Month: September 2019

Today I’ve been tidying up my room and trying to do a bit of a purge of all the junk which one somehow incessantly accumulates. Appropriately enough, as I was going through my bookcase, I came across is Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. It recounts the story of Mr. Albom’s visits to see his former college professor during the last months of life. It’s a pretty short book and, while I don’t agree with all the content, it does retain a special place in my heart. In particular, the opening chapter still makes me “mist up” a little…

The last class of my old professor’s life took place once a week in his house, by a window in the study where he could watch a small hibiscus plant shed its pink leaves. The class met on Tuesdays. It began after breakfast. The subject was The Meaning of Life. It was taught from experience.

No grades were given, but there were oral exams each week. You were expected to respond to questions, and you were expected to pose questions of your own. You were also required to perform physical tasks now and then, such as lifting the professor’s head to a comfortable sport on the pillow or placing his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Kissing him good-bye earned you extra credit.

No books were required, yet many topics were covered, including love, work, community, family, aging, forgiveness, and, finally, death. The last lecture was brief, only a few words.

A funeral was held in lieu of graduation.

Although no final exam was given, you were expected to produce one long paper on what was learned. That paper is presented here.

The last class of my old professor’s life had only one student. I was that student.

Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie (Chapter 1 – The Curriculum)