Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom. Published by Double Day in 1997
Précis:
My Tuesdays with Morrie continued to be my most valued day of the week. With his death, he left me with his great influence. He was and has been for many many years, my coach, and even when facing death, he continued to teach me a number of things. He taught me to value life and live a life with meaning, rather than chasing after morally worthless wealth. You cannot buy happiness, which is what Morrie continued to tell me. With his death, he gave me a whole new life to live.
-"The class met on Tuesdays. No books were required. The subject was the meaning of life. It was taught from experience. The teaching goes on" (Albom, 192)
Morris absence does not change everything. He may have impacted certain people in certain ways, however life itself must continue. This relates to another quote involving a wave in the ocean and the wave not actually being a wave, but rather a fragment of the ocean. It symbolizes that life must continue regardless of losses of individual waves, or people, since they are simple part of the bigger picture.
-"Forgive yourself before you die. Then forgive others." (Albom, 164)
In short, this means that there are different ways to go about things. There are times to put others before you but times where that may not be the best idea. In order to forgive others you must first forgive yourself. You cannot do for others what you have not done for yourself first, just like you cannot or should not be supporting a family if you are unable to do so for yourself first.
-"It's not contagious, you know. Death is as natural as life. It's part of the deal we made."(Albom, 172)
This is just another situation where Morrie displays his acceptance of death. It also relates to the first quote where life still goes on despite his death.
As I finished the book, I began to truly value my life. I see that life is a gift and it made me think about how short it could potentially be. We do not know what could happen to us on any given day, at any moment, and I rather not let my life go to waste. I a, not going to make many significant changed and I will continue to look forward to the future, as I always have, however when an opportunity presents itself I will do my best to take advantage. I want to be proud of my life when it is through.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
HW#23
I am reading Tuesdays With Morrie, by Mitch Albom. It was published by Double Day, in 1997.
Precis: As I continue to spend my Tuesdays with Morrie, his health gets progressively worse. He has finally reached the point where he is completely reliant on others, being unable to wipe his own butt. As he nears his death I realize more and more that my life is incomplete. Even on his deathbed, Morrie is a happier man than I am.
-“When you learn how to die, you learn how to live.” (Albom, 104)
-“Money is not a substitute for tenderness, and power is not a substitute for tenderness. I can tell you, as I’m sitting here dying, when you need it, neither money nor power will give you the feeling your looking for, no matter how much of it you have.” (Albom, 125)
-“The truth is you don’t get satisfaction from those things you know what really gives you satisfaction? What? Offering others what you have to give” (Albom, 126)
My eyes are continuing to open as I read. What is the point of life? Society tells us that money will make us happy and we all pretty much buy into that. For example the holidays, now they are so commercialized and generally what makes people happy on the holidays are materialistic things. I am one of these people. Although I enjoy my family time, I still very much appreciate the material things and would feel very different without them on the holidays. Society has shaped my perception of true happiness and Morrie has different ideas on what it is.
Precis: As I continue to spend my Tuesdays with Morrie, his health gets progressively worse. He has finally reached the point where he is completely reliant on others, being unable to wipe his own butt. As he nears his death I realize more and more that my life is incomplete. Even on his deathbed, Morrie is a happier man than I am.
-“When you learn how to die, you learn how to live.” (Albom, 104)
-“Money is not a substitute for tenderness, and power is not a substitute for tenderness. I can tell you, as I’m sitting here dying, when you need it, neither money nor power will give you the feeling your looking for, no matter how much of it you have.” (Albom, 125)
-“The truth is you don’t get satisfaction from those things you know what really gives you satisfaction? What? Offering others what you have to give” (Albom, 126)
My eyes are continuing to open as I read. What is the point of life? Society tells us that money will make us happy and we all pretty much buy into that. For example the holidays, now they are so commercialized and generally what makes people happy on the holidays are materialistic things. I am one of these people. Although I enjoy my family time, I still very much appreciate the material things and would feel very different without them on the holidays. Society has shaped my perception of true happiness and Morrie has different ideas on what it is.
HW#22
I am reading Tuesdays With Morrie, by
Mitch Albom. It was published by Double Day, in 1997.
Precis: I not living the life I always thought I would. I wanted to be a musician and did not want my life to revolve around money or wealth. I wanted meaning. The death of my uncle, my idol, changed many things. I began to value life less, which led to my dedication to my work and career, not the career of my dreams, but my job, what makes me money. I always thought I would die the way my uncle did, but it was not me. It was my brother. When I saw Morrie, my old college professor on TV and it brought me back. He was dying and I decided to finally keep my promise and get in touch. My visits with Morrie made me remember how I used to think and begin to question my current life.
-"Do you think that’s strange? Do you think because I’m dying, I shouldn't care what happens in the world?" (Albom, 50)
-"He had taught me about "being human" and "relating to others," but it was always in the distance, as if from another life. (Albom, 17)
-"There are some mornings when I cry and cry and mourn for myself. Some mornings, i'm so angry and bitter. But it doesn't last too long. Then I get up and say, 'I want to live..." (Albom, 21)
Reading this book makes me realize that your individual death does not mean the end of the entire world. It also teaches me that the world cannot revolve around any one person, so being selfish or self centered is a waste because it does not accomplish anything. It also has made me realize that doing what you dream of dong is more important than simply being wealthy. Money does not mean happiness. Happiness comes from love, be it love for another or love to what you do. I suppose one can love money but that is not really love. You cannot buy happiness. I am very interested to see how Mitch's Tuesdays with Morrie impact him as a person and impact those close to him.
Mitch Albom. It was published by Double Day, in 1997.
Precis: I not living the life I always thought I would. I wanted to be a musician and did not want my life to revolve around money or wealth. I wanted meaning. The death of my uncle, my idol, changed many things. I began to value life less, which led to my dedication to my work and career, not the career of my dreams, but my job, what makes me money. I always thought I would die the way my uncle did, but it was not me. It was my brother. When I saw Morrie, my old college professor on TV and it brought me back. He was dying and I decided to finally keep my promise and get in touch. My visits with Morrie made me remember how I used to think and begin to question my current life.
-"Do you think that’s strange? Do you think because I’m dying, I shouldn't care what happens in the world?" (Albom, 50)
-"He had taught me about "being human" and "relating to others," but it was always in the distance, as if from another life. (Albom, 17)
-"There are some mornings when I cry and cry and mourn for myself. Some mornings, i'm so angry and bitter. But it doesn't last too long. Then I get up and say, 'I want to live..." (Albom, 21)
Reading this book makes me realize that your individual death does not mean the end of the entire world. It also teaches me that the world cannot revolve around any one person, so being selfish or self centered is a waste because it does not accomplish anything. It also has made me realize that doing what you dream of dong is more important than simply being wealthy. Money does not mean happiness. Happiness comes from love, be it love for another or love to what you do. I suppose one can love money but that is not really love. You cannot buy happiness. I am very interested to see how Mitch's Tuesdays with Morrie impact him as a person and impact those close to him.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
hw 21
-Symptoms included loss of weight, severe coughing, foot growth, walking difficulty, difficulty laying down or sitting up, and eventually they got worse to not being able to eat or talk and could not even hold his own head up
-Wanted everyone around them to constantly be optimistic
-She stopped working and were supported by their family
-Whenever it seemed as if he was recovering he would just end up getting worse
-Despite his poor health, the time that she spent with her husband and their family was great and she valued the experience of being so together
-He was always the healthy one and she was concerned about her health, however the health issues occurred in the person that expected it the least
Her husband wanted everyone around him to be optimistic. Because of his strong personality he did not want any negativity or doubt about his health and that he will die as a result of this disease. It interested me that the Wood family used both allopathic and holistic methods as they attempted to cure the man of the house. His being sent to many hospitals and receiving many treatments provided the allopathic methods and the constant optimism was the holistic method. I agree with the approach that they took to his dying to an extent. I would want to be optimistic about it however I think it is not the brightest move to rule out the possibility. As she stated, he was in denial. He did not want to accept death just yet, which may seem like a good thing, but his willingness to die could possibly make the loss less painful when it happens. It seemed as if at least one of these things was effective since there were times where he got better, unfortunately he could not remain that way.
It would seem like an emotional roller coaster to have one of the people I love most in life be dying and getting better over and over again. The relief and joy of his better health would make me so happy but when his health declined again it would bring even greater sadness that the last time. It would make me feel like he would not survive another attempt. It also intrigued me that he was always the healthy confident one and she was more worried about death. I am thinking that it is possible that since he was never unhealthy, he cared less about his health and may have put less effort into staying healthy. The opposite applies to the mother, where she likely took better care of herself given her fear of death and poor health. This may have lead to his poor health and tragic fight with death.
I was also interested in how things would have been different without the same kind of support from their family. What if their family was not able to assist them the way they had? Would that caused her husbands life span to be shortened or lengthened? Maybe he will fight harder to be with his family after not being with them even while he is dying. Or, maybe he will not had recieved enough support during his fight and will have given up.
-Wanted everyone around them to constantly be optimistic
-She stopped working and were supported by their family
-Whenever it seemed as if he was recovering he would just end up getting worse
-Despite his poor health, the time that she spent with her husband and their family was great and she valued the experience of being so together
-He was always the healthy one and she was concerned about her health, however the health issues occurred in the person that expected it the least
Her husband wanted everyone around him to be optimistic. Because of his strong personality he did not want any negativity or doubt about his health and that he will die as a result of this disease. It interested me that the Wood family used both allopathic and holistic methods as they attempted to cure the man of the house. His being sent to many hospitals and receiving many treatments provided the allopathic methods and the constant optimism was the holistic method. I agree with the approach that they took to his dying to an extent. I would want to be optimistic about it however I think it is not the brightest move to rule out the possibility. As she stated, he was in denial. He did not want to accept death just yet, which may seem like a good thing, but his willingness to die could possibly make the loss less painful when it happens. It seemed as if at least one of these things was effective since there were times where he got better, unfortunately he could not remain that way.
It would seem like an emotional roller coaster to have one of the people I love most in life be dying and getting better over and over again. The relief and joy of his better health would make me so happy but when his health declined again it would bring even greater sadness that the last time. It would make me feel like he would not survive another attempt. It also intrigued me that he was always the healthy confident one and she was more worried about death. I am thinking that it is possible that since he was never unhealthy, he cared less about his health and may have put less effort into staying healthy. The opposite applies to the mother, where she likely took better care of herself given her fear of death and poor health. This may have lead to his poor health and tragic fight with death.
I was also interested in how things would have been different without the same kind of support from their family. What if their family was not able to assist them the way they had? Would that caused her husbands life span to be shortened or lengthened? Maybe he will fight harder to be with his family after not being with them even while he is dying. Or, maybe he will not had recieved enough support during his fight and will have given up.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
HW #19
My father, like most people, is very afraid of death. The thing that scares him most, is abandoning his loved ones and those closest to him. Another aspect that he is fearful of is where he will end up in his afterlife. Like my father, it also interests me what will happen to me in the afterlife; however I see the topic with more curiosity rather than fear. If there is a heaven or hell, you hope you will end up in heaven and if not where his spirit will end up. I would like to do more research and learn where religions or other theories about post death come from.
My father, like myself, also tries not to think about death. When the thought does enter his mind, it is usually concerned about the death of others rather than himself. He tends to worry about others more than himself. I think similarly, since I have always been fortunate not to be ill or have any near death experience. I do not even have an idea of the fears of being close to death. Despite his attempts not to think about death, my father feels that some pros of doing thinking more about it would make him or anyone more mentally familiar with it. I interpret this as preparing for it when it happens, likely to someone close to him.
The closest experience that my father had with death was when his uncle died. He was one of his closest uncles and despite his poor health; his potential death was never a thought. He was a serious smoker and as a result of that, it caused him to feel sad and guilty that he never paid much attention to the fact that he was actually dying. This led pushing him away from smoking, since his uncle dying of emphazima. My father had a very close experience with illness was when it was suspected that he had a brain tumor. This really struck fear into him and made him think about his life and death and angered him for several reasons. He felt that he was being cheated out of life and was upset that there were so many things that he had not accomplished that he wanted to. I feel that if I were him at that time, I would immediately begin to pursue those things and accomplish as much as I could with the time available. I f I were to have a near death experience like that, it would make me value life more and be more productive.
My father would like people to respect his death and have a traditional burial. As for his remembrance, he wants people to talk about and remember him. Something that intrigued me about what he said was that he does not like to talk about the death, yet wants others to do so for him. It made me wonder why he does not like to talk about others. If it is simply because it is saddening why would he want others to think of him, and potentially make them feel that same sadness? He mentioned that he wanted to be remembered for his qualities only, but I am sure the negative aspects will dwell into people’s minds as well. I would like to be remembered as well, but I want an honest memory. I will try to have less bad things to remember me by so that the general thought of me has the good outweighing the bad.
My father, like myself, also tries not to think about death. When the thought does enter his mind, it is usually concerned about the death of others rather than himself. He tends to worry about others more than himself. I think similarly, since I have always been fortunate not to be ill or have any near death experience. I do not even have an idea of the fears of being close to death. Despite his attempts not to think about death, my father feels that some pros of doing thinking more about it would make him or anyone more mentally familiar with it. I interpret this as preparing for it when it happens, likely to someone close to him.
The closest experience that my father had with death was when his uncle died. He was one of his closest uncles and despite his poor health; his potential death was never a thought. He was a serious smoker and as a result of that, it caused him to feel sad and guilty that he never paid much attention to the fact that he was actually dying. This led pushing him away from smoking, since his uncle dying of emphazima. My father had a very close experience with illness was when it was suspected that he had a brain tumor. This really struck fear into him and made him think about his life and death and angered him for several reasons. He felt that he was being cheated out of life and was upset that there were so many things that he had not accomplished that he wanted to. I feel that if I were him at that time, I would immediately begin to pursue those things and accomplish as much as I could with the time available. I f I were to have a near death experience like that, it would make me value life more and be more productive.
My father would like people to respect his death and have a traditional burial. As for his remembrance, he wants people to talk about and remember him. Something that intrigued me about what he said was that he does not like to talk about the death, yet wants others to do so for him. It made me wonder why he does not like to talk about others. If it is simply because it is saddening why would he want others to think of him, and potentially make them feel that same sadness? He mentioned that he wanted to be remembered for his qualities only, but I am sure the negative aspects will dwell into people’s minds as well. I would like to be remembered as well, but I want an honest memory. I will try to have less bad things to remember me by so that the general thought of me has the good outweighing the bad.
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