1.) The end. Some look at the end as a good thing, because to them, it is just a new beginning. Others see the end as such a tragedy, since they feel that they did not live their lives to the fullest. I believe the end to be both of these feelings, because as the end approaches, most people begin to realize that their life was great. The truth really hits them in the face, but it may be too late for those who regret what they have done in their lives. Then the end truly is a tragedy for that certain person.
2.)In Tuesday's with Morrie, Morrie understands that the end is approaching for him, and he knew that the sooner he realized this, the sooner he could begin to help out the world. He understood that he did not have much time left before his end, and so he did not dwell on the sadness of this so much as he dwelled on the happiness he still can have. Another example found in this novel was when Morrie stated that death is part of the agreement we make as human beings. By this he means that when we were born, it had already been decided that death must come upon us at some point in time. He also continues to say that the feeling of accepting what was happening to him, gave him the feeling of peace. He felt at peace and he felt as if he could have let go of his life. Also, he states that as long as we love each other, and show our love towards each other, you can die without ever going away. By this, he means that someone's love can still continue on to the people it has touched, even thought that person has died.
3.) I agree with Morrie's thoughts on the end, especially since he knows what it feels like to be so close to death. I feel that one does not realize how great but yet heartbreaking the end may be. Great in the way that it is still a new beginning, but heartbreaking in the way that so many people have lost someone close to them. Only by reaching one's end may they realize what it truly means, and whether or not they have live life to the fullest.
4.) Do you believe that it is also possible for one who is not so close to death to realize what it the end is actually like, and to push themselves to live life to the fullest?
Yes, I believe that people like Mitch are able to few the end as not such a tragedy and more of a peaceful state. This is because he spent many weeks so close to death, and he received countless pieces of advice which will help him through the rest of his life.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Journal #4 Importance
1.) Importance. It can be defined in multiple ways. Certain things with sentimental value may be defined as something of importance to someone. Then again, it may relate to how vital a certain action or thought may be to someone. I believe that mostly everyone takes what they have for granted, and do not realized the importance of their belongings, family, or friends. That is, until they have lost everything.
2.) Morrie has lost practically everything in his life after contracting ALS. He then realized how important his family and friends were to him. He realized that family and friends can keep him out of a depression, and he gets through to everyone who is listening about how they should not take things for granted. He makes sure they realized how truly important certain things are in their life. A more specific example of this is Morrie bringing up marriage. He talks about how most couples divorce, and that they did not truly realize the importance of marriage in their lives. Morrie then states that someone who does not have marriage in their lives is missing a hell of a lot.
3.) I agree with Morrie for the fact that marriage is one of the most important things that can happen in a person's life. It can get them through hard times, and it can help them realize what a main aspect of life is really like. But what most people don't realize is the true importance of this. They take is for granted until it is stripped from them and they have already lost it. Morrie attempts to inform the people how important it truly is.
4.) Do you feel that you truly appreciate the importance of things in your everyday life?
No. I believe that for one to actually realize how important certain things are, they must have them taken away from them. But by this time, it is too late, and all they can do is wish they had that important thing given back to them. This is what happened to Morrie. People may read this book then state afterward that they actually do appreciate everything they have, and do not take things for granted. The truth about this is that they actually do not appreciate things to the fullest, as Morrie does.
2.) Morrie has lost practically everything in his life after contracting ALS. He then realized how important his family and friends were to him. He realized that family and friends can keep him out of a depression, and he gets through to everyone who is listening about how they should not take things for granted. He makes sure they realized how truly important certain things are in their life. A more specific example of this is Morrie bringing up marriage. He talks about how most couples divorce, and that they did not truly realize the importance of marriage in their lives. Morrie then states that someone who does not have marriage in their lives is missing a hell of a lot.
3.) I agree with Morrie for the fact that marriage is one of the most important things that can happen in a person's life. It can get them through hard times, and it can help them realize what a main aspect of life is really like. But what most people don't realize is the true importance of this. They take is for granted until it is stripped from them and they have already lost it. Morrie attempts to inform the people how important it truly is.
4.) Do you feel that you truly appreciate the importance of things in your everyday life?
No. I believe that for one to actually realize how important certain things are, they must have them taken away from them. But by this time, it is too late, and all they can do is wish they had that important thing given back to them. This is what happened to Morrie. People may read this book then state afterward that they actually do appreciate everything they have, and do not take things for granted. The truth about this is that they actually do not appreciate things to the fullest, as Morrie does.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Journal #3 Acceptance
1.) Acceptance. The epitome of self-awareness or strength, is what i believe it to be. To demonstrate acceptance may involve making sacrifices, the sacrifices usually being giving up on what you have fought for. Certain people are naive and do not have the mental power to accept certain things. But others, like Morrie, are able to prove how strong they are by simply accepting that they are wrong or, in Morrie's case, accepting what misfortune has occurred in his life.
2.) From the very beginning of Tuesdays with Morrie, it is discovered that Morrie has ALS and that he is a dying man. He understands that he is going to die, and does not hesitate to say it. He is even open to interviews about his disease. Morrie sometimes takes it as far as to describe the exact way he is going to die. Morrie is able to accept what his life has become, and can help give advice to people who are not this unfortunate. Also proving his acceptance is his quote; "Do not stop your lives. Otherwise this disease will have ruined three of us instead of one." This shows Morrie making a sacrifice by not seeing his sons, and spending most of his time alone. He accepts the fact that he is the only one who needs to be affected by this disease. He accepts the truth about how he must spend his dying days without seeing his family.
3.) Throughout this book, there are many topics which may be looked at as acceptance. It was therefore challenging to find an example which represented my opinion about acceptance perfectly. Morrie overcoming and furthermore accepting ALS as who he was, was a topic which was very compatible with my definition of acceptance. I agree with Morrie's decision for not seeing his family before he dies, only because this was very generous of him to do so. He knew that his family seeing him like he was would only hurt them more, and he did not want this to happen.
4.) If you were struck with ALS, do you feel you would be as accepting towards it as Morrie was?
No. I believe that i would only whine about what was happening. I would also love for my family to be with me before I had died. Although this may sound very selfish, I would pretty much be on my death bed and this would be my last wish. I feel that i should be excused from the guilt of being selfish during such a time. Along with this, i would have an extremely hard time actually accepting the truth about my disease, and i would pretend that is actually was not happening.
2.) From the very beginning of Tuesdays with Morrie, it is discovered that Morrie has ALS and that he is a dying man. He understands that he is going to die, and does not hesitate to say it. He is even open to interviews about his disease. Morrie sometimes takes it as far as to describe the exact way he is going to die. Morrie is able to accept what his life has become, and can help give advice to people who are not this unfortunate. Also proving his acceptance is his quote; "Do not stop your lives. Otherwise this disease will have ruined three of us instead of one." This shows Morrie making a sacrifice by not seeing his sons, and spending most of his time alone. He accepts the fact that he is the only one who needs to be affected by this disease. He accepts the truth about how he must spend his dying days without seeing his family.
3.) Throughout this book, there are many topics which may be looked at as acceptance. It was therefore challenging to find an example which represented my opinion about acceptance perfectly. Morrie overcoming and furthermore accepting ALS as who he was, was a topic which was very compatible with my definition of acceptance. I agree with Morrie's decision for not seeing his family before he dies, only because this was very generous of him to do so. He knew that his family seeing him like he was would only hurt them more, and he did not want this to happen.
4.) If you were struck with ALS, do you feel you would be as accepting towards it as Morrie was?
No. I believe that i would only whine about what was happening. I would also love for my family to be with me before I had died. Although this may sound very selfish, I would pretty much be on my death bed and this would be my last wish. I feel that i should be excused from the guilt of being selfish during such a time. Along with this, i would have an extremely hard time actually accepting the truth about my disease, and i would pretend that is actually was not happening.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Journal #2 Loss
1.) Loss. Such a depressing and heart-breaking topic. For some it may be simply losing their wallet or car keys. Those people soon forget about their little dilemma after a few hours from finding their lost items. Others lose a family or friend's life, and sometimes lose their own in the process. To me, loss is able to tear people apart, and to alter them from who they truly are. But then again, there are those who are able to use these losses to guide them through their life, or even to use it to become stronger.
2.) The entire book of "Tuesdays with Morrie" is based on many morals and guidance on life. Most of this advice coming from Morrie. A main part of this novel is the fact that Morrie is able to give advice to anyone who asks for it, even after losing so much of his life. It seems as though this book is led by a siege of losses, especially as Morrie continues to lose more and more of himself to ALS. When it come to losses, Morrie is unlike most people in the way that he is able to mourn his own losses, which are drastic losses, and he can continue on his day afterward. In the story, Mitch speaks of how everyone is losing Morrie. His dance partners, his colleagues, his family, Maurie Stein, and even Mitch himself, are all losing Morrie. I look at this in the opposite way, because I feel that not only are they all losing Morrie, but Morrie is also losing them. He had lost his dancing career first, then came his teaching career, which traveled down the drain when he could no longer walk. His life was falling apart before his own eyes, but Morrie was able to stay his mostly jubilant self by putting this all behind him and concentrating on what he still has. These examples show how truly strong Morrie is when it comes to issues he has to deal with using his mind. I do not feel that i would be able to overcome these certain losses as easily as Morrie would have, and Mitch can agree with me on that.
3.) I agree that Morrie must be extremely strong mentally to be able to put these losses behind him. Although it must be remembered that one does not know whether or not they would be able to act the same way, unless they were put into the same exact position as Morrie. Therefore, many people may state that they would never in a million years be able to forget about these losses so easily, but they have no idea unless they are put into the same position. At first, I thought that as soon as these losses would catch up with Morrie, that he would become more and more depressed as his thoughts continue. I soon changed my mind when i realized that Morrie simply designates time during his day to mourn his losses, but then he is ready to face the day with a hop in his skip.
4.) My question to you is; If you were faced with as many losses as Morrie was throughout his life (his mother, his physical abilities, his career) would you be able to overcome these as easily as he could?
No, I believe that I would not be able to overcome these harsh losses as easily. But then again, i would have to be put into his specific position to be able to decide whether i could persevere and continue on through these losses or not.
2.) The entire book of "Tuesdays with Morrie" is based on many morals and guidance on life. Most of this advice coming from Morrie. A main part of this novel is the fact that Morrie is able to give advice to anyone who asks for it, even after losing so much of his life. It seems as though this book is led by a siege of losses, especially as Morrie continues to lose more and more of himself to ALS. When it come to losses, Morrie is unlike most people in the way that he is able to mourn his own losses, which are drastic losses, and he can continue on his day afterward. In the story, Mitch speaks of how everyone is losing Morrie. His dance partners, his colleagues, his family, Maurie Stein, and even Mitch himself, are all losing Morrie. I look at this in the opposite way, because I feel that not only are they all losing Morrie, but Morrie is also losing them. He had lost his dancing career first, then came his teaching career, which traveled down the drain when he could no longer walk. His life was falling apart before his own eyes, but Morrie was able to stay his mostly jubilant self by putting this all behind him and concentrating on what he still has. These examples show how truly strong Morrie is when it comes to issues he has to deal with using his mind. I do not feel that i would be able to overcome these certain losses as easily as Morrie would have, and Mitch can agree with me on that.
3.) I agree that Morrie must be extremely strong mentally to be able to put these losses behind him. Although it must be remembered that one does not know whether or not they would be able to act the same way, unless they were put into the same exact position as Morrie. Therefore, many people may state that they would never in a million years be able to forget about these losses so easily, but they have no idea unless they are put into the same position. At first, I thought that as soon as these losses would catch up with Morrie, that he would become more and more depressed as his thoughts continue. I soon changed my mind when i realized that Morrie simply designates time during his day to mourn his losses, but then he is ready to face the day with a hop in his skip.
4.) My question to you is; If you were faced with as many losses as Morrie was throughout his life (his mother, his physical abilities, his career) would you be able to overcome these as easily as he could?
No, I believe that I would not be able to overcome these harsh losses as easily. But then again, i would have to be put into his specific position to be able to decide whether i could persevere and continue on through these losses or not.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Journal #1 Embarrassment
1.) Embarrassment. To me, it is a dilemma which may cause a person to be ashamed of themselves or of something they are in the process of doing. I do not understand why people become so embarrassed over certain things which seem silly from my point of view, such as public speaking. Even in a small classroom, people may blush and become bashful in front of a small audience. From the audience's point of view, this is nothing to be embarrassed about. I may say these things about public speaking and how silly it is to become embarrassed over it, yet, I am being extremely hypocritical.
2.) What does it feel like to lose one's privacy? Morrie managed to find out the hard way that it is excruciatingly embarrassing. On pages 8-9, we are given a run down on Morrie's drastic changes to his lifestyle which he is forced to make. Examples of this would be; not being able to drive since he doesn't have enough strength in his legs to hit the brake, having someone who you barely know change you into and out of your bathing suit, and to expose his suffering in front of his Social Psychology class.
Yet again on page 11, it is described how Morrie must ask his colleagues to hold a beaker while he urinates into it. Although most individuals would be well over embarrassed by this, Morrie barely shows his uneasiness of asking somebody to hold the beaker for him. I feel that these examples show that embarrassments such as these can only help a person overcome certain fears. Morrie is able to urinate in a beaker while not even showing embarrassment.
3.) I agree with the meanings of these examples, because the more and more I become embarrassed by a certain thing, the more comfortable I become with doing it. These example show embarrassment on a very large scale, and the same with their meanings, but their meanings can be used for everyday things, such as public speaking or even offering answers in a classroom. Before I had read this book, I did not entirely understand how much embarrassment can help to overcome certain things. It is much clearer to me as to how profitable it is to be embarrassed.
4.) Do you agree that embarrassment can only help one to become more comfortable about a certain topic or action?
Yes, I support myself with the importance of being embarrassed every now and then. Many people are yet to realize the importance of being embarrassed, and many view embarrassment poorly. Although it is very awkward at the time of embarrassment, it will only help to build self-confidence in the future.
2.) What does it feel like to lose one's privacy? Morrie managed to find out the hard way that it is excruciatingly embarrassing. On pages 8-9, we are given a run down on Morrie's drastic changes to his lifestyle which he is forced to make. Examples of this would be; not being able to drive since he doesn't have enough strength in his legs to hit the brake, having someone who you barely know change you into and out of your bathing suit, and to expose his suffering in front of his Social Psychology class.
Yet again on page 11, it is described how Morrie must ask his colleagues to hold a beaker while he urinates into it. Although most individuals would be well over embarrassed by this, Morrie barely shows his uneasiness of asking somebody to hold the beaker for him. I feel that these examples show that embarrassments such as these can only help a person overcome certain fears. Morrie is able to urinate in a beaker while not even showing embarrassment.
3.) I agree with the meanings of these examples, because the more and more I become embarrassed by a certain thing, the more comfortable I become with doing it. These example show embarrassment on a very large scale, and the same with their meanings, but their meanings can be used for everyday things, such as public speaking or even offering answers in a classroom. Before I had read this book, I did not entirely understand how much embarrassment can help to overcome certain things. It is much clearer to me as to how profitable it is to be embarrassed.
4.) Do you agree that embarrassment can only help one to become more comfortable about a certain topic or action?
Yes, I support myself with the importance of being embarrassed every now and then. Many people are yet to realize the importance of being embarrassed, and many view embarrassment poorly. Although it is very awkward at the time of embarrassment, it will only help to build self-confidence in the future.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
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