Tuesdays with Morrie
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Alborn
1. Do you think Mitch would have listened if Morrie hadn’t been dying? Does impending death automatically make one’s voice available to penetrate where it couldn’t before?
I think Mitch wouldn’t have the chance to listen to Morrie if Morrie hadn’t been dying because Mitch lives on deadline – too fast is the only speed he knows, and he, as Morrie’s student way back 16 years did not keep his promise of keeping in touch because of choosing to be an commercial wealth after realizing how short life and expecting his world be an exceptional when his uncle died from pancreatic cancer, has seen him nearly dying. As Mitch says, “After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not move quickly enough. No more playing music at half-empty night clubs. No more writing songs in my apartment, songs that no one would hear.” This only means that he as a simple, optimistic young man has transformed into being a money-grubbing professional. It is also clear that he feels disconnected with the young man he once was at Brandeis.
Yes, because once the person is gone, only then will people realize everything about that person.
2. What was Morrie’s attitude towards his illness and suffering? How did he see his impending death in relation to life?
At first, Morrie was annoyed by his impending death, of how his ALS will gradually removed his independence, and how will he react when he already need somebody to wipe his ass. However, through detachment, Morrie was able to control things including his anxiety over the unusual manifestations of his ALS. Through detachment, he accepts that his death is coming. He was enlightened that his death will enable him to reach his real destination, his real place, his true purpose. He, knowing his impending death, approached people to come and see him. He wanted people to learn from his death. As his aphorism says, “When you
1. Do you think Mitch would have listened if Morrie hadn’t been dying? Does impending death automatically make one’s voice available to penetrate where it couldn’t before?
I think Mitch wouldn’t have the chance to listen to Morrie if Morrie hadn’t been dying because Mitch lives on deadline – too fast is the only speed he knows, and he, as Morrie’s student way back 16 years did not keep his promise of keeping in touch because of choosing to be an commercial wealth after realizing how short life and expecting his world be an exceptional when his uncle died from pancreatic cancer, has seen him nearly dying. As Mitch says, “After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not move quickly enough. No more playing music at half-empty night clubs. No more writing songs in my apartment, songs that no one would hear.” This only means that he as a simple, optimistic young man has transformed into being a money-grubbing professional. It is also clear that he feels disconnected with the young man he once was at Brandeis.
Yes, because once the person is gone, only then will people realize everything about that person.
2. What was Morrie’s attitude towards his illness and suffering? How did he see his impending death in relation to life?
At first, Morrie was annoyed by his impending death, of how his ALS will gradually removed his independence, and how will he react when he already need somebody to wipe his ass. However, through detachment, Morrie was able to control things including his anxiety over the unusual manifestations of his ALS. Through detachment, he accepts that his death is coming. He was enlightened that his death will enable him to reach his real destination, his real place, his true purpose. He, knowing his impending death, approached people to come and see him. He wanted people to learn from his death. As his aphorism says, “When you