Death is something we are all afraid of. Although it is an integral part of the life cycle, we avoid talking about it but we all know that it will catch us some time. But should we talk more about death? Are we aware that we can die every moment? The memoir “Tuesdays With Morrie,” by Mitch Albom is relevant to this topic as its main topic is death. Morrie, a professor of sociology, by using the sentence “Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live”, points to the fact that until we meet death, we are not aware that we are mortal beings, and at that moment we are trying to do all the things we have not done before.
To begin with, we should learn how to live in the present. We spend too much time thinking about the past and the things we cannot change anymore. On the other hand, we make plans for the future although we are not sure what will happen next. So that is how we fail to do something for ourselves and enjoy it at the present moment because only moments in present are those that really matter. Instead of just wasting time, we should focus more on our current situation and spend time on things and people that really matter. In this memoir, Morrie suggests to Mitch that it is more important to listen to the person you are talking to and give them the evidence that you are interested in what they are saying. Maybe tomorrow, next week, in a year, they would not be with us and we would not have the opportunity to prove them so. In addition, Morrie suggests to Mitch that he keep the memory of him in his heart and mind, not by recording everything he said on the cassette. He wants Mitch to hear his lessons at this moment and keep his words in memory, as a reminder of their moments spent together.
Another important lesson is about creating your own culture. Many things in our society cannot be changed, but what we can is to create our own opinions and attitudes towards various aspects of life, as well as to choose people with whom we can be what we really are. We have to behave in the same manner to all the people regardless of religion, nation, and gender. The only important thing is to have people we love and those who love us in life and everything is going to be better. The evidence of Morrie’s existence is his students. They come from all parts of the world to visit Morrie during his illness, only to see him after many years, to hear his voice, thanks to his benevolence and righteousness.
Last but not least, Morrie points to the importance of the family as it is our greatest support in everything we do. Things like money, glory, or even a job we really like cannot replace the role of the family. Its importance is also evident in Morrie’s case, in his struggle with the terminal disease, where he himself says that everything is easier to handle with the help of the family. At the same time, Mitch feels the lack of family and becomes aware that he has spent too much time building his career. Then, he remembers his sick brother whom he has not seen for a long time and decides to fix things with him. At the end of the story, it is proved that it is never too late to do the right thing. It is only important to have enough courage and will to make our lives better. It is also important to say to people we care that we love them every day because we do not know when is the last time we see them.
We all know that one day we will die, but we should use every second of our lives to make something that will leave a mark that once we lived on this planet. It is also true that our minds can work against us. Likewise, we often give some problems a lot more importance than we should. But at the and everything is just a matter of perspective as we should ask ourselves whether we will think about it tomorrow, the next week or even next year. Morrie mentions that human beings are constantly trying to do many things without thinking about them considerably while the most important is our family and friends as they will help us in every situation. “There is no such thing as ‘too late’ in life” (Morrie, 55.). This is the right time to do everything we can, neither yesterday nor tomorrow. Stay alive long enough as you have something to give to this world, to do the right thing.
