Tuesdays with Morrie part I.

Tuesdays With Morrie

By: Mitch Albom

Publisher: Random House

Year published: 1997

Precis: A students is reunited with his dying professor. Together they embrace death, and reflection on their lives.

“Do I wither up and disappear, or do I make the best of my time left?” (p.10) Morrie is diagnosed with a terminal illness. He can let the disease slowly take over turning him into a vegetable or he can make a final accomplishment with the time he has left. Most of us believe we would try and make the best of our last months of living. However I also think that most of us wouldnt. It is not a secret that our time is limited, yet no one lives everyday to the fullest. Do we have to be sick to appreciate being healthy? Do we have to experience some event with death to appreciate life?

“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 . . (p. 21) Morries illness is slowly taking over, he does not always know how to react. He is completely helpless and has begun to rely on other people for the most simple tasks. In his helpless state, somedays he feels sorry for himself, other days Morrie is angry and frustrated. In the end Morrie wants to make the best of the time he has left.

“Everyone knows they’re going to die, but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently.” (p.81) Death seems like such a distance thing to us. We dont know when it happens or how it happens, and not knowing is scary. It seems as though in the back of our minds we know we are going to die but we choose to ignore it. We comfort ourselves by pretending its not going to happen, least not for a while. If somehow people were able to accept that their lives could end at any point , I have no doubt that they would chose to live their lives differently; by taking more chances, saying things they normally wouldnt.

"We really don’t experience the world fully, because we’re half-asleep, doing things we automatically think we have to do" (p.83) Everyone lives within a routine. Never stopping to notice all the things that your missing. Weather its going to work, school or the littler things like sleep, brushing teeth. Illness disrupts the routine people have.

Death is not a comforting topic, not to think about not to talk about. The very little anyone knows about it makes it something we fear. Although death is inevitable and happens all the time,. even then, people find it challenging to accept the reality or have a difficult time dealing with an experience related to death. Unlike most Morrie is an elderly man who is surprisingly accepting of death. I couldn't help but read the story and feel some what offense. Morrie has accepted that he is going to die and he is fine talking about whenever to anyone. Maybe I show some resentment because i do not have the same outlook on death as he might. on the other hand, I feel as though Morrie is giving up. He is fine with dying and now relies on other people to do everyday tasks for him.