THE FINAL CLASS WITH MORRIE SCHWARTZ

It was back to the second year of my college life, on that one lazy afternoon when Yogi Bear, the name we teased to our Intro to Broadcasting professor, entered the classroom with his bearish dimples greeting to us. He proceeded to the usual light-hearted discussion, cracking jokes at every half seconds interval and that never failed to uproar the carefree laughter among the class. Ten minutes before the dismissal he announced the book-reading analysis he required us to submit. Buying the book wasn’t a compulsory as we were State U’s students and money spending was often an issue to our parents. Thus, it was again the Beg, Sneak or Borrow solutions to our book project dilemma. Borrowing from someone who could afford buying was the first solution, stealing was of course out in the options, begging our parents to buy could be considered, or last answer was to sneak in the bookstore and read the book from cover to cover away from the sight of the staff, and that was so impossible.  The book Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom didn’t sound appealing to me. I wondered if that had something to do with our subject or Yogi Bear was just leaving us something to do while he was commissioned to some far away island for his Press job things; he was a full-time media practitioner and a part-time professor to the poorman’s University. I didn’t get excited about the whole Tuesdays with Morrie project as that seemed to be so dull and boring…well, not after I’ve gone through the lead-in words of Mitch Albom in his must-read masterpiece:  

“The last class of my old professor’s life took place once a week in his house, by a window in the study where he could watch a small hibiscus plant shed its pink leaves. The class met on Tuesdays. It began after breakfast. The subject was the meaning of Life. It was taught from the experience.” –Mitch Albom 

Tuesdays with Morrie was a story of a young man reunited with his old professor after long years of separation and lost contact. Over the years, Mitch was hardened into someone far from that strutting graduate who left the campus nearly two decades ago. Being a part of media thunderstorm, Mitch worked at a pace that knew no hours. He buried himself in accomplishments, in the belief he could control things through these achievements but life then seemed only to miss more of the things that really matter. As the old student get on with his demanding job, too wrapped up to the own siren of his life as Mitch himself described, his professor Morrie was dying to the ALS  disease but had chosen to make the best of time left. So intent was the old man to prove that the word “dying” was not synonymous with “useless”, he made his case a final project, narrating the trip as he crossed the bridge from life to death. On their reunion, the professor and the student came up with this final thesis about life’s greatest lesson and the impact didn’t affect Mitch alone but all the readers out there who got to know Morrie through this beautifully written novel. The book inspired many souls especially those who have walked around for the purpose only of existing and spent the light-speed paced, meaning-less life that they just accepted; indeed, to sit in Morrie Schwartz’s final class was a life-changing experience. 

“People are only mean when they’re threatened, and that’s what our economy does. Even people who have jobs in our economy are threatened, because they worry about losing them. And when you get threatened, you start looking out only for yourself. You start making money a God. It’s all part of this culture.” – Morrie Schwartz 

I bet no Pontio Pilate will deny to this as we all know that money makes up a big part of our world’s needs. We cannot gain food, shelter and clothing with our wallet poorly empty and as we strived to earn for living, trading lots of our dreams for bigger paycheck, our expenses only increased as our salary did. We start buying things that aren’t part of our basic necessities; advertisements turned our “wants” to “needs”. Having to admit it or not, possessions brought us the fear of losing what we have worked for so hard, we turned on money for security, trying to cure the restlessness by covering up the greediness with the so-called practicality. No one will wash his hands over this. It’s all part of the culture and we are guilty victim of the case. But we must not forget also that we still have that “gift of choice”. Morrie in his dying days had once said, “…you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it. Create your own. Most people can’t do it. They’re unhappy than me – even in my current condition.” It’s really a great battle to go against the flow, only the courageous will dare, but good thing that everyone got that chance to gather all the guts and make a hard choice, we can take it easy and still live a worthy life after all. The world’s happiness rate might be fluctuating but at least, humankind isn’t totally hopeless. We still have the choice, if only we really want. 

“The fact is, there is no foundation, no secure ground upon which people may stand today if it isn’t the family.” –Morrie Schwartz 

It had become quite clear to me as I’ve been to many ups and down and my whole family was there to back me up. I believed that life’s battle was something I had to face independently and my family had let me dealt with these things all by myself. But they were always on the look-out to see if I could still go on, they knew me so well, I wouldn’t call for support unless I was so drop dead helpless. One important thing I have learned was realizing the great value of my family. I was guilty of negligence and taking my family for granted but in spite of it all, at the end of the day when everyone else left, my family stayed with their undying love and patience, supported me all the way on my chosen journey, letting me to find myself. Morrie had struck me in his words when he said, “…knowing that your family will be there watching out for you. Nothing else will give you that. Not money. Not fame. Not work.” Everything had become so clear and I came up to ask myself, “Is it really worth all the sacrifices of my family for me?”  No family was perfect, but they would be there for you no matter what, they would stay with you in different phases of your life, and as you grew old and looked back to all those faces who came and went by, you would see the same faces who matured with you in time, never left your side even just for once. 

“Everyone knows they’re going to die, but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently.”  -Morrie Schwartz 

My first encounter of death was back in 2004 when it hit my Lolo George, his death came like a thief, taking his life in the most unexpected time. My grandfather, a no read, no write widower who raised alone his four children, had died of Tuberculosis at the age of 62. I would always remember him as someone I ran to when mama was punishing me for my wrongdoings. He would hug me and showed me his love in every ways that he could, he was so dear to me. He was also a self-confessed hard drinker, just like me during my drinking days and he loved coffee too, as much as I did. It was something I hoped I experienced back then, sitting with him over a cup of coffee, what a lovely conversation it would have been! When he was diagnosed of the disease, we never thought it would be that worst. I was starting then to get busy with my first year in college that I never noticed much of what was going on. Until one night, death attacked Lolo in just a couple of minutes and it was the very first time I felt that world around me shattered into thousand pieces, the pain was unbearable. I had done less showing Lolo how much I love him, the fact that nothing could turn back the time that I was with him, that nothing could bring him back to life was a terrible truth that was hard to accept, a painful reality. 

“Learn how to die, and you learn how to live.” –Morrie Schwartz 

I wondered if it was really my Lolo’s time to go. Had he fulfilled his purpose on earth already? I regretted over not doing what I should have done while he was still alive. Then I wondered again, if let say I was the one who died and not him, would I regret also in heaven the same thing, for not showing enough of my love while I was on earth? If I die now, am I ready? Have I lived the days of my life to the fullest or just spent so much of time and energy to nothing important? If memories can be taken in heaven, will I have lots of happy memories with the people I loved or just thoughts of stressful, overworked hours, fighting caused by my irritating mood swings, busy days of saving up for the future while chasing the wind? 

I have always dreamed of myself becoming a successful career woman. After graduating college, I landed to my first job in a media corporate solutions production house. I resigned after one and a half year and got a scholarship in a prestigious dance company, but I left three months later, not finishing the signed contract of one year training. I was hired in a corporate company, but same with the previous I resigned after a year and a half and moved to a video production house where I lasted only four months. Big part of my reason was that it felt like I wasn’t fitting in for the job and days were becoming dull, forcing me to wake up early in the morning, going to work as if my feet were dragging heavy metals. I know so well that the problem is me; I need to find out what I really want.  For the past years, I have been too quick with my decisions, thinking that I could straighten up things whenever I twisted into some errors. But things are different now, I’m not getting any younger, I need to make a clear decision and it doesn’t have to be an impulsive one, I must think things over before I act. One thing I’m sure about though, this time I will follow my heart and not what the culture dictates or what others opinion is right. How will I able to extend happiness to others if I don’t have it in me? I decided to focus to the essentials, we’re living only once.

“Don’t let go too soon, but don’t hang on too long.” –Morrie Schwartz

When I read the chapter of Morries’ final goodbye, I was deeply moved, suddenly I felt sad about the final class of the old professor getting over. His life was never wasted anyway; he had lived life to the fullest and had given us profound wisdom and insight. The book is an incomparable treasure that leaves you forever warmed by its heartfelt message.  “Be compassionate, and take responsibility for each other. If we only learned those lessons, the world would be so much better a place.” Morrie’s wisdom echoes. Very grateful I was to Yogi Bear for introducing us the book. It’s still a long journey ahead, but I’m starting to cross the bridge now from “existing in life” to “living the life”.  The final lecture with Professor Morrie Schwartz was very memorable.  I suggest you take also the same class.