrates’s life when apparently corrupting the youth by shining the light of wisdom to his students, as went Professor Keating’s career after having brightened the paths of his students by teaching critical thinking. These are illuminated tales with consequences.

Relevant to Dead Poets Society, Professor Keating introduced his students to Whitman’s poem “O Captain! My Captain!” After having collected his personal effects, the educator then began to exit the room which was full of his former students.

In a personally touching scene, Todd rose to his feet, as he then transitioned to standing on his desk—a technique taught to him by Professor Keating, in regard to viewing the world through a different perspective—and boldly declared, “O Captain! My Captain!”

This act of defiance to tradition, honor, discipline, and excellence represented praxis (exercise or practice of an art, science, or skill). Following Todd’s lead, nine other students stood on their desks to pay homage to Professor Keating, as eight other students remained seated at their desks.

I imagine client X as one who would bravely take a stand, even when behavior exhibited by others reflected cowardice (lack of courage or firmness of purpose). Unhelpfully, bravery of this sort is often met with unpleasant consequences. This is where two tools of REBT are relevant.

First, REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate that when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable assumption, not the occurrence itself, that causes an unpleasant Consequence. This is known as self-disturbance.

In particular, there are four predominate irrational beliefs which people often use to upset themselves: global evaluations, low frustration tolerance, awfulizing, and demandingness. When contemplating these unproductive beliefs, think of the acronym GLAD.

Additionally, from a psychological standpoint, people disturb themselves using a Belief-Consequence (B-C) connection. Of course, this isn’t to suggest that in the context of the naturalistic or physical world there is no Action-Consequence (A-C) connection.

For instance, if client X brings light to others regarding REBT techniques (Action), then some people may cast this individual out of social circles (Consequence). From an A-C perspective, the guiding light of REBT isn’t a matter which is always well-received [ask me how I know!].

Alternatively, if client X is rejected from social circles (Action) and Believes, “People are dim [G], and I can’t stand sharing a world with them [L], because they’re horrible [A], so I must even the score [D],” then client X will experience enragement while retaliating (Consequence).

Addressing how people upset themselves with unhelpful attitudes, the ABC model incorporates Disputation of unproductive philosophies of life in order to explore Effective new beliefs. Whereas rigid beliefs cause self-disturbance, flexible beliefs result in an un-disturbed condition.

Client X is used to my illuminating method of disputation. Thus, rather than self-disturbing, this individual often settles for self-distressed outcomes (i.e., frustration, annoyance, etc.). The former is akin to being forced to ingest hemlock while the latter is like being fired from a job.

Second, REBT uses unconditional acceptance (UA) to relieve the dimming effects of self-induced suffering. This is accomplished through use of unconditional self-acceptance (USA), unconditional other-acceptance (UOA), and unconditional life-acceptance (ULA).

Whereas the ABC model is a scientific approach to wellness, UA serves as a philosophical method for un-disturbing yourself. I view the former as an abortive approach to disturbance and the latter as a preventative method. Of course, not all REBT practitioners use the same style as I.

With my approach to REBT, I incorporate author Stephen Covey’s concepts regarding the circles of control, influence, and concern, as well as an area of no concern. UA maps onto the circle of control (USA), circle of influence (UOA), and circle of concern and area of no concern (ULA).

The circle of control encompasses only oneself, the circle of influence encapsulates elements which may be subject to one’s sway, the circle of concern engrosses most matters one can imagine, and the area of no concern relates to all content which isn’t yet imagined.

If client X is rejected from social circles, this individual can illuminatingly consider what control one has in one’s own fallible existence (USA). Similarly, client X could acknowledge that other flawed individuals aren’t required to influentially receive enlightenment (UOA) [most don’t!].

As well, client X may reasonably conclude that in the darkness of ignorance, countless people have come and gone—many who have actively rejected brighter paths set before them—as each and every one of us is headed toward the same earthly outcome of an inescapable death (ULA).

In closing, considering Dead Poets Society, O Captain! My Captain! Some cowardly behaved individuals will inevitably hang their heads in dullness of their figurative desks when seated in the metaphorical classroom of life. Alas, “we all can’t go” forward toward sunnier paths!

Though we may try to shed light upon others, most individuals will choose to remain dim and cling to the status quo. Too bad! Thus, let us acknowledge those who courageously stood atop their desks! These enlightened few are well worth the effort we exert, O Captain! My Captain!

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

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