Tuesdays with Morrie

I've been reading this book lately for my Adult Development and Aging class called Tuesdays with Morrie. It is a wonderful book about an old man who is dying of Lou Gehrig's disease. Despite his illness, Morrie still maintains a great outlook on life. He also affects so many people in those last few months of life, despite his debilitating condition.

While I've been reading this, we've been watching clips of the real life Morrie in interviews with Ted Koppel. Sometimes as I'm reading the book, I forget that he was a real person and that the great things that he did are real. I find that this is one limitation to the medium of books where video makes up the difference. While I am reading, I feel like I am there and can imagine things clearly, but I still feel like this place I am experiencing is fantasy (if that makes any sense). Maybe I lack imagination, I don't know. But as I am watching the videos, it reminds me that someone like what I'm reading about is not too good to be true.

Now, I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression--it's not like Morrie is going around physically serving everyone and changing the world. What he is doing is opening up his heart and sharing his feelings about his terminal condition. He is teaching Mitch (the author) and the world, through the Ted Koppel interviews, what it means to live a full life. I like it a lot. If you haven't read it, from a non-reader, I recommend it. It's quick, easy and a true story and can inspire you for good. (It might be a good idea to watch some of the interviews on YouTube as well if you have the same problem as me.)