Among the first six Tuesdays we've read, the fourth one, in which Mitch and Morrie discuss death, moves me the most. Although, it was rather hard to pick from among the six since Morrie is absurdly wise, so I went by eliminating which I felt spoke to me the least, and repeated until I only had one Tuesday left.
The first (the world) and second (feeling sorry for yourself) Tuesdays I can relate to the least at the moment. I feel as if the third Tuesday, about regrets, simply plants the seeds for the fourth Tuesday. The sixth Tuesday, in which Morrie tells Mitch about fully immersing yourself in whatever emotion you're feeling in order to be able to detach from it, is one I've given more thought than the former Tuesdays. The fifth Tuesday is about the importance having a loving family, which is something I absolutely agree with. However, admittedly I have felt rather detached from mine for the past few years.
The fourth Tuesday really makes me question the lifestyle I have currently. I'm not sure why, but I've always thought my life would end several years earlier than others'. Perhaps it's because my body feels a lot weaker when I'm sick. It's as Morrie says in the chapter: “Everyone knows they’re going to die,” he said, “but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently.” But what would I do? I give so little thought to what I'd do when I have enough power to be on my own, which I subconsciously believe is the only limiter to what I can do. I hope to find time someday to give it some thought.
On that train of thought, Morrie imposes another scenario about death. Morrie asks, "Is today the day I die?" He also encourages Mitch to ask himself this. So why not me, too? Will today be the day I die? Will a murderer bust into my house? Will I pass out from exhaustion from working long hours into the night and never wake up again? While I was reading the book, I was so sure I'd do as Morrie did. He's living life to the fullest he can live while shackled to his chair by ALS. Reflecting upon it, though, I wonder how I'd do that. Knowing how little time I have would only make me panic, instead of trying to enjoy what time I have.
I think the answer to what I'd do in both scenarios lies in Morrie's aphorism: “Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.” Perhaps if I know how to die, I can be like Morrie, in almost complete comfort in his chair. I don't know yet.
It seems as though what draws me so much to this particular Tuesday is how it serves as a reminder of how lost I really am. I only realized while writing this post. I guess you learn something new everyday.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please remember the class rules about comments. Don't write anything you wouldn't say in person to a classmate.