Sprawling out on my bedroom floor, I had collapsed from a brain workout that I just did called Spanish and English homework and a book fell onto my face. I had been eyeing the title for a while, literally, because I was too exhausted to care about moving it, but when I did I saw it was a thin brown book with a dark red outline with blue and red letters that read, “‘Tuesdays With Morrie’ by Mitch Albom.”

I had read the book back in 7th grade with my favorite English teacher, but once I placed it on my bookshelf I didn’t touch it again. I remember it was about a retired college professor with ALS, and one of his students who talked about life with him, but the rest was fuzzy. I was a good student back then who paid  attention, but I still had a horrible memory or sense of what things really meant.

Since I thought I was wiser, more experienced with literature and life, I thought I should read it again, so I did.

“‘So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning,’” said Morrie Schwartz, the Morrie from the title.

I got upset. I looked at myself, but not in a mirror, through my actions that I had done in that day. Where was the meaning?  

My normal routine was turning on my phone and just scrolling through a bunch of social media while doing normal tasks. I felt as if my life was so focused on how other people viewed me, that I began to dislike myself. I was so plugged into the social realm that I wasn’t aware what it felt like to not have the apps or means of connecting.

I feel like some people need the same realization. According to the Washington Post, teenagers spend about nine hours on their phone a day. With the eight hours of sleep needed, teenagers are only awake for 16 hours and SHS’s school day is around seven hours.

Teenagers are on their phone more than they’re in school.

All I can say is, try to give “Tuesdays With Morrie” a read. It’s more than just a book about an old man with a tragic disease. I noticed while reading I couldn’t go 20 pages without underlining a life lesson or different take on a situation.

“‘Look, no matter where you live, the biggest defect we human beings have is our shortsightedness. We don’t see what it could be. We should be looking at our potential, stretching ourselves into everything we can become. But if you’re surrounded by people who say ‘I want mine now,’ you end up with a few people with everything and a military to keep the poor ones from rising up and stealing it,’” Schwartz said.

I believe that humanity can change, it’s not in a pleasant state right now, almost reverting back to the Cold War times, and instead of the threat being Russia, it’s North Korea. We can either choose to ignore other problems like putting others down, monetary focus and old age stigmas or we can pick up “Tuesdays With Morrie” for $3.99 at Half-Price Books and find out what a “self-help” book can do to help all of us.