Two Identical Decks of Cards When God created this world, his main goal was for it to be perfect. No bad people, no bad choices, no sin. Well, we all know how that plan worked out. We have so much to worry about in this broken world. Murderers, Thieves, Depression, Fatal diseases, and so many other horrible things. Morrie Schwartz and Randy Pausch are just two out of many people that get to take on a fatal disease. Morrie has ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. It basically eats all the muscle you have until you are considered paralyzed. Then your organs will shut down, and you will die. Randy has Pancreatic cancer, and was given a 3-6 months left of “good health”. These two inspirational people deal with two different types of diseases …show more content…
He gives it for his kids so in the future when they’re older, they’ll still be able to get to know their dad. His family is his #1 priority. “I think it’s great that so many people have benefited from this lecture, but the truth of the matter is, I didn’t even give it for the 400 people at Carnegie Mellon who came. I only wrote this lecture for 3 people… *picture of his 3 kids* and when they’re older, they’ll watch it” (Pausch the Oprah Winfrey Show The Last Lecture 2010). In The Last Lecture, Pausch only talks about HIS family, he doesn’t exactly give advice to other people on family matters. He has so much love and dedication to his kids, his nieces, his nephews, and most importantly, his wife. In Tuesday’s With Morrie, Morrie focuses more on the qualities of a solid foundation of a family. He talks about the philosophy of family and what it means to people. He explains that if he didn’t have a caring family throughout this fight, he wouldn’t be able to do it. He would probably give up, and not defeat the odds of ALS. “This is part of what a family is about, not just love, but letting others know there’s someone who is watching out for them” (Albom …show more content…
Both books focus on this topic basically the whole time. It just goes back to the saying that your actions don’t only affect you, they affect the people around you. The biggest thing outlined on this subject in Tuesday’s With Morrie is forgiveness. Being a Christian, I do my best to have a base of forgiveness. It is one of my deeds. Holding a grudge about something so little is absolutely pointless. Later in life, you won’t get the chance to forgive someone if they’re already gone. Forgive and forget. “‘There is no point in keeping vengeance or stubbornness. These things’”—he sighed—’these things I so regret in my life. Pride. Vanity. Why do we do the things we do?’” (Albom ). Randy focuses on making dreams come true. He outlines the curriculum to do so. “If you want to achieve your dreams, you better work well and play well with others, and that means you better be living with integrity… just tell the truth. Second thing, when you screw up apologize… What I have found is no one is pure evil. If you wait long enough, they will show you their good side” (Pausch the Oprah Winfrey Show The Last Lecture 2010). Accepting that you screwed up is something that a lot of people struggle with but something people are even worse at is admitting it. A good apology with get you through your life, and it has 3 parts. I’m sorry, it was my fault, and what can I do to make it
It is truly remarkable how Randy Pausch and Morrie Schwartz stories are so similar but yet so different. They both seem to have an outlook on life in a positive way, not sad or demeaning. The only crippling difference is the fact that Morrie was at the age that wasn’t abnormal to be sick and Randy was just dealt the cards for a short life. One of Professor Randy Pausch’s many quotes during The Last Lecture makes a similar point between his experience and Morrie’s when he says, “…it’s hard to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer – people who get it don’t live long enough.” ALS is such a rehabilitating disease that scientist have issues pinpointing the causes to even get close to a cure, which didn’t hinder either of their strive to keep going as far as they could.
While dying is a major concern for innumerable people, Pausch did not make thinking about dying a priority in his life; he had accepted that it was inevitable. Rather than focus on dying, he focused on what was going to make his family happy in addition to what he was going to leave behind for them and everyone else. In chapter 59: Dreams for my Children, Pausch explains the adventures and activities he had recently ventured to do with his family. Additionally, he gave light to the dreams and aspirations that he had for his children; though, he later wrote that he did not want them to feel like they had to fulfill them just because it was what he said. I can relate to this specific chapter because my family has high hopes for my life. Pausch wrote “I want you to become what YOU want to be” (198). This quote made me realize that my family’s words have impacted many of my decisions in life, but now that I reached the point in life where I am almost on my own, I will be who I want to be. They have wanted me to enter a career field with the potential of earning money that they could not dream of. I, on the other hand, do not care about materialistic lifestyle. The legacy that I want to leave behind is that I helped the underdeveloped countries to live a healthier and safer life. My legacy that
While reading Tuesday with Morrie by Mitch Albom, it is discovered that Professor Morrie Schwartz a genuine humble old man filled with life ends up being dignosed with a fatal disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) which targets the neourological system. Slowly losing his range of motion, Morrie tries to continue his life as normal as possible, As he lost his ability to walk without tripping, he purchased a cane to help him get by. When he is unable to undress himself, he finds someone to assist him the locker room so he can change in and out of his swimwear. Morrie is a man that refuses to give, only to find different techniques to get by. Accepting death, Morrie writes aphorisms about accepting life how it is. Inspiring many people with his
Morrie Schwartz was Mitch Alboms college professor more than twenty years ago. We are first introduced to Morrie while Mitch is flipping through the television channels and suddenly hears Morrie’s name. Mitch had not heard from his from professor for years and had not tried to get in touch with the professor, so the news he heard next from the screen was a shock. Morrie Schwartz, his college professor had been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Scierosis or (ALS) an incurable and fatal disease that takes over your nervous system. It is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease after a famous baseball player who fell victim to it.
just all in how you look at it. Morrie contracted ALS but sees the better side of his disease
Dr. Randy Pausch knew that he had pancreatic cancer before he presented, but he was optimistic and had a positive attitude, and I can see this from his energetic active behaviors and gestures. From the beginning, he did several push-ups to show that he was in phenomenally good health and a better shape than most of people even though he only had three to six months of good health left. What he did on the stage really attract his audiences’ attention and made them begin to be interested in his lecture. Imitating the people that he mentioned is really an impressive part in this speech. He tries to imitate their behaviors, tones. Also there
Dr. Pausch mentions that every individual will show his good side if we wait patiently and that no individual is pure evil. I think this is a something I can truly apply in my life, as I am a person who forms an opinion about someone very quickly and find it very difficult to change that in due course of time. Also the concept of brick walls in life being there to show dedication and make you obstinate is something I will remember in life moving forward. This lecture given by Dr. Pausch truly displays courage, appreciation for life and the very simple concept of ‘work hard and have fun doing it’ which results in a great success. A very tearful watch but delivers a strong life message and caused me to reflect back at my own life and see things in positive light.
Morrie Schwartz, the little old man who fought against ALS, is a heroic person. Showing affection towards others, being an average human being, and fighting for his life against a withering body shows the hero in Morrie. No matter the situation or personal problems, Morrie loved everything that could be loved. He was your normal, everyday man who was seen more spectacular in other’s eyes. Morrie “learned to detach”(page 103) and except his decease, but did not let the death consume his caring nature. Morrie lived a successful life, and was considered a heroic figure until the very
Imagine you are diagnosed with ALS, a progressive disease that slowly weakens your muscles and impacts physical function. You’ll eventually die from paralyzation. You could go out in a peacefully way, die happy, or suffer. What do you choose? Everyone can agree that Lennie, from Of Mice and Men, has a mental disability and how it is shown more in depth as the book progresses.
If given the choice, Morrie would have liked to be reincarnated as a gazelle. A gazelle is a graceful, fast animal whose name originates from the Arabic word “gazal”, the term for love poems. Morrie choses this creature because it represents the opposite of his current state. ALS keeps Morrie a prisoner within his own body, he is unable to move swiftly and break free of the disease that chains him to his house. Morrie wishes nothing more than to be able to be as free as a
Medical history has been filled with an array of diseases and illnesses, ranging from the common cold to deadly killers. Some are easily treatable and others can be terminal, but some of the worst are those that still remain without a cure; one such disease is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Diagnosed with cancer and given just months to live, Randy Pausch decided to give a last lecture. Randy felt this was important so that he may give a sort of goodbye to those who he cared about, share advice and life-experiences that he felt were important, and most importantly for his kids, whom would never really get to know him because of their age. This book is a collection of stories and general life advice that Randy felt was important to share before moving on.
Imagine if you loss control of your body but your mind stayed unaffected. You would be a prisoner in your own body, all leading up to your death sentence. That is the sad fate for the people diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). “Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder was first described by Ran in 1850. This description was then expanded in 1873 by Charcot, who emphasized the involvement of the corticospinal tracts. In the United States, ALS is often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, after the famous ball player who was stricken by the disease in the midst of his career. (Yale School of Medicine, 2014)” In this paper will go through the definition, the process, the signs, the risk factors, etiology, and discus the known people that have suffered with this terminal disease.
Achieving Dreams and Leading Your Life Recently I read The Last Lecture, a book I would not normally read. In this book, I learned about the life of Randy Pausch, who unfortunately had Pancreatic cancer. In his book, Pausch stated, “ It’s not about how to achieve your dreams.
This is a neurodegenerative disease, meaning it results in progressive loss or death of neurons. It often starts off with effecting simple motor skills like writing and holding things, after a few months usually patients start losing the ability to walk, talk, or move any of their limbs. Although the brain trauma is what causes it, ALS has little-no-effect on the brain. This fatal disease is typically diagnosed around age 60 and most patients are given about 3-5 years to live after being diagnosed. It has been found that 10% of cases are shown as genetic. It was brought to attention that athletes were beginning to get diagnosed with ALS at a younger age than most. After extensive research in the early 2000’s, Brain Analyst, Dr. Mckee ran tests and finally came to the conclusion that the toxic proteins in the brains of ALS patients were coming from repeated blows to the head. It was then made evident why so many athletes in contact sports such as football, soccer, boxing, etc… were being diagnosed at such a young age and more frequently than