Genuine human connection demands a leap of faith into uncertainty, where letting go of control becomes our only path to discovery.
“On this day, Morrie says that he has an exercise for us to try.
We are to stand, facing away from our classmates, and fall backward, relying on another student to catch us. Most of us are uncomfortable with this, and we cannot let go for more than a few inches before stopping ourselves. We laugh in embarrassment.
Finally, one student, a thin, quiet, dark-haired girl whom I notice almost always wears bulky, white fisherman sweaters, crosses her arms over her chest, closes her eyes, leans back, and does not flinch, like one of those Lipton tea commercials where the model splashes into the pool..
For a moment, I am sure she is going to thump on the floor. At the last instant, her assigned partner grabs her head and shoulders and yanks her up harshly.
“Whoa!!” several students yell. Some clap.
Morrie finally smiles. “You see,” he says to the girl, “you closed your eyes. That was the difference. Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them too – even when you’re in the dark. Even when you’re falling.”
From “Tuesdays With Morrie” by Mitch Albom
Source: http://www.rogerdarlington.me.uk/
Note: Tuesdays with Morrie is a poignant 1997 memoir by sports journalist Mitch Albom that chronicles his final series of weekly visits with his former college sociology professor, Morrie Schwartz, who is dying from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a progressive nerve disease that shuts down muscle control. Meeting every Tuesday in Morrie’s home, the two engage in a deeply personal “last class” exploring fundamental human experiences—including love, work, aging, forgiveness and death—offering a profound counter-cultural message that prioritises genuine compassion, emotional openness, and human connection over material success. Albom, an acclaimed Detroit Free Press columnist and author, used the book’s royalties to help pay for Morrie’s medical bills, a life-changing gesture that launched his transition from sports journalism into world-renowned inspirational writing and widespread philanthropy.