Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man and Life's Gr
It is a story about an interaction which Mitch had with his old dying Sociology Professor Morrie. The subject of these interactions is the meaning of life which Morrie taught through his experiences and the way he developed his attitude towards life, especially in his last days when he developed ALS and slowly becomes increasingly dependent on others.
I came to know about this book from Robin Sharma’s must-read recommendations. It typically involves how a mid-life crisis hits us and then we start thinking about our life as a whole. It also focuses on our dreams/ goals, family and relationships etc. Especially for people who started off seeking something and have landed up somewhere else. At that stage, one needs a life coach (the way Morrie is described in the book) who will help (player by which Mitch is addressed by Morrie) discovering the meaning of life and towards the path of self-fulfilment.
Some of the life lessons which Morrie imparted and have been woven in the storyline are excellent. Some of them, I am quoting here-
“There are a few rules about love and marriage: If you don’t respect the other person, you gonna have a lot of trouble. If you don’t know how to compromise, you gonna have a lot of trouble. If you can’t talk openly about what goes on between you, you are gonna have a lot of trouble. Your values must be alike and the biggest one of them is your belief in the importance of marriage” “Invest in human family, invest in people. Build a little community of those you love and who love you” “For me, living means I can be responsive to the other person. It means I can show my feelings and emotions. Talk with them. Feel with them.” “Don’t let go too soon, but don’t hang on too long” “Be compassionate and take responsibility for each other. If we only learned those lessons, this world would be so much a better place” “As long as we can love each other, and remember the feelings of love we had, we can die without ever really going away. All the love you created is still there. You live on- in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured while you were – Death ends a life, not a relationship.”The book has been an international bestseller and brings out various life lessons in its own sweet way, however, I find this book less compelling than Robin Sharma books. Maybe it is due to the overflooding of self-help books in the market. Buy the book here: