Robin williams patch adams interview

Like the others in the film's hospital ward, she was fighting cancer. So having Williams make her laugh was real therapy for her. She was undergoing both radiation and chemotherapy for a tumor on her kidney. Williams nicknamed her "Little Buddha" because of her bald head. Today's she 22 and living in San Jose. Stanley has a photo album of the "Patch Adams" shoot. One of the photos shows Williams surrounded by the dozen children in the cast.

She remembers how he put their health and comfort first, all the while acting like one of them. I think Nelson Mandela is a global figure that has certainly shown a lot of courage and leadership.

And a lot of it is the leadership through service, like Jane Goodall, or Julia Butterfly Hill or people like that, who lead by example. LC : So, leading becomes something that you do as a service, rather than as something to gain more power. PA : Right. Power over and money are the things that will make humans extinct. It is the bottom line of money and power that has caused every single problem in the world that we have.

All of our environmental problems, all of the wars, all of the discrepancies between rich and poor, the place that media now has in the world. They're so shallow; tadpoles couldn't grow in the water that they exist on. I mean, unless the leader is there to serve, then they are being served by power and money. LC : Patch, you've traveled all around the world and seen many different horrors and difficult situations where people are disadvantaged, and you yourself have led by example.

Can you name a situation or circumstance in a country you've been in where you can show that more light has come out of the tunnel [without the train coming and hitting us], where you've seen others come out of their disadvantaged situations and become more healed?

PA : Well, whoever is universally friendly in life, sees it every day, all day long. They see it in what happens on an elevator when they go and say, "Hi everybody, how's it going? That's a nice tie. Instant gratification. And I've probably stopped 20 or more thousand fights. I mean, that's what's so beautiful about compassion and those efforts, is that you instantly get a great experience. LC : Has there been something recently that's happened, or an experience you can share with me where that's happened recently?

PA : I swear, every single day it happens. It happens with me all day long. I'm universally friendly. So in the grocery store, the interaction with the check-out person who--you see their name right on their chest. You can call them by their name and you can see how just calling them by their name they look at you in the eye and something happens.

If you just do even rudimentary communication with them--How's your day? If they've seen you in the store before, you already have a relationship with them, if you've been doing that over the years. So they call you by your name, even though you don't have a label. And you start building community. Instead of strangers being a frightening thing that we lock our car doors, our house doors, look away from when we meet eye contact, the world becomes your world.

LC : Are these the types of things that we need more in hospitals today, and how can we bring that into hospitals today? PA : Tell me a place where it's not needed? It's needed everywhere.

There's no place where loving, compassion, fun, creativity, understanding, generosity are not needed in the world.

It can benefit every single environment, from churches and prisons, to hospitals and legislative halls, to city streets and elevators. There's no place where I haven't done it that it hasn't obviously added something. PA : How does anyone who can safely call themselves human not feel empathy, in general?

Unfortunately, mostly we come at these discussions through a history of the way men have spoken of them, and men have been not the repositories, in history, of empathy.

Mothers have been. And it's women who are empathetic. PA: Well, money and power are male goals. I mean, they try to sell a bill of goods, and they've done a good job for a lot of women, but that didn't come from women, it came from man. Most our concepts of leadership are from men. LC : When you mention that most of the concepts of leadership are from men, is there any leadership example that you wouldn't follow from a certain man?

Is there someone in particular that you think might embody less desirable attributes in our society today? And vice versa? PA : Almost everything you see on TV is a pathetic example of everything human. PA : They're pathetic. LC : Because they're not sincere. That's what I'm hearing. PA : Who is sincere on television? The newspeople? Where does one see any sincerity on TV? TV is fake. It's owned by five companies whose sole purpose is to keep your attention to a set to sell products.

LC : If we were to change society in that matter, what would it look like, in terms of being able to work together or able to appreciate one another, in a way that you describe, without those attributes?

PA : Certainly, eliminate all of our weapons, instantly. Every single person. The world would be communities, interdependent on one another.

See, I'm looking for a world where compassion and generosity replace the position that money and power now have. Money and power own everything. I mean, I could give you good books to show you how abysmal. The leadership today is responsible for our extinction by mid-century.

That's the current leadership. We talked on the phone for an hour and I got to ask him all of my questions I had prepared. This interview was life-changing for me and I hope it will be for you, too.

My intention and hope for this article is that it touches your life in many ways. That you become inspired to live with more relief, that you become less afraid to express your laughter fully, and that you get to know more of this incredible human being.

How were you able to overcome unbelievable adversity in your life? After my third mental hospital, I decided I would never again have a bad day.

Instead, I decided that I would only be six qualities: happy, funny, loving, cooperative, creative and thoughtful. That is so perfect. We can choose the kind of person we want to be in our lives. Adversity, for me, is the worst disease in history. I truly believe that things happen in our lives, horrible things sometimes, but even in the midst of what we perceive as trouble we can find something beautiful —always.

I think that is what you did and continue to do. Look at you, Hailey. You are beautiful, already have two books and a great man in your life. You are so sweet. Thank you for saying that. The saddest people I have ever met are people that were born with a deformity, or a person with their faces burned, people who believe they repulse people everywhere they go.

They want everything else any other human would want; to be loved and feel connected. Can we just pause the interview here and acknowledge how wonderful this statement is?

Think about it—people think that having a flat tire or sitting in traffic is adversity. But is there any adversity such as great as rejection? Which is why I have dedicated my life to speak about human connection and the power of human touch, love, and acceptance. I dove into the ocean of gratitude and never found the shore. Mmmmm beautiful. Simply beautiful. I believe being thankful immediately connects us to a higher loving power.

It launches us out of our sea of problems, even if only for a moment. Key Takeaways: Where is your focus flowing? On the things you cannot control, or the things that make you feel alive and grateful? You get to choose the world you live in.

Every day you can be on the lookout for miracles and the things that you make you feel grateful. Or you can choose to keep sharing your problems and feeding your stress. Laugh today! Find someone to accept and love. Find somebody who has less than you and give them something that you have. What we're interested is in the idea focus.

I think Robin himself is compassion, generosity and funny. I like to think that that's who I am, and so I think he was the only actor I wanted to play me, and I think he did a fabulous job, and my friends around the country are feeling that he gives that basic message. Q: Well, you described yourself as complicated and eccentric. But we appreciate your time and stopping by.

And best of luck to you with the book and the movie and of course the institute there in West Virginia. PATCH: It's with my favorite cartoonist, Jerry Van Amerongen, and it's a real basic primer on how to visit a patient and make that a joyful experience and how to be healthy.

Headline News brief. CNN networks. CNN programs. Go To Theatrical preview for "Patch Adams" Windows Media:. Video clip: 2. The book by Adams that was turned into the movie.