Principles are like the quarters in the coin jar of life that you have to dig to find because they're worth more than all the other change. In Tuesdays with Morrie, talk about different principles is arranged neatly into chapters, and each week, Morrie and Mitch focus on a different topic where values come into play. Think: family, forgiveness, death, and other Big Stuff.
Throughout his life, Morrie has thought about what is worth really valuing in life. For his part, Mitch, as a student, is eager for Morrie's wisdom because… well, let's face it: It's not always easy to figure out what is important in life. And Mitch has had a harder time than others, following along a social script that leaves him empty and disengaged.
Morrie teaches that culture is the culprit, distracting us from the things that truly matter by filling our eyes with dollar signs and our hearts with desire for the latest new thing. To find out what is truly important, though, we have to look within our hearts. The answers just won't come from the outside.
Questions About Principles
- In Tuesdays with Morrie, the word principles is kind of interchangeable with the word culture. Why is this? How is it that culture and principles affect us in the same way?
- What are Mitch's principles at the beginning of the book? How about at the end?
- Morrie says that culture is the main culprit for us valuing the wrong things. What other factors distract us from knowing what our principles should be?