TOW #24 - IRB Tuesday's With Morrie

Tuesdays With Morrie

     In the second half of my IRB book Tuesdays With Morrie, I was able to experience Morrie's last lecture on death. Essentially a thesis to Morrie's last lecture, Mitch Albom's book gives a very personal account on the relationship between a teacher and a student. In the first half of the book, Morrie and Albom were just beginning to rekindle their friendship after Albom found out about Morrie's condition on a newscast. In the second half, a bigger emphasis was put on both parties who were trying to absorb as much as they could in the limited time available. 

     Morrie's biggest message to Albom is that death is not something to be afraid or ashamed of. Albom shared this concept with his readers by including anecdotes in his book. Because Morrie's muscles are slowly deteriorating, he is unable to dress, shower, and even go to the bathroom himself. Most people would be embarrassed to hire a helper and lose their sense of privacy. However, Morrie chooses to see it in a positive light, as a way to become closer to other people. Instead of thinking about how he used to be, he believes he should "accept who you are, and revel in it." Everyday Morrie is closer to death, but he is not afraid. It only makes him value every single day, and want to his life to his fullest. Although the book is written by Albom, the anecdotes included in the book make Morrie a very real part of the reader's mind. 

     Albom also includes many of Morrie's aphorism to help convey this philosophy on death to his readers. Morrie is a very wise man who believes that people should accept reality, and work to make every day great. He does not believe death is something to be afraid of, because everything that is born will eventually all die. Albom attempts to share the wisdom he learned from Morrie by quoting the following: "Death ends a life, not a relationship." One thing that Morrie does not understand about people is their tendency to associate death with lost relationships and broken bonds. Morrie sees it quite the opposite, because it is the news of his soon death that brought him many new friends and helped him to rekindle old bonds. 

     It is through anecdotes that the audience is able to see Morrie on a more personal level, and his aphorisms helped to teach the audience about his philosophies. Mitch Albom includes these devices in his book in order to pass on the wisdom he received from Morrie and help pass on the lesson. This book was a great read and is one of the best I have had the pleasure to read of recent. It opened my eyes to the almost taboo-like idea of death and made me appreciate the little things in my life.