Tuesdays With Morrie Aphorism Essay
Tuesdays with Morrie Aphorism Explanations
Self-Forgiveness
“Accept the past as past without denying it or discarding it”(pg. 18)
At the time of this aphorism’s composition, Morrie was more optimistic than ever, despite his affliction with ALS slowly crippling him. Morrie used his condition of being close to death to formulate small philosophies of life, this aphorism was one of them. I selected this aphorism because it illustrates how although most people emit an aura of normalcy around them, they struggle with their personal internal conflicts, battling with themselves wondering why they made this or that choice or all the opportunities they missed. The hourglass demonstrates acceptance and consideration of the past, with its falling sands …show more content…
representing the acceptance of events and its receiving end the retainment and eternal acknowledgement of these occurrences in future events. In all sincerity, my motives behind selecting this image was that it effectively symbolized the passage of time and while doing this, the acceptance of events that time brings. The photograph of the caterpillar and the butterfly symbolizes how previously rejected past events can eventually metamorphosize into accepted events that can be looked down upon as much less distasteful than once appeared. With the acceptance of the past, people can reach an inner peace while still considering its role in the present. We should all try to reach this state to truly embrace our current lives and look forward to the future.
Death
“Is today the day I die.”(pg. 81) When Morrie uttered this statement, he had developed the need for an oxygen machine and was discussing the average person’s perception of death with Mitch, specifically how people deny its approach.
I selected this aphorism because it demonstrates how the general perception of death is that it will never arrive, or that it is set to occur much later than the present, as this conflicts with one’s self-preservation instinct. The photograph of the fish jumping away from its community of fish to another bowl elucidates the concept of living life to the fullest and venturing out of familiar territory, leading me to select this image as it captures Morrie’s lesson of considering each day as our last and therefore attempting to live them to the fullest. The photograph of the youth standing on the pinnacle of a rock poignantly illustrates that in our everyday lives we should try reach our peak happiness and personal emotional achievement, as any day could be the day that we perish. As much as we may reject it, our demise could come at any moment and in preparation for this event we should consider every one of our days as it were our last. As a society we should try, to the best of our ability, to perceive our days as invaluable and
irrecoverable.
Love
“...love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone”(pg. 138) While this aphorism was being shared with Mitch, Morrie was discussing how love goes on, even as his body was withering away. I chose this aphorism because it exhibits how the majority of people believe that the only way to immortalize oneself is to gain enough power, status, and wealth to the extent that become a prominent historical figure after your demise. I believe that although that person will have accumulated fame and fortune, if they never had a sincere relationship with anyone, they will never be immortalized in the way that love does. Without love, there will be no one genuinely lamenting and grieving over your demise. The photograph of the man grieving over their loved one’s grave clearly illustrates how poignant and everlasting of a connection love can spawn. The picture of the Taj Mahal, a mausoleum commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a token of love for his deceased wife, shows how love can compel someone to eternalize a loved one in their hearts and in this case, architecturally. Individually, we should give as much as an effort as we can muster to give and receive love and live in the hearts of others.
Society/Culture
“The culture we have today, does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it.”(pg. 42)
True to his words, Morrie created his own culture with discussion groups, walks with friends, and partaking in emotionally and sincere human connecting activities. Personally, I feel that in the modern world, people are made to feel obligated to follow their society’s culture, regardless if it upholds terrible values, such as excessively using social media. For example, these photos highlight academic competition, an aspect of culture that can demoralize students by making them feel as if their efforts are inadequate and deficient in intelligence. We need to expand and diversify into our own individual cultures that value concepts personal to and close to us, not infatuate us with the media and discourage our students. As individuals we should make as much of an effort as we can in our daily lives to reject values that are not personal to us and uphold those values that are, regardless of what society makes of them.
Aging
“...Aging is not just decay, you know. It’s growth”(pg. 118) To Morrie, this aphorism was about aging and meaning in one’s life. If someone was satisfied with their life as they aged, they would not desire to regress to a previous point in their life, but they would yearn to progress and gain more wisdom. To me, this remarkable statement captures the message that that immense mental progression is made during aging and its many experiences that complement it. The grapes in the photo represent how our wisdom grows with aging, beginning their life as small wisdomless fruit and transforming over time into large, wrinkled, wisdom bearing nourishment. Another example of aging as growth rather than decay is a student receiving an educational degree, indicating a significant investment in time to achieve an ultimate goal. Although aging carries with it an onset of physical decay, without it we would never grow past the wisdom of a child eternally doomed to a state of ignorance. As a society we should cease embracing the ignorance of youth and endorse aging, as it brings with it lifelong lessons and wisdom.
Greed
“Money is not a substitute for tenderness, and power is not a substitute for tenderness”(pg.125) Morrie believed that this aphorism highlighted how when people crave for love and praise to a certain extent and are deprived of it, they seek substitutes such as money and power. I believe that the general perception of money and power is that it will attain an individual tenderness and fondness from other people. But all that these materialistic attributes will accomplish someone is an insatiable greed for more power and money, as they believe the amount that they have accumulated is not sufficient to replace or gain tenderness. The image of the man in a wretched state despite his finances represents that while money or power may bestow you with short-term happiness, it is incapable of yielding long-term happiness, unlike sincere tenderness. The epitome of greed and powerlust by far was Genghis Khan, even going as far as stating,”The greatest happiness is to vanquish your enemies, to chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth, to see those dear to them bathed in tears...”But even near death he fought for and desired more land, illustrating that no matter how much power you acquire, you will never be truly satisfied without tenderness. This cycle will drive a person to endlessly crave more funds and power, leading them to perish without them ever having fulfilled their hopeless goal. The world collectively and individually should realize that there are absolutely no substitutes for such a sincere sentiment as tenderness.
Self-Forgiveness
“Accept the past as past without denying it or discarding it”(pg. 18)
At the time of this aphorism’s composition, Morrie was more optimistic than ever, despite his affliction with ALS slowly crippling him. Morrie used his condition of being close to death to formulate small philosophies of life, this aphorism was one of them. I selected this aphorism because it illustrates how although most people emit an aura of normalcy around them, they struggle with their personal internal conflicts, battling with themselves wondering why they made this or that choice or all the opportunities they missed. The hourglass demonstrates acceptance and consideration of the past, with its falling sands …show more content…
representing the acceptance of events and its receiving end the retainment and eternal acknowledgement of these occurrences in future events. In all sincerity, my motives behind selecting this image was that it effectively symbolized the passage of time and while doing this, the acceptance of events that time brings. The photograph of the caterpillar and the butterfly symbolizes how previously rejected past events can eventually metamorphosize into accepted events that can be looked down upon as much less distasteful than once appeared. With the acceptance of the past, people can reach an inner peace while still considering its role in the present. We should all try to reach this state to truly embrace our current lives and look forward to the future.
Death
“Is today the day I die.”(pg. 81) When Morrie uttered this statement, he had developed the need for an oxygen machine and was discussing the average person’s perception of death with Mitch, specifically how people deny its approach.
I selected this aphorism because it demonstrates how the general perception of death is that it will never arrive, or that it is set to occur much later than the present, as this conflicts with one’s self-preservation instinct. The photograph of the fish jumping away from its community of fish to another bowl elucidates the concept of living life to the fullest and venturing out of familiar territory, leading me to select this image as it captures Morrie’s lesson of considering each day as our last and therefore attempting to live them to the fullest. The photograph of the youth standing on the pinnacle of a rock poignantly illustrates that in our everyday lives we should try reach our peak happiness and personal emotional achievement, as any day could be the day that we perish. As much as we may reject it, our demise could come at any moment and in preparation for this event we should consider every one of our days as it were our last. As a society we should try, to the best of our ability, to perceive our days as invaluable and
irrecoverable.
Love
“...love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone”(pg. 138) While this aphorism was being shared with Mitch, Morrie was discussing how love goes on, even as his body was withering away. I chose this aphorism because it exhibits how the majority of people believe that the only way to immortalize oneself is to gain enough power, status, and wealth to the extent that become a prominent historical figure after your demise. I believe that although that person will have accumulated fame and fortune, if they never had a sincere relationship with anyone, they will never be immortalized in the way that love does. Without love, there will be no one genuinely lamenting and grieving over your demise. The photograph of the man grieving over their loved one’s grave clearly illustrates how poignant and everlasting of a connection love can spawn. The picture of the Taj Mahal, a mausoleum commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a token of love for his deceased wife, shows how love can compel someone to eternalize a loved one in their hearts and in this case, architecturally. Individually, we should give as much as an effort as we can muster to give and receive love and live in the hearts of others.
Society/Culture
“The culture we have today, does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it.”(pg. 42)
True to his words, Morrie created his own culture with discussion groups, walks with friends, and partaking in emotionally and sincere human connecting activities. Personally, I feel that in the modern world, people are made to feel obligated to follow their society’s culture, regardless if it upholds terrible values, such as excessively using social media. For example, these photos highlight academic competition, an aspect of culture that can demoralize students by making them feel as if their efforts are inadequate and deficient in intelligence. We need to expand and diversify into our own individual cultures that value concepts personal to and close to us, not infatuate us with the media and discourage our students. As individuals we should make as much of an effort as we can in our daily lives to reject values that are not personal to us and uphold those values that are, regardless of what society makes of them.
Aging
“...Aging is not just decay, you know. It’s growth”(pg. 118) To Morrie, this aphorism was about aging and meaning in one’s life. If someone was satisfied with their life as they aged, they would not desire to regress to a previous point in their life, but they would yearn to progress and gain more wisdom. To me, this remarkable statement captures the message that that immense mental progression is made during aging and its many experiences that complement it. The grapes in the photo represent how our wisdom grows with aging, beginning their life as small wisdomless fruit and transforming over time into large, wrinkled, wisdom bearing nourishment. Another example of aging as growth rather than decay is a student receiving an educational degree, indicating a significant investment in time to achieve an ultimate goal. Although aging carries with it an onset of physical decay, without it we would never grow past the wisdom of a child eternally doomed to a state of ignorance. As a society we should cease embracing the ignorance of youth and endorse aging, as it brings with it lifelong lessons and wisdom.
Greed
“Money is not a substitute for tenderness, and power is not a substitute for tenderness”(pg.125) Morrie believed that this aphorism highlighted how when people crave for love and praise to a certain extent and are deprived of it, they seek substitutes such as money and power. I believe that the general perception of money and power is that it will attain an individual tenderness and fondness from other people. But all that these materialistic attributes will accomplish someone is an insatiable greed for more power and money, as they believe the amount that they have accumulated is not sufficient to replace or gain tenderness. The image of the man in a wretched state despite his finances represents that while money or power may bestow you with short-term happiness, it is incapable of yielding long-term happiness, unlike sincere tenderness. The epitome of greed and powerlust by far was Genghis Khan, even going as far as stating,”The greatest happiness is to vanquish your enemies, to chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth, to see those dear to them bathed in tears...”But even near death he fought for and desired more land, illustrating that no matter how much power you acquire, you will never be truly satisfied without tenderness. This cycle will drive a person to endlessly crave more funds and power, leading them to perish without them ever having fulfilled their hopeless goal. The world collectively and individually should realize that there are absolutely no substitutes for such a sincere sentiment as tenderness.