The memoir "Tuesdays With Morrie," by Mitch Albom forces readers to contemplate various topics such as, living a meaningful life, love, forgiveness, and death. Death is a theme that flows throughout the memoir. The idea that death is an event to embrace and learn from, rather than to fear and resist is presented.
Morrie is the voice of reason, and knowledge. He says, "Everybody knows they're going to die, but nobody believes it. If we did we would do things differently". As humans we kid ourselves about death. We tell ourselves, "It will never be me in a deadly accident. I will never die of cancerous tumour". Doing meaningless things we think we have to do takes up most of our time. One often fails to realize how precious time is. Time runs out. Just like the sand in a hour glass, eventually our time will be up. When that time comes, knowing that we have made the best out of the time provided will ensure eternal peace. Instead of letting time fly by, which it seems to do faster the older you get, take the time to enjoy the little moments in life that bring a smile to your face.
Death is a subject that most of society chooses to ignore. Parents hush children who speak of death, and funerals become over flooded with phony individuals who attempt to be sincere, because in reality they don't know how to respond to death. If death became a frequent subject in society people would know how to respond to it. If children learned about death at school, maybe the human race would have the knowledge to live a meaningful life by making everyday count. This suggestion may seem absurd; however, if society gained a new perspective on death the result would be worth the risk.
Once I began reading "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom, I myself began to question everything that the book discussed. At the age of seventeen, I feel as if my life has meaning. I haven't experienced as much as I will in a lifetime, but if I was to die tomorrow I'd be satisfied with the life that I have lived. A lifetime to many refers to decades of living. Although, in reality a humans lifetime only goes on as long as their heart is pumping blood through their veins, and their lungs are bringing in the required amount of oxygen.
In my community there have been a handful of teenage deaths; therefore, death is a topic that has been apparent in my life quite frequently. When I was younger my emotions were less involved. However, now I find myself feeling more emotionally attached to everything and anyone. After the accidents causing the deaths of the kids only a few years older than me, I remember people saying, "They were too young to die". My question is, how can we determine what a good age to die is? It is thought that a long and fulfilling life takes years to evolve. Maybe it doesn't. At this stage in my life I have no regrets substantial enough to influence the way I feel about dying. My life thus far is fulfilled.
A book like "Tuesdays With Morrie", is literature that has meaning. It has caused me to consider how I will live my life. It has caused me to open my eyes to the opportunities and difficulties I am bound to experience. "Tuesdays With Morrie," has forever changed me, and for that I express great gratitude to Mitch Albom, for sharing such a wonderful story on the subject of death.
Sincerely,
Chantel Matlock
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