homework 23

i have been reading more in class and the books gets more deeper into thoughts and specific topics. for example on one tuesday, the guys started talking about death and being spiritual."the things you spend so much time on-all this work you so-might not seem as important. you might have to make room for some more spiritual things" (page 84) morrie was talking how he learned to appreciate thing more since he was dying. he learned how to get rid of all of the unnecessary things in his life and take everyday things and change them into somethin meaningful. for example he was talking about the window he sits in front of. he looks outside that window and observes nature as if it was his first time seeing it.

he was tellin mitch that he has to learn to be more spiritual as well. that maybe if he took more time into doing stuff that he actually wanted to do and really enjoy then maybe he wouldnt feel like he didnt do anything with his life. for example his job. morrie also told him that he was too into material things. that was something that wasnt good.

in one part of the book, mitch was talking about morrie's childhood. he was saying how his mother died and when morrie was little he did not really understand the true meaning of death. just that people go. then his little brother had gotten sick. he could not really understand that either. he felt like the world was on his shoulders and he had to step up and be the "man" of the house. his father remarried and told morrie that he didnt want his mother to ever be spoken about for the sake of his younger brother. morrie was very confused about that. when his father one day took him to his job morrie didnt like it. he said: "he would never do any work that exploited someone else, and he would never allow himself to make money off the sweat of others" (page 78) so for this, he became a teacher. it was a job that was best fit for him. a job that gave him the chance to free express himself about his spiritual beliefes.

i think that overall, our insights or our views come from what he learn and see from childhood. its not what our parents tell us to believe. its the interpretation that we understand best as. fro example morrie didnt really understand how life works. one minute your healthy, then the next your sick. or one day your happy and alive and then the next day, your dead. but as he grew older, he took those situations he grew up with and made his life into something meaningful. i know i have had several people i know die. and my mom tries to sit there and talk about what happened but in the end i take it as something totally different. it changes my life. i try to then make the best out of mine and try not to be as bratty or rude and really enjoy the moments i have because i never know. but at the same time its like if you do that then your kind of expectingthe same thing everyday and all your thinking about is that it could be your last day.

homework 22

the book tuesdays with morrie, it talks about a loving professors struggle with ALS and one of his ex students battle with trying to figure out his life and realize what is he doing with himself. in one part of the book, morrie talks to mitch about about how mitch is confused about his age and what he is suppose to do or what is expected of him. so by the end of the conversation, morrie says: "life is a series of pull backs and forth. you want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else...you take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted." (page 40) this made mitch so who wins in the end, and morrie responds: "love wins. love always wins."(page 40) i thought that last part of the quote touched me at the moment i read it. i thought that it was true in a way. if you love something and really want it, then that is what your going to get. but you have to be patient.

another part of the book, both mitch and morrie are sitting in his house and they are talking about his illness and how he is handeling it. "i mourn the slow, insidious way in which im dying. but then i stop mourning...i give myself a good cry if i need it. but then i concentrate on all good things still in my life." (page 57) this made me think that even people who are happy and accept their illeness are still down and sad about what they are going through.

"when all this started, i asked myself, am i going to withdraw from the world, like most people do, or am i going to live? i decided im going to live-or at least try to live-the way i want, with dignity, with courage, with humor, with composure." (page 21) this part of the book, is during the interview he had with the guy from the tv show. just like we was talking about in class if people accept or deny what they have and what they are going through. with him, he accpets it and trys his very hardest to be happy. at some points, he gets sad and mad but through out the day is strong and has a smile on his face.

so it is clear that morrie isnt just a typical guy. he is a very free spirit and takes life as a very precious gift. it something that can not be dropped or thrown around. but its something that you are very careful with and take it into your own hands. it might be complicated to work with because you never know what is coming next, but you work with it and be gentel with life. the gift that can never be returned but can be taken away.

homework 21- comments

for matthews blog:

hey, i just read your post and i think that you really went into depth about everything. to me, it seems like you could really relate to her because you was talking about your uncle and your experience with when you had to say your final goodbyes. that made the post a little more personal.
i think maybe to go a little deeper with it, you could have answered your own question. for example, how do you think you would have handeled the situation where your wife had died. would you still sleep in the same house, or bed? would you move on and try to love again? put yourself in that situation.

for rigels blog:

i thought that your post had a lot of meaning to it. it sounds like you pretty much sumed up everything she had spoken about. i liked how you talked about how she wanted to take care of him, and when he died in the house, it was as if they were together from beginning to end. and that is a very good way to see it as. it brings out the true meaning of wedding vowels. till death due us part.
for your next post, maybe you could talk about another situation that could be related to what the speaker was talking about. it could be something from what we talked about in class, to something someone had talked to you about personally once before.

homework 21

i was not there for the guest speaker so im not 100% sure what she talked about. but from asking around and a few people telling me, she was talking about her husbands death from kidney cancer. it must have been really hard knowing that the one you loved for so long and was very close to you was dying. and its shocking when it happens because you dont know exactly when their time is goin to come.

homework 19

so i was talking to my mom and her beliefs on death and illness. at first when i asked her so what are your views on dying and illness, she just said we havent really talked about it so she doesnt really know. so i asked well what about in general? she said how that if she was ever really sick and on the life support then she would want me to pull the plug because she personally doesnt want to live like that. so that got me thinking how one value is that if your sick you shouldnt have to live in pain and suffering and live to the point where you cant function on your own anymore and you need others assistance 24/7. i would have to agree on that because personally i feel like your life is just about over so whats the point if you cant enjoy your life the way you want to.

so then i asked so what about in general what do you think about illness and death? how do you cope with it? she responded about how we cry but never forget. she still remembers both her mother and fathers deaths. its somethings that is very tragic but memerable because even tho they are gone on earth, they are not gone in the mind and heart. it will aalways be a moment in your life your gonna remember getting that horrible call saying someone you know has died. and at times you think about them and remenise in the memories.

my mom was alson telling me how she believes in a heaven and hell. how she know someone goes to either or. if not, then they go somewhere special and nice where they could live on, on the other side and enjoy that life. everybody she knows that has passes she keeps them all in memory and knows that they are all in good places. so that also got me thinking that religion plays a role in death and illness. we rely on God to take care of those who have crossed over and to protect them and make sure they still have a good life, if not better then what they had on earth.

homework 18

okay so over the break it was thanksgiving. where family and friends get together and have a huge feast. lots of different varities and choices you could have. its an excuse to pile your plate mountain high with fat and grease and food of all sorts and be a pig without being judged. this holiday is to gather family to be thankful of what the have and who they have in they family and life. but you shouldnt have to eat a huge meal to be thogether. thanksgiving is family time.

this holiday is anti-body. at this holiday, you have huge portions of food and desert and able to go back for seconds and maybe thirds. then when you are finished eatin, you might tend to unbutton your pants because your belly then needs space to expand and room to breath because you fed it delicious food. you dont sit and worry about how many calories your putting into your body, or paying attention to how much you eat. its the joy of being with each other and feeling happy. with this holiday the food is what makes everybody happy.

i know at my house on thursday we spent the whole day cooking. besides the turkey, had about 6 additional sides to choose from to eat. at the end of the day we didnt care who ate what or how much. this holiday being anti-body is something that is good to a lot of people. for those who dont worry aboput gaining weight or trying to look good for the world. by the end of the night everybody was laying down watching the football game and relaxing. nobody wanted to move or go anywhere.

homework 17

of course we have all experienced at least someone who has died or became ill. with me, i have experienced both several times. i have had close people to me (like family members) who have passed away or became very ill. sometime both as well. for example my mother. my mother 4 years ago had breast cancer and ended up being a survivor. another example would be my uncle who had passed away about a year ago. he was sick with diabetes and soon died because of complications. right now i know people who are fighting off diseases and trying to stay alive.

we are all taught differently to deal with different situations. in some families when someone dies, the have funerals and morn for the loved one that dies. some people just act like it doesnt mean something to them and act "cold hearted" against it. it could sometimes mean that its a good sign that it was your time to go and that god needs you up there with him, or it was a bad thing and that you did something bad to deserve it.

i think of it as the circle of life. that its just your time, good or bad and your life on earth is over. but when someone dies, someone else is born and thats how life works.