The book:
Objective analysis
Mitch Albom asked of his mentor, Morrie Schwartz, many questions. In his book
Tuesdays with Morrie, Albom addresses these questions using various techniques.
Albom not only interviews Schwartz in his home during his final months, but also
uses flashbacks and personal discoveries to answer the questions. The major
themes covered in the book include an individual’s function and responsibility
with those he knows personally, with society in general, and with himself. As
for the individual’s relationship with himself, the overarching focus is on the
concept of death. Although Albom often directly asks Schwartz his opinion on
these matters, many times the inquiry is only implied. To take a burden off of
the reader, or perhaps as respect for the reader, Albom rarely engages or refers
to the reader. He leaves the reader with the decision to use Albom as an analogy
to the reader.
Albom and Schwartz discuss the meaning of close relationships in the classroom,
in the family, and with friends. Schwartz believed that one should take an
objective look at his life, and that a teacher’s role is to “‘probe you in that
direction.’” Albom agrees, “I knew what he was saying. We all need teachers in
our lives” (65). As for family, Schwartz insisted that family anchors an
individual in a way that nothing else can. “‘The fact is, there is no
foundation, no secure ground, upon people may stand today if it isn’t the
family,’” reasoned Schwartz (91). Although Schwartz shied away from denoting
marriage or having children as critical to happiness, he did say they were
unique experiences worthy of trying. “‘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’” (93). Struggling with a
distant relationship with his brother, Albom asked Schwartz for advice on the
matter. Schwartz reminded Albom that one should love his family members by
giving them space and that Albom should be “‘at peace with his brother’s
desires’” (177). As for friendship outside of family, Schwartz’s wife reminded
Albom that his relationship with her husband gave Schwartz a “‘sense of purpose’” (102). Schwartz imparted on Albom an understanding of one’s role with
those close to him.
In addition to one’s personal relationships, Schwartz believed people should
realize their place in a larger society, as well as a global community. Still,
he cautioned that culture can fall short, and developing a personal culture can
be important. In order to gain meaning in life, Schwartz advised Albom to
“‘devote yourself to your community around you’” (43). As Schwartz became more
ill, he began to feel an emotional connection with people in distant countries.
Referring to seeing war in Bosnia while watching television, Schwartz claimed,
“‘I feel closer to people who suffer than I ever did before… I feel their
anguish as if it were my own’” (50). Albom also entered ideals from indigenous
people in South America to equate to Schwartz’s worldview in an attempt to
downplay the differences between people spanning our global community (141). By
bridging differences between people, Schwartz answered questions about why
humans separate each other. “‘If we saw each other as more alike, we might be
very eager to join in one big human family around the world’” (156). Still,
Schwartz highlighted the importance of having a personal culture. He believed
that major human values should be personal, and that “’you can’t let anyone—or
any society—determine those for you’” (155).
Other than one’s relationships with other people, Albom and Schwartz discussed
how an individual should learn to live with himself. Specifically, Schwartz
believed that learning how to die meant learning how to live, as highlighted by
his often-repeated aphorism, “When you learn how to die, you learn how to live.”
Schwartz told Albom of the importance to let go from the world, but only when
the time is right: “‘Don’t let go too soon, but don’t hang on too long’” (162).
During Schwartz’s final weeks of life, he began to detach himself from the
world, as epitomized by his disregarding the O.J. Simpson verdict as he used the
bathroom in the other room (158). Still, Albom learned that as his mentor grew
older, the more he became dependent on other people. Schwartz believed that this
dependency, while at first humiliating, is a necessary part of aging and is not
so different from the rest of life. “‘At the end of life, when you get like me,
you need others to survive…but here’s the secret: in between we need others as
well’” (157).
While dying can be a painful process, Schwartz never ceased to look at the
positive aspects of his life. In reference to the fact that he knows of his
impending death, Schwartz tells Albom, “‘not everyone gets the time I’m getting.
Not everyone is as lucky’” (167). Continuing this enthusiasm, Schwartz also
remained excited about experiencing the unknown of death. “‘Mitch, it was the
most incredible feeling,’” Schwartz tells Albom of a coughing spell that nearly
ended his life and a dream that he had, “‘I was thinking about a dream I had
last week, where I was crossing a bridge into something unknown. Being ready to
move on to whatever is next’” (172). Albom and Schwartz concluded that dying is
a natural process, and one that every human should embrace.
Subjective analysis
I did not make the decision to analogize myself with Albom. Albom and I have
little in common. He lives a fast paced life as a married professional sports
writer ensnared in the lonely comfort of a corporate American lifestyle; he is
out of touch with the basic principles of happiness and compassion.
Tuesdays with Morrie did not have a positive effect on me. All of the
conclusions Schwartz reached were ones I had either already reached, or had
foreseen myself reaching in the future. These grains of truth Schwartz imparts
on Albom during his dying days are available elsewhere, and not just in religion
such as Schwartz’s often cited Buddhism. Albom stitched a Frankenstein quilt of
personal discoveries and half-baked aphorisms, peddled as a comfort blanket.
What was Albom’s motivation to write this book? Albom claims the book was mainly
Schwartz’s idea, but their relationship leads me to degrade Schwartz’s
involvement into an encouragement for Albom’s book idea. Albom had not contacted
Schwartz for years until he saw his dying face on television. I imagine Albom,
smelling money, jumped at this opportunity. After all, this was the younger and
self admittedly unenlightened Albom that first sought out Schwartz. After
writing this book, Albom continued his work as a prolific sports writer and opportunistic novelist. Albom’s sale of the movie rights does little to quell my
suspicion of Albom’s financial motives.
I feel sorry for Schwartz, a man’s whose personal insights, albeit curiously
vague and generally obvious, were sold to the American public. Still, I’m not
sure how sorry I can feel for a man who is self-interested enough to request a
“living funeral.”
This book shows that in a capitalist culture such as America, nothing is too
sacred to be captured, packaged, slapped with a cute title, and mass produced
for immediate consumption: even the whimsical spouting of a dying man’s last
days. From every human mind grows a tree of wisdom at an unalterable rate. Albom
trucked in a fully bloomed tree, cloned from a stranger’s final bloom, and
planted it right alongside mine. Not so fast. I have plucked this foreign object
free and flung it away. Some dead brown leaves remain stuck amongst my own, yet
the wind will soon have them back.
Guide to the major questions posed in the book
-
Why do we avoid what is truly important in life? 27 43 82-3 176
- Why are we scared of aging and death? 18 21 36 81 118 172
- Why do we look for happiness in material possessions? 125 127 156 159
- Why are we afraid to show emotions? 51 104 166 186
- Why do we hide from our past? 18 32
- Why do we hold grudges? 164-5
- Why do we have regrets? 18 118 167
- What does it mean to be a teacher / student? 39 65 79 135 168
- What does it mean to be a parent / child / sibling / spouse? 91-2-3 168 177-8
- What does it mean to be a friend? 102 139 157
- Can one have a personal culture? 35-6 42 64 154-5-6
- Why do we disconnect ourselves from our global community? 43 50 110 141 156-7
163 173 179-80
- Why are we so distant from eachother? 139 142 146
- Why do we struggle with marriage? 148-9
- Why are we scared to become dependent on others when we get old? 11 22 49 61 157
- Is it critical to be religious? 75 82 84 108 151 163-4 180
- How can we remain alive after we die? 77 134 170 174
- How should one die?
- Let go, but not too soon. / Be at peace with death. 37 103-7 158 161-2 171-2-3
- Forgive yourself and others. 164 166
- Count your blessings. / Realize how lucky you are. 18 57 167
- Be excited about the journey into the unknown. 172
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