TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE

Sarah Pyeon

"Tuesdays with Morrie", the message Professor Mori wanted to show the readers.

"Tuesdays with Morrie" is a book about the conversations of Mitch Albom, an old student of Professor Morrie who meets him every Tuesday. Professor Morrie is diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease Lou Gehrig's disease(Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS) is a disease that damages motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord(Mayo Clinic Staff, 2022) It's a disease that causes the body's muscles to stop moving, and eventually, the muscles that cause them to breathe break down, leading to death. The disease was named after Lou Gehrig, who was the fourth batter of the legendary New York Yankees. Famous English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking is also known to have suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease In addition, patients with Lou Gehrig's disease are characterized by no abnormalities in their senses or cognitive abilities In the book, sentenced to live for about two years, Professor Mori begins to make plans as he feels more and more of his body's abnormalities. He didn't want to disappear from his illness, nor did he want to be ashamed of himself dying Instead, he chose to be the subject of research and show people what death is through his journey from life to death. Throughout the book, Professor Mori communicates the message of life and death and how our relationships with loved ones can help us live forever.

The message of “Tuesdays with Morrie” discusses the central idea of life and death. Every human being is born, lives, and eventually dies. During our lives, we think a lot about how to live well and try hard However, no one can predict death and what happens after death, so they seem to be reluctant to hide it in the corner of their heart and take it out only before death actually hits them. Professor Mori teaches us the meaning of being alive and the meaning of death through this book He also sends the message that if we know how to die, we know how to live. "Everyone knows that he will die, but no one believes that he will die. If you believe that, we're going to be different people " This is what Professor Mori said to Mitch on the fourth Tuesday. He says that if people know that they're going to die, you can prepare for their death which comes at any time, and they can be more active in their life while they live This process will then make people think about what it's like to be more active during the time they live. In this book, Professor Mori said that if people knew they were going to die, the things that they spend a lot of time on now would not be considered very important, and they would dig deeper into what is related to the soul. This means that when we recognize death, our values for life change.

Another significant part of communicating the message of the story is Professor Mori's words. One of the words he said is in a conversation with Mitch on the 13th Tuesday, titled "Conclusion." "Death is the end of life, not the end of relationships " Professor Mori says, looking at his pink hibiscus flower, that people are unlike the beautiful flower in which death is the end of its life. Instead, although our lives end with death, people have relationships that are alive with the people they love so that they can live in them as memories. This part was very touching. The death of a loved one is so painful, and its existence is no longer tangible, but it can be alive in me as a memory Then, how should we live in the present? Professor Mori wanted to live a more meaningful life for the relationships that would last forever. If people live with all the goals and meanings of their life with materialistic purposes and only for themselves, they probably won't be able to remain alive forever as a beautiful memory with those who lived with them in front of death and after death.

The book “Tuesdays with Morrie” provides a good opportunity for me to think about the meaning of life. Death is something that everyone has to endure at some time in their lives. However, people tend to think of death as a punishment, and it is always something that people are afraid of. People work hard to make money so that they can live. One reason people also have spiritual beliefs is because of death. Topics such as reincarnation, the afterlife, and God bring peace to the minds of those who are afraid of death. However, rather than being afraid of death, people have to understand that according to the laws of nature, everyone is born, lives, and dies What we can do is that when you live your life and have a moment of choice, you can make a choice toward a meaningful life. It may not be perfect, but I believe life will be more valuable if you live with awareness rather than fear.

Work Cited

Mayo Clinic Staff “Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) ” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 13 Oct. 2022, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseasesconditions/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc20354022#:~:text=Amyotrophic%20lateral%20sclerosis%20(a%2 Dmy,who%20was%20diagnosed%20with%20it Accessed 8 Apr 2023.