The Characteristics of Morrie Schwartzs

“Mitch,” he continued, softly now, “you don’t understand. I want to tell you about my life. I want to tell you before I can’t tell you anymore.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I want someone to hear my story. Will you? Albom, 1997: 63” He really likes to help people, especially when they fail in this life. He thinks that helping people in such condition is the right choice in order to make them does not feel hopeless. He tries to bring their spirit back by sharing his experiences in facing this life so that they will not keep thinking about failures. He makes effort to recovery hopeless people because he thinks that life is not worthy if it is faced with hopelessness. “I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on all the good things still in my life. On the people who are coming to see me. On the stories I’m going to hear Albom, 1997: 57” He shows that if a human being feels sad because he or she fails in this life and then crying, it is a normal thing to do, even he does cry. However, he is not only stuck on that sadness and he is not hopeless. He wants to show people that feeling sadness for long time is not good. It is better to make effort to do something which is useful or maybe to think about something which is considered as a good thing in this life. Morrie gives an example in order to bring the spirit back; it is by remembering that a human being is always needed by other human beings. Morrie helps hopeless people by sharing his own experiences. For example, he thinks about people who will come to visit him; it means that Morrie will feel happy because of their visit and may be, those people will get something value from him when he shares his experience. In other words, Morrie shows that human being needs each other so there is no need to be hopeless because of the failure. That is one of his ways to help people to get better life. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI Besides helping other people who are hopeless, Morrie also becomes a helpful teacher for his students. Morrie is different from common teacher. What makes him different here is he does not only teach subjects or lessons which are should be taught, but he also teaches something about this life. Common teachers usually only teach subjects or lessons that they should teach and rarely teach the significance of life. In the other side, Morrie always teaches something about life to his students within his meetings when he teaches his subjects or lessons. He is helpful to his students because he gives his students solutions not only about subjects’ problems, but also solutions about life’s problems. “I’m going to say it again,” he said. “Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.” He smiled, and I realized what he was doing. He was making sure I absorbed this point, without embarrassing me by asking. It was part of what made him a good teacher Albom, 1997: 82. Morrie helps his students, especially Albom, by giving him an understanding that money is not always the important thing in this life, not everything can be bought by money, for example relationship. He helps his student how to make a good relationship with other people which cannot be related with money. Something like this is seldom taught by common teachers. Morrie also tries to make his students understand about how to be a true human being. He warns me that money is not the most important thing, contrary to the popular view on campus. He tells me I need to be “fully human.” He speaks of the alienation of youth and the need for “connectedness” with the society around me Albom, 1997: 46-47. Morrie also helps his students to believe each other. Believing other persons is something difficult to build because it can only be felt by our heart. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI Morrie helps his students to understand about believing each other because he knows this kind of thing has to be taught to everyone. By giving explanation to his students, he is certain that what he tries to be done will be useful for his students. Morrie emphasizes that trusting or believing can be felt more than can be seen. “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. Albom, 1997: 61” From the quotation above, it can be seen that Morrie tries to give understanding about believing or trusting other people whenever the place is and whatever the condition is. He wants his students know if they want to be trusted or believed by other people, they should trust or believe other people firstly. It does not matter about the place and the condition. Morrie helps his students to understand this by giving a proof; it is when the girl nearly falls to the floor, suddenly her friend grabs her so she does not fall to the floor. It proves about trusting each other. Trusting should use the feelings, especially when the eyes are closed or in the dark place and Morrie can prove it. Finally, one student…dark-haired girl…crosses her arms over her chest, closes her eyes, leans back, and does not flinch…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 Albom, 1997: 61. Once more Morrie helps his student, Albom, when he writes a thesis. It may be a usual help that is also done by other teacher, but it is Morrie who suggests his student to write a thesis, not the student himself who proposes to the teacher. That is the difference. Morrie knows when his student is capable to write PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI a thesis and he will tell it to his student directly. He will help his student from the beginning, such as asking what kind of thing is that makes his student interested and letting his student write what is considered as the most interesting thing. Morrie suggests I try an honors thesis…Me? I ask. What would I write about? “What interests you?” he says. We bat it back and forth, until we finally settle on, of all things, sports…And, with his help, by spring I have a 112-page thesis…I show it to Morrie with the pride of a Little Leaguer rounding the bases on his first home run Albom, 1997: 67. Besides open-minded and helpful, Morrie has other characteristics; it is strong. Morrie is a strong person in facing this life, but it does not mean when he is ordered or commanded by another person, he is just to be submissive. It cannot be regarded as a strong person, but a weak person. He uses his strength to solve his problems and face the life that has been a part of him positively. He never surrenders to his condition or situation and always tries to find a way of solving all problems so that he becomes a person who can be considered as a strong person. Some people may be cannot think clearly if they are conditioned in a very harmful way or in a dying condition. They may not do anything, as it is called submissive, or they may commit suicide. However, Morrie is not that kind of characteristic person. He knows what should be done when he is in that condition. Never does he surrender in his life and all his experiences in this life which create him to be stronger person. Even, his condition now can be said not in a good way. Although his physic is not too good, his mind, his intelligent, and his brain do not show degeneration or damaged. Morrie was in wheelchair full-time now…He had begun to cough while eating, and chewing was a chore. His legs were dead; he would never walk again…Yet he refused to be depressed. Instead, Morrie had become a lightning rod of ideas Albom, 1997: 18. Morrie’s condition is really not good physically and even for eating which is something enjoying for other people is a little bit difficult for him, but it is not a big matter for him. He thinks that although it is difficult to eat, he still can do it by himself so what has to be worried about. He cannot walk with his legs anymore and he has to use wheelchair. If that condition is experienced by common people, the possibility is they will give up their life and even may think that God is not fair to them. Morrie is not that kind of person who gives up and stops enjoying what he has gotten. He never blames anyone and himself, or even God. He never feels that his condition right now will reduce his intelligence. He still can give something useful for other people who need his help, for example he helps people by sharing his experiences. He never regrets everything that he has experienced, whether it is pleasing or making sad. He refuses to be frustrated because of his condition now. In the other hand, he can give many ideas about something meaningful to other people. “He jotted down his thoughts on yellow pads, envelopes, folders, scrap paper. He wrote bite-sized philosophies about living with death’s shadow Albom, 1997: 18.” His refusal to be depressed and his effort to help other people with his ideas show that he is a strong person. Moreover, the characteristic of Morrie is attentive. He is very attentive to everyone, without exception. He gives all his attentions to his family, his students, and people surround him, and even people who are in a long distance. Those people usually communicate with Morrie by letter and Morrie always answers their letters. He rarely feels tired to give his attention for other people. In fact, he really likes to hear other people’s problems and tries to solve those problems. PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI Although his condition is not really good, he does not need to be pity by other people. He just wants to be a friend for sharing each other. He told his friends that if they really wanted to help him, they would treat him not with sympathy but with visits, phone calls, a sharing of their problems-the way they had always shared their problems, because Morrie had always been a wonderful listener Albom, 1997: 12. That quotation makes no doubt that Morrie cares with everyone who wants to talk about their problems very much. He always can be a good companion in every situation, whether it is happy or sad. He even will not refuse if there is any phone call from someone who only wants to share his or her story. He will never be disappointing every people who meet with him. When he is talking with other people, he never makes them feel bored. People sometimes feel difficult to talk about their problems with their own family and they prefer to talk about their problems with Morrie because he always wants to listen on their problems with all of his heart and soul. He can do that only because he really cares with other people’s problems. The other characteristic of Morrie Schwartz is compassionate. His compassion is dedicated to other people who suffer from illness or sadness. He does not care whether he is acquainted with the people or not. The important thing for him is he can feel the people’s suffering too as if he also suffers for himself. People sometimes do not care with something that happens to other people. They may see some people suffer from pain, but they do not feel it in their heart and soul. They just pretend that they do not see it. It is not the same with Morrie, he cannot do what common people do. He can feel the pain that other people feel with all of his heart and soul, it is not just sympathy, but he feels it also with empathy. Now that I’m suffering, I feel closer to people who suffer than I ever did before. The other night, on TV, I saw people in Bosnia running across the street, getting fired upon, killed, innocent victims…and I just started to cry. I feel their anguish as if it were my own Albom, 1997: 50. Morrie himself is suffering, but he still can feel the suffering of other people although they are so far away from him. It is one of many things that make him different from common people. Many people may know or also see the war in Bosnia, but it may happen that they do not feel anything. They cannot feel the suffering because it does not happen to them or their family. That is what can be felt by common people, but Morrie can feel different way. He even drops his tears for other people’s suffering that he does not know who they are. It rarely happens for common people to cry because of other people’s suffering. Morrie can cry because he can feel the suffering that is felt by the people in Bosnia, although it is only on TV. He can imagine as if he was the person who suffers from pain. Morrie can feel the suffering of other people and cry for it although he is not near with the person who suffers and he does not have a relationship with the person who suffers. It shows that he is a compassionate person towards everyone without exception. Furthermore, Morrie has a characteristic of patient. He can be considered as a patient person because he receives everything that is already given by God whether it is good or bad. He can accept what he has gotten patiently. Common people sometimes think that God is not fair when something bad is happened to them. They cannot receive it patiently. However, Morrie will not think like the PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI way common people think. In facing this life, he will never be angry when something which is needed by him cannot be gotten. He regards that patience is better than anger. Although his condition is not really good, he still can receive it without regret. His patience is shown when he cannot do something, but he will not be angry or hopeless. He keeps on continuing his life and does something else which still can be done by him. He is always patient in facing his life. “Accept what you are able to do and what you are not able to do”; “Accept the past as past, without denying it or discarding it Albom: 1997, 18.” For Morrie, patience is important and needed in order to make his life balance. To be patient means that to get better life for him. He does not need to be angry because anger does not make his life develop. Morrie is patient by letting what he has done before as the past and receiving what he gets in present time without regret or disappointment. Morrie suffers from disease which is cannot be cured, but he still can accept it patiently without complaining. He will not complain to anyone, whether it is his family, doctor, himself, or even God. Complaining for something bad which is given by God is usually done by common people. In the contrary, Morrie can accept something bad from God patiently without complaining. I was astonished by his complete lack of self-pity. Morrie who could no longer dance, swim, bathe, or walk; Morrie who could no longer answer his own door, dry himself after a shower, or even roll over in bed. How could he be so accepting Albom, 1997: 36? It is clear that Morrie has a limitation in doing something for the sake of his own need. He does not need to be pitied by other people because he thinks that he can really accept it so there is nothing to be worried of. Morrie’s consideration about PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI his rejection of a pity from other people does not mean that he is an arrogant person and does not need other people’s help. He does such a thing because he wants to show other people that there is nothing to be sad and he feels fine with his condition. He just wants to give understanding that he can accept his condition although it is not really good. Morrie cannot do what is considered as something private for example taking a bath or drying his body after bathing. It can be said that his privacy is no longer had by him absolutely, but he never blames anyone. What can be done by him with his condition is just accepting patiently. For common people, loosing privacy is something terrible, something cannot be thought, even less accepted. It is impossible for common people to accept that their privacy is not theirs. However, for Morrie it does not matter if he looses his privacy. He still can live in a good way although his condition is very bad. The important thing for him is other people can learn from him about patience in living this life and an effort not to complain. The last characteristic of Morrie that can be analyzed about him is that he is a wise person. His wisdom is not represented by his age, but by his attitude and his thinking in facing this life. He can be a wise person towards everyone; his students, his family, people who know about him, and even towards himself. Many people can be considered as a wise person, but sometimes they cannot be wise towards themselves. That is why Morrie is different from common people. His wisdom towards himself is shown when he knows that his life is no longer in this world. He does not blame everyone, even God. He just accepts it PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI and he can pick the advantages from it because he knows that his time is limited. “It’s horrible to watch my body slowly wilt away to nothing. But it’s also wonderful because of all the time I get to say good-bye Albom, 1997: 57.” His wisdom is proved when he still can get something useful in his bad condition. He realizes that his disease cannot be cured anymore, but it gives him time to always say goodbye to everyone so he will not be worried that he has not said goodbye yet if he dies someday. Something which is worried very much by many people is if they die, they will have no time to say goodbye to everyone, especially to someone who they love very much. That is why Morrie considers himself as a lucky person because he still has time to say goodbye before he dies. That is an example of Morrie’s wisdom towards himself. Besides the example above, Morrie is also wise in facing death generally. He gives an understanding about death to everyone. Morrie’s wisdom about death can be seen when he says something to his student, it is “The truth is, Mitch,” he said, “once you learn how to die, you learn how to live Albom, 1997: 82.” Morrie can make a balance between live and die. He teaches that people have to do something or work not only for their life in this world, but they also have to think that someday they will die so everything that they do will be useful before and after they die. Morrie knows the condition of people about death. “Everyone knows they’re going to die,” he said again, “but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently Albom, 1997: 81.” One of Morrie’s wisdom which is not had by other people is he believes that he will die so he does everything useful not only for him, but also for other people. Another Morrie’s wisdom in facing death is by trying to apply philosophy of Buddhism. It is something that maybe never be thought by common people. However, Morrie really applies it in his life. “Do what the Buddhists do. Everyday, have a little bird on your shoulder that asks, ‘Is today the day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be?’ Albom, 1997: 81” Morrie advises other people also to do what the Buddhists do in facing the death. If it is really done with all of heart and soul, he believes that everyone will not be afraid about death so that they will do everything becomes useful in their life. By believing that someday Morrie will die, he is really ready to die so that he can accept the death peacefully and without complaining. Death which sometimes cannot be accepted by common people, even less to prepare it, but Morrie truly can accept and even prepare for that. It is clear that Morrie is wise in facing his own death.

B. The Revelation of Morrie Schwartz’s Self-Actualization

In the previous analysis, the writer has analyzed the characteristics of Morrie Schwartz. Then, the writer will analyze how Morrie Schwartz reveals his self-actualization based on his characteristics. After analyzing the first problem formulation, the writer discovers that the characteristics of Morrie Schwartz show many different characteristics from common people. His characteristics show PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI development in the way he faces this life. The development also shows how Morrie Schwartz perceives this life differently. This part will discuss the characteristics of Morrie Schwartz as a self- actualizing person. The development of Morrie Schwartz’s characteristics can lead him to be a self-actualizing person. Self-actualization which is attained by Morrie Schwartz is the result of his characteristics development. Maslow in Duane Schultz’s Growth Psychology: Models of the Health Personality states that autonomous functioning “is a simple first step toward self actualization Schultz, 1977: 70.” It means that a person will attain self- actualization if he or she is an autonomous functioning person. It is a kind of person who realizes his or her own self and can control him or herself. Morrie realizes the existence of himself in his condition. He has motivation to grow which comes from within himself. It can be seen when he admits his dying condition. “You know, Mitch, now that I’m dying, I’ve become much more interesting to people…People see me as a bridge. I’m not as alive as I used to be, but I’m not yet dead. I’m sort of…in-between…I’m on the last great journey here-and people want me to tell them what to pack. Albom, 1997: 32-33” The quotation shows that Morrie realizes his dying and he does not only admit his condition, but he also can give something useful for other people. He realizes about what other people expect from him and tell it to them; it is the way he perceives the death. It does not matter for him to tell it; even it is a wonderful thing for him to make other people pleased. As an autonomous functioning, Morrie has his own way in facing his condition and facing other people; he knows his condition and wants to help other people by giving his dying experiences honestly. The other characteristic is he perceives objects and persons objectively. Aging is something that cannot be deflected by any human being, included Morrie. He sees everyone around him who is still young and can go everywhere as well as they want, but he is not the same with them anymore. He never regrets to be on his age and his condition now. In contrast, he accepts who he is now and he gets many experiences as long as he is still in this world. He thinks that getting older means getting more experiences so there is nothing to be regretted. “Mitch, it is impossible for the old not to envy the young. But the issue is to accept who you are and revel in that. This is your time to be on your thirties. I had my time to be in my thirties, and now is my time to be seventy-eight…I delight in being a child when it’s appropriate to be a child. I delight in being a wise old man when it’s appropriate to be a wise old man Albom, 1997: 120. It shows clearly that Morrie tries to see his surrounding as the way it is. He does not want to pretend in facing his life. He admits that sometimes old people envy to young people, but he thinks about it positively. He just lets the young to be young and the old to be old. Accepting something which happens in the world without trying to complain is the perception of Morrie in facing his life. It means that he acquires an efficient perception of reality. Like what is stated by Maslow that “self-actualizing persons perceive objects and persons in the world around them objectively Schultz, 1977: 69.” His mind can accept efficiently what he should be. When he is on his age, for example he is seventy eight, he just accepts the reality that he is not young anymore. He also can accept that his student, Mitch, is still young so he just lets him enjoy everything as the way it is. Morrie is capable in perceiving the reality as it is. Another characteristic which is obtained by Morrie is the general acceptance of nature, others, and oneself. Maslow explains deeper about this characteristic that “it is a matter of accepting one self, their shortcoming, and their strength; without complain or worry Schultz, 1977: 69” It means that Morrie accepts himself as the way it is and does not matter whether it is good or bad. He can accept his success or his failure when he does something without complaining or worrying. It can be seen in “Well, I have to look at life uniquely now. Let’s face it. I can’t go shopping, I can’t take care of the bank accounts, I can’t take out the garbage. But I can sit here with my dwindling days and look at what I think is important in life. I have both the time-and the reason-to do that. Albom, 1997: 49-50” It shows that Morrie accepts what he cannot do anymore and what he still can do. In his condition like that, he still can think about it positively. He understands why he cannot do something simple which is usually done by other people. He cannot walk outside his room or just take out the garbage. However, he does not see those things as something which fails in his life. He does not regard them as his failure, but he finds the way to face his life. He shows that he still has something valuable in his life. He still can see something important in his life. Even, he looks at his life as something unique. Moreover, he becomes a man who is more responsible towards his own life and people surround him. He accepts all the changes in his life without any worry, disappointment, or complaint.