Going by the book (42) - Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

Let me start off by saying that it took me an age to figure out what book I should critique for this magazine. I finally managed to hit upon the right one. The One, I should say. (Credit to my friend who helped me choose the book)

So, what's this book all about you ask? Well, it's basically a chronicle of life lessons, a dying sociologist Morrie Schwartz gives his students, one of them in particular, the author Mitch Albom, who wrote this book in 1997.

Why is this book so good? There's no one or two reasons. It just is. It's one of the few books that can give you an immensely feel-good sensation right after you put it down. [Not to take anything away from the fact that Morrie is dying (no, this is not a spoiler, the author mentions it head-on)]. It teaches you valuable life lessons, and you really have to sit back and appreciate the thought process that has gone into writing such a book. It doesn't use impossible-to-understand words, no, rather it's a book about stuff which most of us would have known but not thought about. It welcomes the reader with arms wide open and coerces him into a period of introspection, which he will ultimately benefit a great deal from.

There are quite a few themes dealt with in this book. Acceptance, communication, love, values, openness, and happiness. Morrie describes to the author the importance of forging your own culture. "Be your own man", he says, which, frankly speaking, most of us don't want to be. As the DoCoMo advertisement goes, why follow the herd when you can "do the new". Unfortunately, that just doesn't happen. He also describes how he detaches himself from experience, which allows him to experience life more fully. He says that he fears death, yes, but once you know that you are dying, acceptance becomes inevitable.

Morrie Schwartz was a man to admire. He makes you think about various aspects, the various stages of life. Birth, school, college, university, work, marriage, children, and the end. It's a routine which most of us follow, and very few of us want to break away from. Why would you break away from something which has been already set in stone, right? Morrie teaches us to accept life as it comes, with a pinch of salt, and be what you want to be. Because at the end of it all, it's the happiness quotient that matters. If you aren't happy doing what you're doing, don't do it.

Tuesdays with Morrie was an amazing read for me. I dare say it will be the same for you.

R.I.P., Prof. Morrie Schwartz.