Tuesday's with Morrie

Tuesday's weren't the best days to me.. yet to Mitch Albom, it was the only day he waited for during the week..

The book talks about a professor "Morrie Shwartz" who is diagnosed of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Lou Gehrig's disease. A fatal disease that slowly affects your nerves and sort of paralizes your senses. Every tuesday Mitch would sit with his professor "Morrie" and discuss issues such as life, marriage, relationships, love and death. It was their final classes... their last "thesis" ..

A lot of lessons could be learnt from this book.. many of which we already know .. but hearing them from Morrie the guy who knows he is dying soon, makes a difference i guess.. and believe it or not .. that was the first book i actually have notes written on.. and arrows and lines ..

Why do we have to hold a grudge against someone... love them.. for one day you might need to have all those loved hearts around you when you are about to departure this life.. or at least you'd need as much of those souls to pray for you once you leave life..

Morrie as a character was a very very interesting one.. a very unique professor.. i learnt of teaching technique from this book .. it made me respect a good teacher even more..

"Have you ever really had a teacher? One who saw you as a raw but precious
thing, a jewel that, with wisdom could be polished to a proud shine? If you are
lucky enough to find your way to such teachers you will always find your way
back. Sometimes it is only in your head. Someteims it is right alongside their
beds."

"Teaching goes on" says Mitch... we learn every day.. and maybe every hour.. we just have to open up and accept those lessons ... lessons from life.. from people.. from animals.. from creatures.. everything in this life could teach something .. anything..

Morrie knew he was dying.. and he knew almost when.. it was when the disease reaches his lungs.. so he watned to talk about everything with Mitch.. this is what i believe is the best teaching method.. arguemnts.. sharing experiences.. discussions.. its a give and take process rather than a spoon feeding one...

Many parts i underlined to reread again .. soon.. one talked about how people chase materialistic things.. and make them their core priority.. Morrie said

" The way to get meaning into your life is to devote yourslef to loving others,
devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating
something that gives you purpose and meaning.."

Several times i debated with others about expressing love .. feeligns .. whatever the feelings were.. but more essentialy.. love.. sometimes we feel we want to keep those feelings to ourseleves.. another line i underlined was:

"The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and to let it
come in.."

Accept those feelings.. willingly.. they do make the heart softer.. and the feelings sweeter..

"Let it come in. We think we dont deserve love, we think if we let it in we'll
become too soft. But a wise man named Levine said it right. He said, 'Love is
the only rational act.' "

From life and love.. he moved to trust.. and how we should trust ourselves first..

" And if you are ever going to have other people trust you,
you must feel that you can trust them, too - even when you're in the dark. Even
when you'r falling."

How many of us can trust those around them when they are falling. WHen you are falling.. you seem to loose hope of everything around you.. i found it very wise .. to trust myself before trusting others.. in some cases i'd be trusting others more than i turst myself.. maybe cause they are my other self.. well..

There was a lovely part of which Morrie talked about being able to absorb the feelings as they are and then detaching yourself from the experience.. You see.. Morrie had to wake up every day feeling less healthier .. less able to do things he used to do.. its not a "nice" experience trust him.. and to do that, you'd have to let the experience "penetrate" you fully.. thats when you'll be able to leave it.. its like being aware of the feeling emotionally as well as physically.. you'd take it .. absorb it.. live it.. feel it .. touch it.. and then you'd know how it is to feel "in love" to feel "afraid" to feel "scared" and then only you could say

"ALright, i have experienced that emotion. I recognize that emotion. Now i
need to detach from that emotion for a moment."

I believe this is the challange.. !

"I would rather put my energy into people" were his words.. he always encourgaed to invest in people .. to love.. to help the community ..

Morrie died.. and his student published the book.. most of the funds were spent to pay for Morrie's medical bills.. yet it is one book which i should call an investment for your library.. at least it is to my library :p


Thank you Seraaph for recommending it :)