The unpredictable nature of the Universe can leave us feeling helpless, confused, anxious and even afraid of what is to come. Often, we wish for guidance on what to do to live a truly satisfying and meaningful life, while also avoiding the many pitfalls of life. Mitch Albom’s memoir Tuesdays With Morrie chronicles the author’s time with his Sociology Professor Morrie Schwartz sixteen years after graduation. Morrie is slowly dying of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and wishes to impart with Mitch important life values which will guide him to true happiness and self-actualization, through the practice of: humility, remorse, forgiveness, and love. This book has important significance to me because Morrie’s words ring true and can be applied
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Every Tuesday, the two would allow for their conversations to occur naturally but would always cover a different topic. For instance, the first Tuesday, Morrie teaches Albom about empathy and the world. We learn that because of his ALS Morrie feels empathy for people across the globe, even if he has never met them before. On the surface, it may appear that he can just empathize with them because he too is in pain, and dying. However, the significance of this is that Morrie is able to be open with his emotions and is not repressing “negative” feelings like sadness which our society commonly does. It is not as socially acceptable to cry in public as it is to laugh and smile. Like Mitch, this was also something that I wish I had known, that it was okay to be emotional, that I did not have to repress sadness or anger if it was expressed constructively. The novel continues in this structure, with Morrie explaining to Albom the importance of avoiding materialism, family, love, and embracing change. Morrie’s advice gave the stepping stones necessary to turn my life around and I have never regretted reading the book since. It allowed me to realize all that I had previously taken for granted. I wanted to love rather than hate, and leave behind a life which would leave a smile on the faces of those remembering
Every Tuesday, the two would allow for their conversations to occur naturally but would always cover a different topic. For instance, the first Tuesday, Morrie teaches Albom about empathy and the world. We learn that because of his ALS Morrie feels empathy for people across the globe, even if he has never met them before. On the surface, it may appear that he can just empathize with them because he too is in pain, and dying. However, the significance of this is that Morrie is able to be open with his emotions and is not repressing “negative” feelings like sadness which our society commonly does. It is not as socially acceptable to cry in public as it is to laugh and smile. Like Mitch, this was also something that I wish I had known, that it was okay to be emotional, that I did not have to repress sadness or anger if it was expressed constructively. The novel continues in this structure, with Morrie explaining to Albom the importance of avoiding materialism, family, love, and embracing change. Morrie’s advice gave the stepping stones necessary to turn my life around and I have never regretted reading the book since. It allowed me to realize all that I had previously taken for granted. I wanted to love rather than hate, and leave behind a life which would leave a smile on the faces of those remembering