Tuesdays with Morrie
An old man, a young man, and life’s greatest lession
u So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. 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.
u The truth is… once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.
u Even I don’t know what spiritual development really means. But I do know we’re deficient in some way. We are too involved in materialistic things, and they don’t satisfy us. The loving relationships we have, the universe around us, we take these things for granted.
u The fact is, there is no foundation, no secure ground, upon which people stand today if it isn’t the family. If you don’t have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from a family, you don’t have much at all. Love is so supremely important.
我讀《相約星期二》 林秋如
一九九四年夏天，他被判了死刑，他的肌肉逐漸萎縮，從大腿到軀幹，最後，他必須靠氧氣機呼吸，而神智仍完全清醒。肌肉萎縮性脊髓側索硬化症(簡稱ALS)，使Morrie成了一台戲，讓成千上萬的人觀看。他的死亡哲學，讓強壯的人自慚形穢，讓心靈受傷的人，找到面對生命的勇氣。這牽引了16年前的學生米奇，回到Morrie教授的病榻前，上他最後14堂星期二的課。這門課叫作「生命的意義」。
米奇引讀者穿梭於他和Morrie臨終前的對話和14次週二的約會。鏡頭的交錯，讓我們看見一個意氣風發的青年，如何躍入追逐成功的洪流，在時空的移轉中，扼殺曾經擁有的理想。
米奇和大多數的工作狂一樣，無暇思考生命的意義。他回到教授身邊，上最後14堂星期二的課。Morrie的死亡之旅，敲出令他無法掩耳拒聽的喪鐘。死亡的頑強，令人戰慄，令人肅穆，令人謙卑，而緩慢步向死亡的Morrie，「帶著尊嚴，帶著勇氣，帶著幽默，帶著冷靜」，以愛推開了米奇未上鎖的一扇心門。
從米奇願意停下腳步，駐足聆聽的那一天開始，Morrie的師恩父情就逐漸地使米奇卸下層層的武裝，誠實地面對生命的本體，思索生命的意義。
Morrie在死亡陰影下所持的存在哲學，是人性主義。他的堅忍，並沒有將自己塑造成一個矜持、冷酷的人；他任自己流淚自憐，又能理智地節制情緒的宣洩。他認為自己與眾不同的地方，在於「他努力想解答人生的大問題，終極問題，那些終日揮之不去的問題。」他對生命的意義所下的註腳是：「生命中最要緊的事，是學著付出愛，以及接受愛。」
大部份的人，努力於鎖定的目標，卻少有人認真地思索死亡。Morrie懂得問最關鍵的問題，他在乎時間的品質，他掌握到，世界能存到永恆的寶貝，就是人和愛，因此，他決心將生命投資在人的身上。在物質主義的滔天巨浪中，他試圖用死亡的催魂鈴喚醒一些已經麻木的靈魂，思索終極的問題。當人開始探索心靈，他已經離道不遠了。
Morrie想當天使，他爭取時間，去表達愛，也去接受愛，他甚至提前給自己辦喪禮，因為他要聽到親友對他的愛和懷念。Morrie說：「學會死亡，你就學會活著。」
Morrie透過死亡學習生命的智慧，讓我聯想到狄更斯和雨果的小說。狄更斯在《聖誕歡樂頌》(Christmas Carol)裡，描寫小氣財神Scrooge，當幽靈領著他預見自己將來淒涼的墓碑時，他才下定決心，完全改變自己的生命，改變對人的態度。由雨果的《悲慘世界》(Les Miserables)所編的音樂劇，主角Jean Valjean在生命的最後一頁留下這樣一句話：「去愛別人，就是朝見神的面。」魯益師(C.S.Lewis)將苦難比喻為上帝的擴音喇叭；Morrie嚐試讓自己的苦難成為一個擴音喇叭，要喚醒這個裝聾作啞的世界。
CNN Book Review
Review by Stephanie Bowen
‘Tuesdays with Morrie’(TWM) is more than just a dying man's last words. It is an inspirational recount of a man's life -- a man whose passion for the human spirit has continued to live long after his last breath.
You could say there are two stories within TWM. One is the story of a man and a disease.
The other is the story of a professor of social psychology who has come to understand that life's complexities can be broken down into simple truths.
This book was not planned; it came about after Mitch Albom, by chance, saw his old professor on ABC's Nightline being interviewed by Ted Koppel about what it was like to be dying of ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gherig's disease.
Albom was surprised and saddened to learn that Morrie was dying and quickly got in touch with his old professor. What started as a reunion of old friends turned into the project of a lifetime.
Mitch and Morrie subsequently spent the next fourteen Tuesdays together exploring many of life's fundamental issues -- family, marriage, aging and culture to name a few.
Take aging -- an issue many struggle with. When Mitch asks him how he is able to refrain from being jealous of the young, Morrie says, "It's like going back to being a child again. Someone to bathe you. Someone to lift you. Someone to wipe you. We all know how to be a child. It's inside all of us. For me it's just remembering how to enjoy it." With wonderful insight, Morrie continues, "We all yearn in some way to return to those days when we were completely taken care of -- unconditional love, unconditional caring. " Now if that isn't getting the most of an unfortunate situation, I don't know what is!
Morrie has something to say about those who want to be young again. He says that's a reflection of a life that hasn't found meaning. He says if you've found meaning you don't want to go back, and you can appreciate the 23 year old in you, the 35 year old and the 62 year old.
One problem he sees is that we tend to see each other as dissimilar rather than alike. We are taught to be independent and unique, but in reality we all have the same needs. He emphasizes investment in people, not things. When all is said and done, we will be remembered by the time we spent listening to a friend or helping a family member.
When I first started reading TWM I immediately thought of Maya Angelou's "Won't Take Nothing for my Journey Now". Angelou has a way of tapping into life's biggest questions with such clarity and understanding you almost think she was sent by a higher power to help guide lost souls. While her poetic prose sweep you away, Morrie's simple wisdom has the same effect.
Morrie has led a simple yet meaningful life that inspires you to live yours to the fullest. In his words, he is fortunate enough to know he is dying, to take stock of his life as it comes to an end.
I had the pleasure of hearing Albom speak, and took the opportunity to ask him how his time with Morrie had changed his everyday life. In a true testament to his mentor, Albom's life has changed dramatically. He spends more time with his wife, takes more time off work and has restructured his work regime. He flies overseas to visit his family more often. In short, he is investing in the people in his life that he cares about most.
He says he faces life with less fear than he did before, knowing that life only comes around once and somehow things will work out. Clearly, Morrie's class is a success.