Todays guest is Rob Schwartz. You may not know him, but you’ve likely heard of his dad, Morrie.

Bestseller, “Tuesdays with Morrie,” sold over 18 million copies after it was released in 1997. While Morrie, a beloved dad and professor at Brandeis University, was dying of ALS, Mitch Albom, one of his students, sat down to interview him every Tuesday for 12 weeks. This became a treasure trove of his philosophy as his health declined. It was very early in our understanding of ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Several years after “Tuesdays with Morrie," and the death of his father, Rob, found an almost finished manuscript in his dad’s desk drawer. He decided to edit this book as a tribute to his dad. Now, “The Wisdom of Morrie," recently released, is a new look at Morries’ life wisdom and lessons. I was happy to be reminded of the spirit and light that filled his life, despite that he was dying.

A reminder from Morrie:

“Dying is only one thing to be upset about; living an unhappy life is something else.”

Show Notes:

Morrie is known for his positive attitude and growth mindset before and after he was diagnosed with ALS. He was an extremely curious, compassionate and intelligent man.

He always had this intense empathy for everybody, and was open to different worldviews. He was aware of others’ difficulties and their pain. Once you're open to somebody else's worldview and perspective, he said, you're going to see things in a different light.

The Wisdom of Morrie is really about lessons on how to live your best life and how to live with the tension or paradox of joy and sorrow.

His attitude was…”I’m gonna live the best that I can in the time that I have left. And that means I have to put bitterness, anger and disappointment aside and concentrate on what gives me joy and life and pushes me forward.”

Morrie wrote a bit about ageism. He has a term called age casting, which is to make assumptions about older people just because they’re old. He also includes many practical tips on how to live more creatively and joyously as you age.

Very simply put, what gives your life meaning, Morrie would say, is your relationship with other people.

Morrie viewed aging as completely natural; Not something to be angry or despairing about, but something to understand as a natural process of life, and that you should appreciate what is strong and good about it, as opposed to trying to pick out, oh, my body isn't as strong as it used to be.

There will always be the tension of opposites in our lives. This idea of balancing out hope and despair.

In this book, Morrie was attempting to remove the stumbling blocks that prevent people from being happy and fulfilled.

He believed that laughter was incredibly important and wondered why elderly people often forget to incorporate more humor in their lives. Don’t let it slip away, he reminds us.

Rob’s most important lesson from his dad? Pay attention to your relationships and continue to strengthen them always.

Resources: The Wisdom of Morrie. Available at all booksellers.