Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Tuesdays with Morrie

Life is a series of pulls back and forth. A tension of opposites. So which side wins? Love always wins...

This book is a simple yet splendid read (heart-wrenching too; couldn't hold back the tears in the end...) as it touched the core of you! It teaches me to try and live life with courage, composure, dignity, humor and integrity. When I read the last moments of Morrie's life... I instinctively felt for grams and praised God for the blessed life grams is having now, slowly recuperating from lymphoma... coz that moment could just be grams' instead! (and I wouldn't know how I should react... then).

The truth of the matter is most of us walk around with a meaningless life, almost half-asleep, even when we are busy doing things we think are important, chasing the wrong things (talk about shortsightedness!). The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.

Coz the most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love and let it come in as love is the only rational act. Indeed, you need love when you were born, and when you are at your deathbed but also in between... if only we just let that happened instead of putting a false brave front that we will be ok (maybe its upbringing or the warped culture we live in, hmm so I guess its right to say, "Create your own culture!").

I also learnt an important lesson of detachment - don't cling to things because everything is impermanent. It also means that you let the experience penetrate you fully; That's how you are able to leave it. Profound, eh? But its true; if you don't experience pain fully, how can you identify it the next time that feeling hits you? Denial is a very dangerous state of disillusion (not to mention a cowardly art of escapism, ha!)

Before I end this post, ask yourself:
- Are you at peace with yourself?
- Have you found someone to share your heart with?
- Are you trying to be as human as you can be?
- Are you giving to your community?

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