Morrie Shcwartz, is a sociology professor, who has touched
many of his students’ hearts through his teachings, one of the students in
particular being Mitch Albom. The story revolves around the love shared between
Morrie and his student Mitch. Both these characters journey together trying to
unravel the meaning of life and answer questions surrounding existence. On one
hand, Mitch is absorbed by materialism, and yet does not seem too happy with
himself, his high-class journalist job or the fact that he is a married man. He
does not keep in touch with his beloved professor that he promised he would
never forget. Fourteen years after Mitch’s graduation, Morrie is diagnosed with
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The ability to survive and thrive with a
positive mindset is an admirable characteristic of Morrie. Mitch understands
the importance and necessity of Morrie’s teachings, mindset and characteristics
as even though Morrie is aware of the fact that he is going to die because of
his disease, he leaves the world by leaving a positive impact on Mitch, who
further uses Morrie’s teachings for his happiness and progress in life. Morrie’s
ideas and values prove the impact of positive thinking on one’s life. It is
interesting because no one can stop the inevitable but the way one copes with
it portrays strength and determination. At Morrie's funeral, Mitch recalls his
promise to continue his conversations with his professor and conducts a silent
dialogue with Morrie in his head. Mitch had expected such a dialogue to feel
awkward, however this communication feels far more natural than he had ever
expected.
The question is, how did Morrie manage not to let the disease
make him more able to cope with his situation? The disease that caused rapidly
progressive weakness in his muscles, which didn’t let him speak properly or be
independent anymore. In his interviews on ’Nightline’ he said he was worried
about the day when he would not be able to wipe himself up after using the
bathroom, which eventually did come true. His body deteriorated but his mind
showed all signs of resilience. Morrie
found a way to use positivity to his advantage. Before he was diagnosed with
ALS, he was a happy man who inspired everyone around him. After ALS, the
awareness of his disease, the causes, symptoms and effects, simply made him
grow stronger as he already knew what was going to happen to him. His self
awareness was the key to his mental health.
Reciprocal determinism is when our environment is a major
part of the evolution of our mind. If we harm the environment, the
environment’s cyclical functionality will eventually cause harm back to us as
well. If there is positivity in one’s attitude, one’s body will never realize
the magnitude of the pain one is dealing with. Our mind and environment affect
each other positively and negatively. Therefore, Morrie decided to stay
positive and let the environment do the rest. He lived happier days, even
though he knew there were very few remaining. The individualistic culture
Morrie encourages Mitch to create for himself is a culture founded on love,
acceptance, and human goodness, a culture that upholds a set of ethical values
unlike the mores that popular culture endorses. Popular culture, Morrie says,
is founded on greed, selfishness, and superficiality, which he urges Mitch to
overcome. Morrie also stresses that he and Mitch must accept death and aging,
as both are inevitable.
The role of positive emotions plays a huge role in our
survival and motivational mechanisms. After being born, we wish to be aware of
our threats around us and then identify an action tendency to deal with this
threat. After this, we broaden our alternative ways to better survival. This
feeling of safety helps you explore more if the appraisal of the situation is
positive and safe. Therefore, there is more exercised trust among others,
making one’s self a kinder and happier individual. Morrie does just this when
he imparts his knowledge to Mitch, who’s biological mother died when he was
young and his father never really showed any affection towards him. When
Mitche’s father remarries, the new wife is more open and accepting towards her
step-children and thus urges him to read on and open his mind. This is why when
Mitch first was taught by Morrie, he was very hesitant. But at the same time, he
continued taking his classes cause of the easy grade, but with time, Morrie,
like his step-mother opened up his mind to broader spectrums.
Positive emotions helped Morrie be motivated to increase his
probabilities of survival, his self-preservation skills were higher, and all
the appraisals he had of his situation was taken in a more positive light as he
was positive himself. Therefore, all interpretations were on his favor. He
never became negative, and questioned “why did this happen to me, and no one else
around me?” He was resilient. Resilience is a different form of coping. He is
not the simple dealing with failure or losses, it is an individual's tendency
to cope with stress and adversity. Self acceptance, personal growth, purpose in
life, environmental mastery, autonomy and positive relations with other were 6
factors that he kept up that made him resilient.
Therefore, instead of letting the disease effect him
negatively, he went through post-traumatic growth. This made Morrie accept his
condition and go forth life like it always did, but made sure he lived it to
the full.
He first made sense of what happened to him, by understanding
his disease and knowing what his body was to become in the next few months. He
then re-defined his life and mindset, and made it more based on love, and
affection toward one’s self and others. He then found a benefit from this
situation which made him self-reliant and lets you become a sort of
philosopher, thus reaching the self-actualized person Morrie always wanted to be,
thus transcending into “Tuesdays with Morrie”.
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