Linda (Angeleyes) - , reviewed on 11/7/2007 + 217 more book reviews

Sometimes the simplest things are the most moving. Nothing in this book is a great leap in philosophy, it's merely a reminder of all the things we already know but have either forgotten or have taken for granted. This is a story for everyone: young; old; educated; non-educated; white collar; blue collar...it doesn't matter. It's not a story about being something...it's a story about just being.
It took only a few hours to read this little book, and yet it sends a message that is worth keeping forever. I suspect each person will glean different lessons from this book, but here are some of the messages that struck me:

- Ignoring death doesn't make it go away, but instead cuts off an opportunity to treasure our own lives and the lives of others. Often when an older person talks about their death, their children say, "Don't talk that way," as if talking about it causes death. By denying death, we make it harder for people to accept their mortality, and we miss the opportunity to allay others' fears about what will happen to their loved ones after they're gone.

- When we're with someone, we should be fully *there,* focusing on them, listening to them, and responding to them.

- Morrie allowed himself time to feel self-pity, fear, anger. He fully experienced those emotions so that he could know the feeling, and then move on, without letting it consume him. By denying our feelings, we let them control us; if we accept them, we are free to choose our response to them.

I plan to read this every so often, just to keep reminding myself what really matters and to value each day.

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