The aphorism that I chose is, "As long as we can love each other, and remember the feeling of love we had, we can die without ever really going away. All the love you created is still there. All the memories are still there. You live on - in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured while you were here." It is very clear what Morrie's message is when you hear this aphorism, because it is a very self explanatory, explicit, aphorism. He is saying that when and if someone really loves, cares for other, and builds strong bonds with others, when they leave the world and those that they touched and loved in it physically, they won't be leaving the world and and those that they touched and loved in it "mentally." Mentally, meaning, that the memories will never cease to exist, the love will still be felt, and so the person who has left the Earth won't be forgotten. If they were able to build strong relationships and bonds while they were here, those bonds will still be there. Just because someone has died, doesn't mean those who were close to them while they were on Earth, will not be close to them any longer or forget about them. They will still love and cherish all of their memories that were made before that person passed, and thou who has passed, will live on through the loving thoughts and words of people that they loved and made those memories with. They were too cared for, too loving, to caring themselves, with too many memories made to be forgotten, therefor, they aren't going away with their death. They are always there, even if it is not physically speaking because they were simply too special to certain people, to ever actually go away.
There is an old Miley Cyrus song about her grandfather called, "I Miss You" which is about the how much she misses her grandfather who has passed on. There is one section of the chorus that I really think relates to this aphorism. The chorus goes, "I miss you, I miss your smile. Nice to shed a tear every once in a while. And even though it's different now, you're still here somehow. My heart won't let you go, and I need you to know, I miss you, sha la la la la, I miss you." The section of this chorus that I think really relates to the aphorism I chose is when Miley says, "And even though it's different now, you're still here somehow. My heart won't let you go..." At this point in the song, she is talking about how it's different with her grandfather not in her life, but even though he's gone, he's still somehow there with her, because her relationship was so strong with her grandfather that she would never forget the memories and times with him, making it like he was still on Earth with her. Her love for him would always be there, as she says "My heart won't let you go" which is what Morrie's aphorism is saying. That even though the person who has passed away will no longer physically be in your life, they will still somehow be there with those they really cared for and shared a special bond with, like a granddaughter and grandfather, because their love for each other was so strong and the memories so great, that in their heart, they could never be forgotten, and would always be there!
I really, truly do agree with this aphorism for many reasons both from the book, Tuesdays with Morrie, and from my own experienced. I agree with this aphorism because I have found a lot of truth in it. This aphorism has even shown to be true in my own life. While I have not experienced the death of a family member that I had a super special connection with like Mitch and Morrie, I have experienced the death of family members and loved ones in my life that were very important and still are very important to me, and those people are not completely gone from my life whatsoever. For example, my neighbor Ruth passed from Lou Gehrig's Disease a couple years ago. She still lives on in my heart and life in so many ways! It's like she's still here, I just don't get to see her physically. We still live next door to the house she lived in, where her daughter now lives by herself. She has the same breed of dog Ruth used to have, a Scotty dog named Kipper. I still remember long talks in her dining room on hot summer afternoons, eating Girl Scout cookies and enjoying each others company. I remember telling her one time that if she ever moved that my family would have to move too, because I didn't want any other neighbor. I remember her coming to see my ballet performances and we still have a picture of her up on our fridge. She is still there in my life, and I will always love and miss her, and have those memories of her that allow her to live on in my life. She has not ceased to exist completely.
This aphorism has also shown to be very true when it comes to the book, Tuesdays with Morrie. Clearly, Morrie has and will live on in all of the lives he touched, with those that he knew and had close relationships with, and those that he may not have ever known, but who read Tuesdays with Morrie. It is clear that Mitch has a close relationship with Morrie throughout the book that he started off with, lost, and then regained, and we can see this through his flashbacks of college years, the conversations on Tuesdays, and the way Mitch cares for Morrie and Morrie teaches Mitch. Though, we can really see the care that Mitch had for Morrie at the very end of the book. While he does not explicitly state that it is Morrie he is talking about, we know it is him that he is describing as an amazing teacher in a quote at the very end of the book because the whole book was about Morrie and his wise life lessons, and this quote hints at the bond and relationship they had, when he says, "Have you ever really had a teacher? One who saw you as a raw but precious thing, a jewel that, with wisdom, could be polished to a proud shine? If you are lucky enough to find your way to such teachers, you will always find your way back. Sometimes it is only in your head. Sometimes it is right alongside their beds." We can obviously tell that Morrie had touched and taught Mitch so much, and that Mitch truly was thankful and loved Morrie as a result of this. After he died, it is very clear that he would live on in Mitch's life because of what a huge influence Morrie had on him! Mitch wrote Tuesdays with Morrie about his experiences with Morrie; he wrote a book about their time together and his lessons, and so Morrie could live on in a book for Mitch and for many others too! All of his lessons and words of wisdom, could live on and be there physically, even though he could not, which would cause him to live on as well. Not only does Morrie live on in Mitch's life, he lives on in the lives that he has touched from his book! This book, and everything Morrie has had to say in it has really impacted my life, and I know that Morrie lives on in the lives, like my own, those who have read and learned from his book! That is why I really agree with this aphorism!
No comments:
Post a Comment