Oct 5, 2007

Tuesdays with Morrie

Finished Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom. I resisted reading it for a long time -- only because everyone else was. But I finally gave in. It's a great read. And here are a couple of quotes that resonated with me:
[page 42] The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn't work, don't buy it
[page 43] So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote youself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.
And here is life's greatest lesson: relationships are everything. Relationship with others. And more importantly, the relationship with yourself. Take time to enjoy. Go for long walks. Listen to the other person. Really listen to them. What they are saying. What they mean by what they are saying. How they are saying it. Be present to their thoughts. Their worries. Their story. Because all of it will fade away too fast. All of it will go by too quickly. And the only thing that'll last is the love that you've shown and the love that you've received. Only that will remain.