An Old Man and The Fear of Aging
"All this emphasis on youth - I don't buy it." - Morrie Schwartz
Understand Him to Hear Him
Morrie Schwartz has an interesting take on life’s struggles.
People who are wise typically do.
Morrie was diagnosed was diagnosed with ALS at age 78.
This meant that Morrie would be dead from his disease in 4 years.
Imagine that?
Imagine going to the doctor for some body aches that have been occurring and they diagnose you with a death sentence in 4 years.
This meant that his body would become a shell of his healthy mind.
He was going to lose function in all of his limbs and every body part.
He wasn’t even going to be able to wipe his own bottom in 3 years.
What would your family feel?
What would your friends feel?
What would you feel?
Morrie was given a different worldview.
This opened up an opportunity for a tremendous understanding of pith and wisdom.
Let’s see what Morrie has to say about aging.
Aging with a Good Mind
Morrie was losing his battle slowly when he hit his 80’s.
I wasn’t there, but Mitch Albom (the book’s author) said he was “[losing] his battle.”
Morrie was aging faster than ever and Mitch asked him how he stayed so positive.
“Mitch, I embrace aging. It’s very simple. As you grow, you learn more. If you stayed at twenty-two, you’d always be as ignorant as you were at twenty-two. Aging is not just decay, you know. It’s growth. It’s more than the negative that you’re going to die, and that you live a better life because of it.”
Morrie believes that the unsatisfied elderly who say “I wish I could go back to those days” simply lack meaning in their lives.
If you have a purpose, you always want to continue moving forward (even if you can’t).
Wisdom of Surrender
“If you’re always battling getting older, you’re always going to be unhappy, because it will happen anyhow.”
Morrie talks an awful lot about surrender.
Is that the key to happiness?
Buddha always said, “Desire is the thief of joy.”
Does simply living in the moment and letting go of the ego that wants to control one's cognitive framework make them happy?
Is surrender to God the answer?
This requires a sense of religious belief, but was Morrie religious?
Morrie was not necessarily religious.
Morrie is a “religious mutt.”
Born Jewish, turned agnostic, and then practiced Buddhism before he left Earth.
Though he didn’t know what to attach it to, he has always understood love.
Application for Our World Today
A lot has not changed since Morrie left us.
We are still consumer-driven.
We are given gimmicks to look younger again.
Science has taken a step up and has given hypochondriacs permission to monitor everything they do.
America is still the porn capital of the world that gives unrealistic expectations on what sex truly is.
There is no love left for when people get old and that material world starts to vanish.
When you’re young (like I am haha), the stuff on Earth suffices.
It does give you all that you need and then some.
The problem arises when the material world is slowly slipping away.
When you have built your whole life around consumption, that sort of thing starts to decay along with your body.
Buying a new pair of shoes doesn't feel the same as it did when you were 18.
There is a reason that most porn stars regret what they have done in the past.
It left them empty.
They took the love out of one of the greatest pleasures in life.
This especially happens when children come into the picture.
Life without love and trust is not a life worth living.
In fact, it will be impossible to live that life.
As a culture, we need to learn from Morrie and accept that wisdom comes with age, and appreciation of life comes with it too.
There can not be one without the other.
That is the balance of life
Keep learning,
Chris
About the Author
Born Christopher J Brison (21 years old), Chris has been writing for 2 years but has only been self-publishing for 6 months. He is a 4th-year student at Muskingum University and is pursuing a bachelor’s in History and Education with licensure in 7-12 AYA Education.
Chris grew up in the Catholic faith and was baptized when he was young. He believes that “the wisdom of faith transpires into every aspect of life if you search for it.”
His passion lies within reading the wise authors that came before him and relating it to the world that we live in today.
Book Citation
Albom, Mitch, 1958-. (1997). Tuesdays with Morrie : an old man, a young man, and life's greatest lesson. New York :Doubleday,