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.