Have you ever considered having a pre-funeral, an event where you're still alive and people gather to say all the good things about you? Imagine hearing all the amazing things people have to say about you while you can still enjoy it. Imagine that for a second.
I've just reread "Tuesdays with Morrie", a beautiful book that teaches us to put the right things in life into perspective.
This is a book that chronicles the last days of Morrie, the writer (Mtich's) old college professor who's facing a terminal illness. In the book, Morrie teaches Mitch and his readers how to approach death with acceptance, peace, and grace. Death can be a beautiful thing, and Mitch teaches us to see it from this perspective.
Morrie's wisdom, maybe a blessing of his old age, shines through in every conversation, and there are so many valuable lessons to be learned from his words. One of the biggest is the importance of cultivating meaningful relationships with others.
In our society, we often prioritize things like money and success over relationships, but when we're faced with the end of our lives, it's our relationships that truly matter. I mean, on our very last days, we need our families right beside us, and it's a horror to spend our last days alone.
Morrie also talks about vulnerability and how important it is to allow ourselves to be fully seen and known by others, even if it means being uncomfortable or experiencing pain.
In his last days battling terminal cancer, there was absolutely nothing he could do on his own and he had to swallow his pride to be assisted. Humbling, to say the least. "Tuesdays with Morrie" is a beautiful reminder of what's truly important in life. It's a powerful book that will make you laugh, cry, and reflect on your own priorities and values.
Herein lies my dilemma. Is it possible to live a "balanced" life and sacrifice nothing? Especially in this economic climate? What even is a balanced life? Because even in this imbalance of more work than relationships, we're seeing little to no progress.
Does fulfilment even matter in the pursuit of basic needs?
