Echoes from "Tuesdays with Morrie"

Shu-Yin Huang

Translated by Mike Lee

In recent years, the reaction from average readers towards books about life and death has usually been a sudden burst of enthusiasm. Whenever such a book gets published, a great excitement often follows. However, when that fervor subsides, the work would be overshadowed into obscurity by another wild fad. Therefore, a book like "Tuesdays with Morrie", which remained on the New York Times bestsellers list for years, does not come around often. As we pondered the reason, it inevitably comes down to two causes. First, modern people constantly feel lonely and empty; the unavoidable yet frustrating feeling of isolation leads to the extreme thirst for sentimental emotions. The second is the American tradition of worshipping heroes.

"Tuesdays with Morrie" is a memoir of conversations between a professor at Brandeis University and one of his favorite students on Tuesdays of his final 14 weeks of life. The author, Mitch Albom, is a renowned reporter for the Detroit Free Press. After graduating for more than a decade, on one fateful evening, Mitch came upon a news program about his former teacher, Professor Morrie Schwartz, who had developed the devastating nerve illness of Lou Gehrig's Disease and was nearing the end of his life. As Mitch watched his old teacher weak and frail on the TV screen, he felt enormous sorrow and longing. He decided to go visit this mentor, who at one time had been very supportive of him. On one Tuesday morning, Mitch flew from Detroit to Newton, a city in the suburbs of Boston, to see Morrie. This reunion was like a long overdue homecoming, and it began a weekly ritual between the teacher and student for the next fourteen weeks. On every Tuesday of those final fourteen weeks, Professor Morrie discussed with this favorite pupil who returned from the past, numerous issues that people confront: family, career, forgiveness, fear, anger, and the meaning of life. He tirelessly and skillfully explained to Mitch how to avoid the trap of self-pity during hard times, how to let go of excessive emotionally attachments, how to embrace old age, and how to confront death. Even on his sick bed, Professor Morrie untiringly coached this beloved student; he showered his last remaining glory upon Mitch, in hoping that the apprentice could avoid regret and futility in life's journey.

In the book, Mitch described in detail how during the course of the fourteen weeks, he went from a bystander to finally appreciate, as if his own, the pains that Morrie was enduring. He also recounted Morrie's instructions on how we can comprehend the true meaning of life amidst the material values of humanity, which revolve around the pursuit of fortune and fame.

As Morrie's life approached its final days, Mitch asked him: "What if you had one day perfectly healthy? What would you do?" Professor Morrie replied, "... I'd get up in the morning, do my exercises, have a lovely breakfast of sweet rolls and tea, go for a swim, then have my friends come over for a nice lunch. I'd have them come one or two times so we could talk about their family, their issues, talk about how much we mean to each other. Then I like to go for a walk, in a garden with some trees, watch their colors, watch the birds, take in nature that I haven't seen in so long now. In the evening, we'd all go together to a restaurant with some great pasta, maybe some duck-I love duck-and then we'd dance the rest of the night. I'd dance with all the wonderful dance partners out there, until I was exhausted. And then I'd go home and have a deep, wonderful sleep."

"That's it?" Mitch asked.

"That's it." was Professor Morrie's reply.

Mitch was dumbfounded at first, but suddenly he became aware: when life reaches its conclusion and we take a look back, what do we cherish in the end? The human philosophies that Professor Morrie teaches in this book are nothing innovative. Since during the 19th century, when Thoreau promoted the principles of simplifying life and being close to nature, many American scholars have openly advocated "Simplicity". In recent decades, Buddhist ideas from Eastern culture have grown significantly in popularity, as books on Zen cultivation and pure living fill the shelves in stores. Thus, it can be inferred that the inspiration from "Tuesdays with Morrie" is not merely based upon the life philosophies discussed, but it also sprout from the friendship between Mitch and Morrie. It is through this friendship that a profound, solid, and selfless "love" gradually evolved. This kind of love is a human treasure that we, as civilized people, have forgotten and abandoned. Just think, how many modern individual would be willing to spend time and money every week to visit an ailing old man? How many people would be willing to help a frail elderly with cleaning phlegm and emptying bedpan? Let us go beyond the bond between teachers and students, even between parents and children, it is likely to be seldom and few. We live in a time that is "the age of the faithless". Between individuals, we have long lost that flow of thoughtful interaction. Our communications are done with clicking a key to send an indifferent email or with calling someone to hear the recording of a mechanical voicemail. In this hectic era, who has the time to nurture emotion and love, to carry on true friendship? In "Tuesdays with Morrie", Mitch is that child that we long for in our lives; he is that friend we pray for throughout our days. The intimacy we lost through modern technology and the connection we yearn for under the present electronic culture come back to view through Mitch's reminiscence. His words reinforce the prospect for affection and loyalty, and they fill us again with hope for humanity.

Still, Professor Morrie is the hero of the story, who deserves our deepest admiration. When he realized that illness was gradually consuming his body and that he was slowly approaching his death, Professor Morrie still did not give up his calling as a teacher. Through his own experiences, he explained to his students and family that death need not be feared and elaborated on the true values in life. He even told Mitch that he wanted "Teacher to the Last" on his tombstone. A strong soul such as this, who was not defeated by illness and who tirelessly enlightened others until the very end, is what countless human beings are desperately seeking. For the same reason, it has brought tears to countless readers and recommendations from all over, which is why this book enjoyed such overwhelming and long lasting popularity.