My Inspiration - Morris "Morrie" Schwartz

Before I have a project and the topic was "My Inspiration". When I first heard that I said to myself "oh that's easy!", but when I'm actually doing it, I was so frustrated to myself because I don't know who inspires me. I don’t want to my mom coz that is so obvious.
Then after a week I said to myself that my inspiration are my friends and how they make me strong when I am so far away from them because they know that it's really hard for me to be here and they are the ones that makes me strong. (Well their still are.)
But now I am pretty sure who is the person who inspires me, and that's MORRIS "MORRIE" SCHWARTZ.

Morrie was an amazing guy. He was a renowned professor of sociology at Brandeis University, where he was well respected and admired by his colleagues and students. Then Morrie Schwartz continued to teach at Brandeis into his 70s and he love dancing but as Mitch says the dancing has to stop when amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) made it too difficult for him to continue.
I first noticed him when in the film "Tuesdays with Morrie" and people told me that there is actually a book of that film so I bought the book, and I know that Mitch Albom wrote this but he was actually talking to him. All the wisdom and lesson give me a point of you of life.

Yesterday, 18 April 2008, I bought the book called "Morrie in his word of wisdom", and I feel honoured to read that book because I feel like he was talking to me saying those wisdom words.
I feel sad that I actually haven't met him before he died. I really want to meet him or actually talk to him even just an e-mail. But I know that things happened for a reason and even though he died, he is now in heaven with his family and looking here in this world smiling and saying
"Even though I'm dead people learned to my experiences and to the words of wisdom that I say." He will be so happy too because he is still teaching us the meaning of life and death. To his experience people will never forget him.
He was a person, he was an old man, he was a professor, and he was a friend with a great heart and teaches us the greatest lesson of life.

People first watched him or saw him in Nightline Show hosted by Ted Koppel in 1995.
Koppel ask him what am I going to do if I get this disease or a doctor said to me im dying. (Something like that)
And he answered this following:

1. talk about it - don't loss the self esteem it’s very important to keep that self esteem.

2. Accept it - this is you! If you are a disabled person, Morrie is one but he's not ashamed of it as long that u have your mind and your heart.

3. Keep an open heart - and open it up further and further and further until you accomplish as much as you can with your love

"Sound like sappy but its not." Then he continue

4. be alert and aware to the things that really interest you and go for it. - be involve!

5. be compassionate -be compassionate to yourself, to other people,

6. Treat yourself gently- be kind to yourself, you didn't create your illness so you shouldn’t punishing yourself for having that illness

Then he said to Ted,
"There are mornings when I cry and cry and mourn for myself. Some mornings, I’m so angry and bitter. But it doesn't last too long. Then I get up and say, 'I want to live...' So far I've able to do it. Will I able to continue? I don't know. But I'm betting to myself that I will…”


And I really love the story about that little wave…

There’s this little wave, a he-wave who’s bobbing up and down in the ocean off the shore, having a great time. All the sudden, he realizes he’s going to crash into the shore. In this big wide ocean, he’s now moving toward the shore, and he’ll be annihilated.
“My God, what’s going to happen to me?” he says, a sour and despairing look in his face. Along comes a female wave, bobbing up and down, having a great time. And the female wave says to the male wave,“Why are you so depressed?” the male says, "You don't understan. You're going to crash into the shore, and you'll be nothing."
She says, “You don’t understand. You’re not a wave; you’re part of the ocean.”

And that’s what Morrie believe.
Morrie said he is not a wave he is part of the ocean. He is part of all humanity.
Then Ted asked so you're not going to die?
He said "I’m going to die and I’m also going to live on. To some other form? Who knows? but im truly believe that I am part of a larger hole of some power people call it God I don’t know if that's right term but I have to take time to get there and now is the time to be there but it's all a mystery I still don’t know the answer I want to work this out for myself, I’m struggling to find out what's the answer is, but what I do know what for me is the best hell out is faithfulness. And move in through the next domain whatever that is.

Morrie said that it’s important to discuss about death more and more, coz when you hide it’s generate inside you, you suffer with it. You will think it is horrible but his medication teacher told him something that blew his mind away, she said this to him “Morrie maybe your view of life and death should be considered. Maybe the distance between life and death isn’t great as you may think.” then Morrie said “You mean it’s not chasm, two mountain and that big valley between? You mean it’s only a little bridge across a small river. I don’t know. But there is another view this culture is so stock on death in terms of its fear hiding it, not knowing what to do, that what’s I’m saying is I’m won’t turn away, I’m looking at it.”

After days Morrie called Ted Koppel that he wants to have an interview because he doesn’t know when he will loss his voice because of the disease.
Ted said “How will you giving when you can no longer speak?”
Morrie said to him “It’s going to be an interesting challenge. I’m already saying to family and friends, ‘You’ll tell me what you’re thinking and feeling, and you’ll feel my response. I won’t able to be articulate it, but you’ll see it in my face.’ My face, I think, is very mobile and should remain expressive. But if they want to discuss something and get my feedback or help, they will have to frame much of what they saying as questions that I can answer in a yes-or-no code. That’s the way I am approaching to coming loss of my speech. I hope I’ll discover new means and mechanism when the time arrives.”

Koppel ask Morrie “That’s 70 years ago your mother die. The pain still goes on?”
“You bet,” Morrie whispered.

Tears to Morrie strengthen him when he cry it won‘t weaken him, he cry a lot of things all at once. “Sometimes I cry because of the pain of the world. Because I held the pain of this world.” Morrie said with his teary eyes.
And there are a lot of things they talk about, and I lost track of it.

“Get as much help as you can when you need it.”

If you need help ask for it. For example, if you’re failing one subject and one of your friend ask you if you need help and you refuse it you will continue to fail it. If you just take the help there is a chance that you will pass that subject.
Morrie wrote this “People refuse help because they feel their self-esteem on their ‘independent’. We fear somehow or other we have been diminished because we need, wants, and desires another’s person help.”
And I think that it’s very true people think that they can do this, that or everything. Because of what people may think they are. They said “they can do it on their own”, but the truth is no they can’t. All people need help, and it wouldn't hurt us to take one or ask for one. If you refuse it, you will either be upset for the rest of your life or something bad will happen to you. XP

“Watch for emotional, spiritual, or behavioural regressions when you are most vulnerable. Try to avoid, minimize, or stop your regression.”

Frustration arises easily when you are in a physically or emotionally vulnerable state, especially when you are tired, sleepless, or anxious.

Be honest with those who are close to you. Let them know that you are in a bad mood and, if possible, be specific about the nature of what has you out of sort. Who knows - if you tell them you are tired because you did not sleep well, they may offer to give you a relaxing massage or something soothing to you. If you are anxious because on your change in your condition, talk about your feelings to a family member or a friend. And if you are the person who is listening that your loved one looking to you for answer or solution. Often the fact that you listened sympathetically will make him or her feel better. (Morrie wrote these things)

“If you found yourself fantasizing that you’re no longer sick and have been restored to your previous level of functioning, stay with that fantasy as long as it gives you pleasure. But return to reality when the fantasy becomes painful or when it is otherwise necessary for you to so.”

You might think is not true but fantasy is good. Like Albert Einstein said “Imagination is better than knowledge”, we should allow our imagination to roam all over the place as long as it doesn’t make your reality more painful to you. As to Morrie, one day dreamed he was running, full of speed and vigour, and he said “Wow! I don’t have ALS”. He was ecstatic! Then he woke up. In the movie “Tuesdays with Morrie”, every time Morrie is listening to the music he has his eyes close. He imagines himself dancing around the room. The fantasy gives him pleasure, but only for a while. Because if he allowed himself to dwell on it too long, it would sadden him when he opened his eyes to the reality.

“Come to terms with the fact that you will never again be fully physically comfortable. Enjoy the times you are comfortable enough.”

I really like this one. Everybody who is young and healthy they really need to enjoy that they have because you’ll never know if you’re going to have a dying disease like Morrie had. And you will blame yourself that you didn’t do anything. But things happened to a reason, Morrie enjoy his life even if he have ALS. He was with his love ones, his friends, and what he’s teaching us is while we are young and healthy we need to enjoy life. Do things that interest you. Because someday when we got old we will not able to do the some things because our resistance can’t handle it. And when you did what you did you will have no regrets.

“Accept the past as past, without denying it or discarding it. Reminisce about it, but don’t live with it. Learn from it, don’t punish yourself about it or continually regret it. Don’t get stuck on it.”

Living in the moment doesn’t mean rejecting the past. It means you react to whatever is happening now. If you were thinking about the past, for that moment that’s where you are emotionally. Some older people or people who are gravely ill have lots or regrets. “If only I had to done this. If only I had married that woman. If only I had taken that career step.” They are stuck in the past, and it is such a waste of time. Rather, look at the past and ask “what did I learn? What can I learn from it? How does it help me right now?”
Keep in mind that not everything needs to be resolved for you to reach a point where you are able to be an open and loving caregiver. In terms of talking about the past, follow the ill person’s initiative. You will learn some to there experience. Some will want to talk about the past; some will be selective about which parts they want to discuss; so may not or may feel more comfortable talking about it to an outsider. (Morrie’s words)

“Learn to forgive yourself and to forgive others. Ask for forgiveness from others. Forgiveness can soften the heart, drain the bitterness, and dissolve your guilt.”

Forgiveness is a tricky term. It doesn’t only mean that you apologise, although regretting what you did is part of it. Forgiveness helps come to term with the past. Morrie learned to forgive himself, and this has helped him no longer feel deep regrets or sadness about his past.

“Do what the Buddhist do. Everyday, have a little bird on your shoulder that asks, ‘is today the day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be?’” and Morrie ask himself if he going to die, is this the day he will going to die. He is Jewish but he enjoy some philosophy of Buddhist and Christianity, and people known him to this statement

“Once you learn how die, you’ll learn how to live.”

“Because most of us all walk around as if we are sleepwalking. We really don’t experience the world fully, because we’re half-asleep, doing things we automatically think we have to do. And yes facing death will changes that. You strip away all that stuff and you focus on the essentials. When you realize you are going to die, you will see everything much differently.”
He said all this to his buddy Mitch Albom. Morrie said to him “the truth is, if you really listen to that bird on your shoulder, if you accept that you can die at any time--- then you might not be as ambitious as you are”
I think he is just not talking this to him he’s saying to us. We should listen to the bird on our shoulder.
I’m still reading the book “Tuesdays with Morrie” but my favourite part of it when he said to Mitch Albom “What I’m doing now, is detaching myself from the experience…”
“…Detaching myself and this is important--not just someone like me, who is dying, but for someone but for someone like you, who is perfectly healthy. Learn to detach. You know what Buddhist say? Don’t cling to things, because everything is impermanent. But detachment doesn’t mean you don’t let the experience penetrate you. On the contrary, you let it penetrate you fully. That’s how you are able to leave it.”
Then Mitch was lost to the conversation so Morrie elaborate it more.
“Take any emotion --- love for a woman or grief for a loved one, or what I’m going through, fear and pain from deadly illness. If you hold back on the emotion --- if you don’t allow yourself to go all the way through them---you can never get to being detached, you’re too busy being afraid of the vulnerability that loving entails. But throwing yourself to this emotions, by allowing yourself to dive in, all the way, over your head even, you experience them fully and completely. You know what pain is. You know what love is. You know what grief is. And only the can you say, ‘Alright. I have experienced that emotion. I recognise that emotion. Now I need to detach from that emotion for a moment.’”
It’s natural to die. When we were born we made contact that we were going to die. Everything that gets born dies.

“Be grateful that you have been given the time to learn how to learn how to die.”

We all know that we are dying…day by day we’re getting closer to out death. The best way to deal with that is to live in a fully conscious, compassionate, loving way. Many people close to dying have said the same thing, and I think there is a lot of truth to it. Don’t wait until you’re on your deathbed to recognize that this is the only way to live. To quote Stephen Levine, “Love is the only rational act.” The Beatles said it: “Love is all you need.” W.H. Auden said it: “Love each other or die.” Many others, including Jesus, have said it, but we won’t listen.
Why don’t we listen? Our egos are always getting are always gettingg in the way saying “Me, me first---don’t worry about the other guy.” We have to realise that we must be responsible to and for each other. That is the most loving act we can perform. (Morrie’s word)

“Learn how to live, and you will know how to die; learn how to die, and you’ll know how to live.”

My favourite quote that Morrie said.
Morrie said the best preparation for living fully and well is to be prepared to die at any time, because impending death inspires clarity of purpose, a homing in on what really matters to you. When you feel that the end is near, you are most likely to pay close attention to whatever you treasure, especially relationships with loves one.

Here’s a question,
what do you think I learned from him to all this word of wisdom?




This Article is about my inspiration "Morrie", I feel lucky to talk about him and share his words. All the wisdom words you read here is made by Morrie
To those who doesn't know Morrie died 13 years ago. Last November 5, 1995.
But his words are still alive to some people, to his family, to his friends, to his colleagues, to Mitch Albom and to me.



References:
Wikipedia
Tuesdays With Morrie(the book)
Morrie in his own words
Morrie: Lesson in Life with Ted Koppel



::JakeyGlamour::