Relection Paper of Book Called Tuesday with Morrie - Essay Example

It thus took me a long time to finally read this book and what a book it was! Powerful is the right word to describe it. Anyone who has ever thought about life and wisdom would thank the author for going through the pains of actually writing this book. I read it at a time when my life was undergoing some serious changes and I wanted to make sense of my life. This book worked for me because there were some lines and passages that spoke to me directly. The one passage where Morrie talks about tension of opposites was of special significance to me.

I had noticed that in my life, even though I was grateful for most things, there had been times when I had taken a person or thing for granted. I failed to understand why we do that. But Morrie's observation put me at ease as I realized that we all seem to make the same mistakes, that while we must not take things for granted, we might sometimes do that and it was okay to forgive ourselves. Explaining the tension of opposites, Morrie says: "Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else.

Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn't. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted." (p. 40) Another important observation was about death and it changed my perspective on death. I had always believed that when people are aging and they are near death, they must want to be young again and many old people around me confirmed my belief. But I realized that this happens only when a person has lived a meaningless life. Anyone who has lived a meaningful life, doesn't want to revisit his past, he wants to keep moving forward as Morrie said: ''Aging is not just decay.

It's growth. If you've found meaning in your life, you won't want to go back.'' (p. 118)Very few of us actually think deeply about life and those who do are always on the lookout for more wisdom. Morrie was one of those and through his experiences, many readers would benefit as well. There is a very beautiful observation made by him about children. You may or may not agree with it, but if you think deeply you will realize that indeed it's very true. "If you want the experience of having complete responsibility for another human being, and to learn how to love and bond in the deepest way, then you should have children" (p. 93) Everyday we hear about celebrities being careless about their children and many children being sent to foster care because their parents couldn't provide adequate love and care.

That should be a wake up call for all of us. Why do we have children when we can't look after them We should understand that bringing a child into this world means taking complete responsibility for his growth and for the love that he requires. Morrie's lessons would not only benefit Mitch Albom but everyone who wants to experience life in its fullness and who is looking for meaning. We are usually so caught up in the everyday routine of our lives that we seldom take a break to understand what's really happening.

Do we really want this Where are we headed Is there meaning in our lives Meaning doesn't have to be very big or all encompassing. It can be anything that gives you complete fulfillment. If in taking care of your children and bringing them up properly, you think you life has meaning and purpose, then that's all you really need. You don't have to go out there and wage