You may have heard about the best selling book, Tuesdays with Morrie. For those who have not, it's about a dying college professor, Morrie Schwartz, sharing life lessons with a former student, Mitch Albom. To-date, more than 11 million copies of the book have been sold.
I watched the movie version as part of the pyschotherapy course that I'm undertaking. It was heart rending, yet extremely meaningful. You could say it was life changing, and whilst I tried containing the tears that seem to flow effortlessly, it also caused a wonderful emotional nourishment, a new world view to look at life. Contained within are beautiful nuggets of wisdom, lessons such as:
On Culture: "The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn't work, don't buy it." Aren't we always guilty of being slaves to culture? Avoid the herd mentality and you'll stand out.
On Tension of Opposites: "Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else." There are always two choices in life: the right and the wrong, no in betweens.
On Getting Meaning into Life:"So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."
On Aging:"Aging is not just decay...It's growth." * * *"If you're always battling against getting older, you're always going to be unhappy, because it will happen anyhow." * * *"You have to find what's good and true and beautiful in your life as it is now. Looking back makes you competitive. And, age is not a competitive issue."
On Shortsightedness:"...no matter where you live, the biggest defect we human beings have is our shortsightedness. We don't see what we could be. We should be looking at our potential, stretching ourselves into everything we can be come."
On Death :"Death ends a life, not a relationship."
On Relationships:"There is no formula to relationships. They have to be negotiated in loving ways, with room for both parties, what they want and what they need, what they can do and what their life is like."
Watch the movie for maximum impact. Keep a box of tissues nearby though. You've been warned.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
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