By Yvette J. Halper

Draft This paper takes an in-depth look at the relationship between the author, Mitch Albom, and Morrie who is the main subject. Their relationship starts when Mitch is in college while Morrie is his sociology professor. Morrie seems to be a man who wants to leave a legacy behind after he dies since he has been told by the doctor that his life is coming to an end. Mitch considers it a privilege meeting someone who teaches about life and offers solutions to life challenges. As Morrie happens to meet with Mitch, his past student and friend, they plan to start meeting on Tuesdays and Mitch is to go to Morrie’s home. They get into the discussions for fourteen Tuesdays where they discuss life issues such family, death, marriage, love, money among others. Morrie dies and he is buried on a Tuesday. The discussions of each Tuesday are analyzed to reveal the deontology and utilitarianism of the two and their humanistic and social significances.

Tuesdays with Morrie The book Tuesdays with Morrie: an old man, young man, and life’s greatest lesson was written by Mitch Albom in 1997. It is a non-fiction book talking about Mitch’s experience with an old man who was his college sociology professor, Morrie Schwartz. The book is a chronicle that talks about the author’s interaction with the professor as the professor was about to die. The author gives the reason as to why he wrote the book saying that in every person’s life there is a teacher. A person who tells one about the challenges of life and has solutions to the problems. Mitch had earlier on interacted with Morrie but when he graduated from the college they had to leave each with the writer promising to keep in touch something he failed to do (Albom, 2007). The Tuesdays with Morrie talks about the ideas about life they talked about in each of the Tuesdays they met. The professor had gone to hospital and doctor after examining him found out that he was suffering from a disease that could be finishing him slowly like a candle, which could melt his body slowly like a wax till its over. The disease, which he called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is incurable and could finish him starting with his legs upwards until he could no longer talk. But the brain could still be functional, when he received those news he was shocked and felt like screaming that he was about to die (Kass, 2002). One day his colleague dies and he attends the funeral and hears various praises being said to the deceased and he wondered why because the dead could not get them. Therefore he decides to arrange his funeral while living so as to receive the praises. Many things are then said to him, which make him happy. After news goes round some journalists want to interview him. One of them is Ted Koppel whom at first Morrie does not like but after a while he accepts because he knows that he will get the opportunity to teach the world through the television broadcast. This shows Morrie as being deontologist in that he believes that teaching the world is an obligation for him. From there Morrie gets to be known and he starts receiving letters unto which he replies with help from his family (Albom, 2007). Mitch is working and he believes that working is for making money and becoming famous. This depicts Mitch as being a utilitarian in as long an action leads to goodness it should be implemented. He writes sports columns watching games and writing about them. Through this he knows the sports world and about the large money and proud players. When one day Mitch, in his car, is traveling he spots his old professor. He stops, they talk and put an agreement that they could be meeting each Tuesday to discuss various life issues. When Morrie asks Mitch whether he wants to learn how dieing is like the lesson of life is starts. In their first Tuesday they discuss much about the world and say that there are a lot of troubles in the world and it won’t be wrong if one gets sad about the troubles (Kass, 2002). This is very significant to humanistic and social life as it helps a person to shape his way of thinking and avoid getting worried about life’s problems. The lesson therefore helps an individual to live positively in any life situation, that is, develop a positive view of the world. The second Tuesday they meet and discuss about having remorseful feelings in one-self. This is a kind of deontological ethic because it is intrinsic duty. Mitch realizes that he is undergoing through stress because of the strike that has occurred in Detroit where he works, he wonders as to why. He also realizes that many other things are worse and he feels remorseful when the plane comes late for him. Morrie says that he feels unhappy sometimes when he reflects on the state of his own life were it not the sickness. He is seen to cry as he thinks of the good things in life and about the people who love him as well as the parts of his body he is still able to move. This is significant in teaching people to think about their lives and be compassionate on themselves especially when they are facing troubles. They should reflect on their lives and learn to be repentant by looking at what they have left behind and what they wish to have left behind (Albom, 2007). In their third Tuesday they discuss about regrets in life especially when it is too late. For instance letting someone to know secrets among other things. This is an example of utilitarianism because here the consequences of an action, regretting has been considered. When asked about what he could do when he becomes unable to talk to the people he loves, Morrie says that they will hold hands together. It is also learnt that Morrie had a hard life when he was still a young person (Albom, 2007). From their third meting much about humanistic life and social life is learnt. It enables one to learn that in whatever undertaking, one should be responsible for the actions to avoid future regrets in life which might be too late at some cases. It is therefore important to learn from Morrie’s advice and repent from the deeds that could instigate future regrets. In their fourth meeting they discuss about death in where they say that every individual will have to die. This, they realize that no person seems to believe and if people should have been conscious about it then they could begin to do things in a different manner. Consequently, people would begin to live meaningful lives (Kass, 2002). In this meeting one can learn that it is essential to reflect on own life and remember that one day death will come. It is normally believed that old age is associated with wisdom as a result of the thoughts of imminent death. Therefore the work of Mitch is particularly important in informing mankind to be wise and start counting their days as the wise man implies. In their fifth meeting it is learnt that they talk about the family whereby they realize that the family is made of a very important group of people. Taking care of the family should be intrinsic thus according to Morrie this is a deontological ethic. This meeting is important in highlighting the importance of the family and how each member should be appreciated. The family is the primary unit of the society and therefore its importance should be enhanced through love and care. Their sixth Tuesday involves the discussion about the emotions where they come up with the idea that the emotions are good and should be expressed instead of being hidden. It is an intrinsic obligation for one to express the emotions, thus a deontological moral value. As their discussions progresses the health status of Morrie worsens. He becomes incapable of eating well and he does not wash himself and therefore he is washed. The house helpers and his wife care about him so much but he seems to wish that his wife continues to work (Albom, 2007). From this meeting it possible to learn that when emotions occur a person should not hide them but rather exploit them to communicate his or her feelings. It will be a way of relieving oneself from trauma associated with internal suffering as a result of failure to express feelings such as those of love. Not only good emotions but also the bad ones should be exposed for one to get relieved. The meeting on the seventh Tuesday is characterized with talks about the fear involved when a person is aging. Morrie has derived this idea from the fact that he is undergoing through sickness times and approaching death. He is also seen to be old, about 78 years, and therefore he has much to talk from experience and impart some useful wisdom to Mitch. Though he is undergoing through sufferings he seems to take pleasure in the care accorded to him from the helpers and the wife just like a baby. He is in need of help in anything he is doing and he thus loves the personal contacts he makes with those who are giving him the help (Prilleltensky, 2006). This seventh meeting is significant in the humanistic and social contexts because it elaborates the importance of having a good relationship with the households. This has proved essential in the case of Morrie in that the people of his house are the ones who are assisting him when he is incapacitated by the tormenting ailment. It is thus very important to create a good family environment especially the one that shows good family ethics. The ethics shown in Morrie’s family is important and should be emulated by any family. It healthcare ethics that have enabled the old professor to pass on his wisdom to Mitch. It also important to look at the eighth Tuesday’s meeting in which Morrie and Mitch discuss about money. Sunday, August 23, 2009It is learnt that they study the place the money should take in someone’s life where they come to an agreement that a person should not be materialistic to an extent of valuing money more than people. This is an example of a deontological value because of Morrie’s belief that respect for other is an obligation. They say that materialism should not be taken as being more important than life (Prilleltensky, 2006). Therefore Morrie is teaching the world to value life more than money. This is likely to bring about positive impacts to the society in that the importance of life can not be surpassed by any monetary factor. In their ninth Tuesday’s meeting they discuss about love and its importance in all circumstances. Loving other people is a duty for anybody hence an example of deontology. Through the discussion of love by the two it is realizable that for people to live harmoniously together, love must exist among them. It is very significant in the social and humanistic contexts in that without a genuine love human life could be miserable in many ways. He himself could not have received the care his household accords him were it not for love. Therefore the work of Mitch in his discussion with Morrie is very significant towards the establishment of harmoniously bonded families and societies. In their tenth Tuesday they discuss about marriage. In this cases Mitch is seen to take his wife, Janine, whom he says is a singer professionally, to Morrie. It is realized that everyone has a problem associated with marriage, according to Mitch. Marriage, he says, is very important and one needs to believe it. Morrie says that marriage is a very beautiful thing which needs to be tried. The talk is particularly important towards the creation of a vibrant marriage institution in which the spouses relate well with each other. From Mitch’s explanation that most marriages are faced with problems it is important that people look for lasting solutions to the problems so as to enhance the survival of the marriage especially in the current societies around the world. Their eleventh meeting is about culture. They realize that that there are many varied cultures globally and need to be appreciated. Therefore from the discussion it is learnt that good cultures should be appreciated and the bad ones be shunned or reformed. The theme of the twelfth meeting is about how to forgive whereby they put it clear that it is important for one to forgive both oneself as well as others. Morrie believes that forgiving is an obligation for everyone and should be exercised, thus a deontological moral value. This is a social virtue which should be adapted by everyone. The main idea of the thirteenth Tuesday is about the perfect day in which case Mitch asks the old man what he could do if he only had one day to stay alive. Morrie says he could take it as a normal, average day and says that one should get pleasure from the daily life (Prilleltensky, 2006). He thus teaches the world to live each day perfectly, a very significant humanistic aspect. Their last meeting is on a fourteenth Tuesday in which they bid each other good bye. This makes Mitch to cry something he had never done before. Morrie is seen to request Mitch to continue talking to him when he dies. After his death he is buried on a Tuesday leaving behind Mitch a changed person, happier. Therefore Mitch has presented very important information which should be utilized by all people in the world. In retrospect, the major issues discussed in the Tuesday sessions between Morrie and Mitch include the troubles of the world as well as sadness towards these and other similar feelings towards the self; regrets in life and in death; the inevitability of death; and the importance of the family. In addition, various notes are made on diverse aspects of emotion including that of fear of death as well as the importance of having good relations with one’s immediate society. Other issues include money, love, marriage, and culture, with various aspects being offered at length. Therefore from the above scrutiny of the discussions of Morrie with Mitch, it can be seen that Morrie was more of a deontologist than a utilitarian. Indeed, as noted from the second discussion, for instance, various ethics could be classified as good or bad, right or wrong, irrespective of the potential outcome. As a result, most feelings, thoughts and actions discussed in the meetings, were described as being part of an overall intrinsic duty to both the individual and to the society at large.

References
Albom, M., (2007). Tuesdays with Morrie: an old man, a young man, and life's greatest lesson. Doubleday Publishers.
Kass, A., A. (2002). The perfect gift: the philanthropic imagination in poetry and prose. Indiana University Press.
Prilleltensky, O., (2006). Promoting well-being: linking personal, organizational, and community change. John Wiley and Sons.