'Tuesdays with Morrie' by Mitch Albom

'Tuesdays with Morrie' is an account of how Morrie lives his life after he discovers that he is going to die in a few years. It is a very "human" account of the insights he gains, how his philosophies take newer forms, and how he treats life from there onwards.

The book has the feel of a movie edited in a captivating manner. The sequence of events, the frequent flash-backs to school days with Morrie, the flow and the informal use of language - all of these give a dramatic feel. Once you start reading, the book takes over and you drift. It does not bore you even a wee bit as it connects instantly to the reader in a very human manner. Mitch does not try to talk from another world or from a different plane. He is very much as vulnerable as any other person – the difference being that he is at comfort with his personal vulnerabilities more than many others.

The most poignant moment is when Morrie is asked in an interview aired on TV: “Morrie, your mother passed away seventy years ago. You still feel the pain?” To this, Morrie replies, “You bet.” This brings out the fact that while most of us “block” our minds of past unpleasant experiences, Morrie was at ease with feeling grief. This is being human and accepting yourself as a human.

I had heard this somewhere: Earlier, people were loved and things were used. Now, things are loved and people are used. If that is true, then Morrie iss a relic of the past. He related to people in a very human fashion, and established a connection, an everlasting bond. In that, he was not a sociology professor just by the books; he lived it. He gave his fullest attention to whomever he was with, avoiding anything else that came his way - including calls from “important people”. He would listen to the person as if he or she is speaking to him for the last time.

Another stunning aspect of Morrie comes through in his answer to the question on how he would live his life if he were granted a wish to be perfectly healthy right now. He paints a very mundane, “average” type of a picture of how a perfect day in his life would be. He would take a walk in the park, watch nature, catch up with friends over meals, etc.

Simplicity.

Given a chance, I would like to make a movie on this book with perhaps Naseeruddin Shah or Anupam Kher as Morrie and Aamir Khan playing Mitch.

A Slow Awakening

kuchh kar guzar ne ko ...
khoon chala khoon chala ...

These are lines from a beautiful song from Rakeysh Mehra's amazingly inspirational movie 'Rang De Basanti'.

A time comes when your hunky-dory, relatively hassle-free life starts to go in a slow motion with you pondering. The things you had asked for at some level from the Existence do keep coming. Say, you had asked for a better job and you got it. You were peeved with a health problem and you found the solution. However,your comfort zones are now filled with more boredom. You want your work to fit in to a larger perspective that is building within you.

sawaalon ki ungli, jawaabon ki mutthi ...
sang lekar ...... khoon chala ...

You now aspire to create a new definition outside of the present limited sphere of your work. New thoughts, new attitude, and new values bring about a shift in your consciousness. You are in a space where you are not turbo-charged by any race, competition, or struggle to survive. Rather, you seek to create a newer “you” through the expression called work. Your work, your potential, your ‘burning flame’ are wasted if not utilized for a vision grander than that of the present.


galiyon se raston se ubharkar, umadkar
naye rang bhar ne ko khoon chala khoon chala

The book series Conversations With God asks you to evolve by challenging your own choices or versions of Who You Really Are.

Whatever one is doing, one should ask the question:
Does the work you do expand your consciousness? Does it fill you up with energy?