![]() ![]() “Remember what I said about finding a meaningful life? I wrote it down, but now I can recite it: Devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to you community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning. You know what really gives you satisfaction? Offering others what you have to give. ![]() You have to find what’s good and true and beautiful in your life as it is now. If you hold back on the emotions – if you don’t allow yourself to go all the way through them – you can never get to being detached, you’re too busy being afraid. “Well, the truth is, if you really listen to that bird on your shoulder, if you accept that you can die at any time – then you might not be as ambitious as you are.”Īs our great poet Auden said, “Love each other or perish.” If we did, we would do things differently.” “Everybody knows they’re going to die,” he said again, “but nobody believes it. Here in Morrie’s office, life went on one precious day at a time. … he was very clear about the important things in life. It won’t just happen automatically.” I knew what he was saying. “You need someone to probe you in that direction. So we don’t get into the habit of standing back and looking at our lives and saying, Is this all? Is this all I want? Is something missing? We’re so wrapped up with egotistical things, career, family, having enough money, meeting the mortgage, getting a new car, fixing the radiator when it breaks – we’re involved in trillions of little acts just to keep going. 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. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. So many people walk around with a meaningless life. He had created a cocoon of human activities – conversation, interaction, affection – and it filled his life like an overflowing soup bowl. “Which side wins?” He smiles at me, the crinkled eyes, the crooked teeth. They’re more unhappy than me – even in my current condition. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it. Well, for one thing, the culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. “Are you giving to your community?” “Are you at peace with yourself?” “Are you trying to be as human as you can be?” “Have you found someone to share your heart with?” he asked. ![]() I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not move quickly enough. And on a cold Sunday afternoon, he was joined in his home by a small group of friends and family for a “living funeral.”Īfter the funeral, my life changed. “All those people saying all those wonderful things, and Irv never got to hear any of it.” Morrie had a better idea. When a colleague at Brandeis died suddenly of a heart attack Morrie went to his funeral. I’ve read it more slowly, and I’ve underlined, and I’ve pondered over the words and wondered how to make them part of my life. ![]() Because I know how it ends, you know, so I’m not in such a hurry to glean its wisdom. Tuesdays with Morrie was the book chosen to be read for our book club this month. Clint stayed up one night in the observation car and read it straight through. My dad had brought along some books, and tuesdays with Morrie was the one that circulated through our little group. The train was packed, like sardine-can-analogy packed, and the trip was long. It was during the Christmas holidays and I was traveling with my family, my dad, and another family. I was on the train, traveling from Glasgow, Montana to San Diego, California the first time I read tuesdays with Morrie. ![]()
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