Tuesdays With Morrie - Essay Example

There is a wise saying that says that when one is living with no sense of direction, it is equated to like navigating in the sea or ocean with no compass. But for my case, I can restate that wise saying by stating that if an individual is living in this world without inspiration, it should be equated to living without feelings. Thus, inspiration is deemed to be a lamp that always directs our way. The inspiration can be a life experience or theory. A lot is being learned about life through literature. It is therefore through literature that most of us profit from the theories or life experiences of others. After going through other peoples' ordeals that we can compare there's with ours such as that of Morrie's.

The book of Tuesday with Morrie is a poignant story that centers on death and life. Tuesday with Morrie is a special book. Among the many books I have read, few of them have gladdened me the way it has done. The story is founded on true happenings which come to light in the entire life of the one writing it. Initially, before reading this novel, I had thought it was just a motion of pictures that are starring Lemmon since I didn't know that the whole novel was a true story authored by Mitch Albom. The book focuses on a professor who shares his life attitudes and experiences with his much-loved students before he passes away. I was astonished and bewildered as I got underway through the book. Its lessons are fable-like. The lessons are revealing incredible writing skills, wisdom, and friendship.

The novel tells us of a retired university sociology professor of Brandeis known as Morrie Schwartz. He is mirrored giving powerful lessons of life to the author, Mitch Albom, who was his former student. The author had promised to be in contact with his professor but failed terribly until he happened to remember him on his dying bed. The professor was ailing from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. This was a severe disease that was debilitating. It had no know medication was the professor diagnosed with it. The author who is Mitch has reunited once again with his favorite lecturer after Solid years of losing contact with him. The entire period the former student had lost in touch with his instructor, Morrie was handed over an opportunity to instill on Mitch, the real denotation of life from the lecturers' personal life experience. The professor once again invited him to his house to come every Tuesday for fourteen weeks where they could chat out on some issues ranging from death, forgiveness, money, marriage, fear of aging, family, and emotions among others.

All they did discuss amongst themselves touched Mitch and some other readers including myself. From my point of view, I will state that all patients who have chronic, terminal or debilitating diseases like that of professor Morrie have that aptitude to experience emotions although their entire physical body may be seen dying. Thus, such patients need to be accorded pharmaceutical care which is tailored and individualized to meet their psychological and emotional needs. Through this personalized attention, they may stand a chance to improving their quality of life and managing their depressions. From the novel, it is evident that Morrie was capable of going the entire painful ordeal in his life with a heart of acceptance and an incredible perspective as he was on proper health care despite not receiving medications that were specific for his ALS.

In the entire book, there are three quotes that I can relate personally. These three quotes always liven my world. Morris says, "The truth is, once you learn how to die, you learn how to live" (P.51). This quote is of great significance. Despite the fact that he is dying, he still sees how life is so purposeful. Life is predestined to be jam-packed with elements of relationships, happiness, and joy through its end. The end should not be coupled with sorrow despite knowing that you are going to die in the next minute. Morrie is a living example who acknowledged the purposeful of life. He viewed life precisely the way he wanted since, in his entire life, he was not short of happiness. That is why one should advise not to be unhappy at the lee end.

Another life-related life experience from Tuesday's with Morris is a quote saying (p. 52), "The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and to let it come in. Let it come in." Love is a unique thing, and it should be embraced (p. 52). Let no one cheat one another that he or she isn't worth to be loved or love back. If one let is the purity of love to his or her heart is either being too soft or welcoming heartbreaks. But deep in my heart, I understand that the only rational act in this world is love. Thus, as Morrie himself longed the love of Mitch, I should also encourage others to let in love occupy their hearts since love makes our lives complete. A life that lacks love is meaningless. I say meaningless because it may result in the long run to sorrow, loss, loneliness, and pain.

The quote that always makes my heart and soul sink is when Morrie says, "Death ends a life, not a relationship" (p. 174). Deep in my heart, this part of the book always makes me shade a tear despite being a man. At the age of twenty-three years, I have witnessed most of my family members pass away. I have been feeling their unplanned departure and gone forever from us as being heavy and unbearable in my heart, but this quote has livened me that life is only brought to an end by death, but the relationships that I had with the departed soul will remain to be in existence. The book has given me hope that despite the ones who have passed away are physical out of reach; I will always treasure the relationship that we had together.

Apart from my personal experiences relating to Tuesday with Morrie, the book is of significance to our class. The lessons that are learned from this novel can be incorporated into the Happiness 101 video done by Tal Ben to assist one on how to understand the stress entirely in one's life. Learn to accept oneself, develop wellness skills, and create a meaningful vision, reality check and how to come up with positive choices. From the video of Happiness 101, it is clear that Tal Ben asserts that happiness is the only thing that everyone aspires. Happiness can only be realized when one has a peace of mind. Tal discusses vividly all it takes to nurture happiness in one's heart and those of others. Emotions, stress, and exercises are all taken into accord and addressed in totality; they can make one happy.

Therefore, from both the video done by Tal and Morrie, it evident it is us as individuals who are supposed to make others happy and ourselves too. All this is achievable by taming all our negative thoughts. Morris says, "Study me in my slow and patient demise. Watch what happens to me. Learn with me" (p. 57). This statement energizes everyone in class since it advocates everyone to come up with positive thoughts and choices. At a time that one is bedridden on his deathbed, the way they always perceive life is not the same way a healthy person does. Bedridden people always realize what is of significance and what aren't. Mitch affirms this by stating that, "Morrie would walk that final bridge between life and death, and narrate the trip." (P. 157)

Learning to accept oneself, creating a meaningful vision and developing wellness skills are other themes learned from the Tuesday with Morrie and Happiness 101 video. If one could take and live a day at a time, he or she then could live a happy life. As for Morrie, he seems to be happy to have all the time in the world to bid farewell to his loved ones despite knowing he is edging closer to his death is a sign of contentment with his time on earth. He lives a day at a time. The author says Morrie even saw himself being so lucky hence, such artless words have a pool of facts for every one of us. We at all times be ready to bid farewell to the world that keeps us host. As we accept to say goodbye, we should also remember always to devote our quality time to our loved ones. At the same time, let's relish our emotions to the chock-full but knowing that money can't buy the true happiness. Always pay close attention to the people surrounding us and their talk as we decide our own rules and never let the society steer our destiny as Morrie affirms this by stating that, "Invest in the human family. Invest in people. Build a little community of those you love and who love you" (p. 91).

All in all, the main theme is not embracing death or life according to me, but to open our mind and heart to the basic lessons that come forth from some pain, adversity or illness trying to instill in us. Morrie himself accepted the presented truth of his circumstances devoid of delusions and defeat. Despite the situation he was in, he didn't coil himself from instilling some facts about the real life to Mitch. In fact, Morrie took action by continuing to teach the social Psychology class he had even though the reality dawned on him that he won't be able to finalize on his course. Upon one recognizing the dreadful issues that are facing him or her, it depends a lot on how you can be able to recognize it and turn that issue and make it newer again and even lead it to higher stages of life existence.

Work cited

Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays with Morrie. Demco Media, 2002.