‘Tuesdays with Morrie’- a heart-warming and thought-provoking memoir
Book Review
By: Asif Rashid
“The Premise: ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ by Mitch Album is a heart-warming and thought-provoking memoir of a young man’s journey to rediscover life’s true meaning through his conversations with his former sociology professor, ‘Morrie Schwartz’. He is not an ordinary professor who teaches some random academic subjects as the other professors do, but he is the one whose teaching always revolved around the idea that life is about finding meaning and purpose and cultivating close relationships and connections with others. Morrie always emphasized to his students the importance of living in the present movement, as he himself cherished every moment of his life. Every Wednesday night, Morrie would visit Harvard Square for an event called ‘Dance Free’, there he would dance with the other boys in a manner that was so uncharacteristic of a prominent doctor of sociology with years of experience that if anyone were to witness it, they would find it hard to believe.
Beginning: In 1979, Saturday afternoon, hundreds of students congregate together and silently listen to the speeches of teachers, and when the ceremony is over, every student throws their caps in the air, as now they are officially graduates. Mitch is also about to say goodbye to his college and his favorite professor, ‘Morrie Schwartz’, and the last time he went with his parents to meet Morrie, he also held a briefcase in his hands that he had to give Morrie as a gift. Before leaving, Morrie hugged him and asked, ‘Could I stay in touch with you?’ Mitch, without any hesitation, said ‘Of course’. Morrie stepped back with brimming tears in his eyes.
Pathetic news: The verdict of Morrie’s death sentence was pronounced in the summer of 1994. But long before, Morrie knew that something bad was about to happen as he had developed asthma, which made him dependent on inhalers to breathe properly. After a few years, he faced difficulty in walking. One day, Morrie unexpectedly fell while attending a birthday party, and everyone helped him as he was in his seventies. Everyone thought it was a typical trait of old age, but Morrie knew that Something was wrong with Morrie. When he began to see doctors, they did some tests but found nothing. Then, one doctor suggested a muscle biopsy, and they took a small piece of Morrie’s calf. In August 1994, Morrie and his wife went to the neurologist, and he broke the news that Morrie had a non-curable disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and he had only about two years left to live. When Morrie came out of the doctor’s office, he started thinking that ‘Do I leave everything or make the best of my time?’ And finally, he decided that he would not run away from death and make death his final project. Since everyone has to die someday, he thought, why not add some value to it? He started having discussions with groups about dying and also told his friends if they really wanted to help him, they would not treat him with sympathy. Instead of that, they should share their problems with him as they did before. Morrie was given only two years to live. Instead of running from death, he decided to make it his ‘final project.’ Despite his limited time, Morrie’s voice was energetic and inviting, making death seem like a new syllabus.
The Student: The last time when Mitch hugged his professor, he promised that he would be in touch with Morrie, but he failed to keep his word. In fact, he lost touch with most people, including his friends. His dream was to be a famous musician, but that didn’t happen. And after his favorite uncle’s death…”Tuesday classes: When Mitch got to know about Morrie’s condition and met him, Morrie was in a wheelchair as the disease was doing its job. They both decided to meet every Tuesday to talk about significant topics that cover every aspect of life.
Lessons to remember: Before Mitch’s third visit, he saw increasing signs of the disease. Morrie was not able to lift his arms and kept a bell that he used every time he needed something. Mitch asked him if he felt sorry for himself, to which Morrie replied that sometimes in the morning, he mourns when he observes what parts of his body have stopped working. However, he stops himself and gives himself a good cry when he needs it. Then he focuses on the things that still exist for him, such as the people who visit him daily and share their problems with him. Morrie believed that it would be useful for everyone to limit their tearful moments to just a few minutes and enjoy the rest of the day without tears. He said that even with such a horrible disease, one can still find happiness and feel lucky for the opportunity to say goodbye.
Regrets: Morrie believed that people often indulge themselves in societal expectations and as a result, they are not able to fulfill their own dreams as they are trying to compete with what society expects from them, and undoubtedly it stops them from living a life that they truly want to live. Morrie emphasized that the most important thing is to give out love and let it come in. He also encouraged people to live with openness and authenticity, pursue their dreams and passions, and not be afraid to love and be loved, as he believed that is the most significant approach to living a life without regrets.
Death: “Once you learn how to accept death, you learn how to live,” Morrie felt that everyone knows that death is inevitable, but few truly believe it. If people were to face the reality of death and prepare for it, as it can come at any time, they would shift their focus to the essential things in life. Accepting death as a natural part of life changes one’s entire perspective and leads to a happier and more peaceful life.
Emotions: Morrie always encouraged people to express their emotions rather than concealing them or denying their existence. Morrie’s view on emotions was very positive, and he believed that they are a crucial part of what makes life worth living. Furthermore, he emphasized that people should learn to detach themselves from experiences at times to recover their energy and overcome the storms that decrease their productivity.
Forgiveness: Morrie’s view on forgiveness was very clear and authentic. He believed that one should always learn to forgive people as it will help people to free themselves from negative energy and help them understand that human nature and People need to understand the fact that life is too short to hold grudges against someone. Therefore, forgiveness is the best approach for personal growth, and it leads you to the heights of success.
Recommendation: “Tuesdays with Morrie” is a touching and inspiring story about the lessons Mitch Albom learned from his mentor. Despite being an easy read, the message it holds is so powerful that it will change your perspective of life. I highly recommend this masterpiece to everyone, as it will definitely add value to your life and instill unending enthusiasm.
Book Name: Tuesdays with Morrie
Author: Mitch Albom
Publisher: Sphere
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 200
