Tuesdays With Morrie

      This week in Sociology we watched Tuesdays With Morrie. Based on a book about a man named Mitch who is too caught up in his job to realize the love of his life is slipping through his fingers. As he is watching TV, he sees a story on his old Sociology professor, Morrie, who is suffering from ALS. Mitch promised to keep in touch, but never came through. What he thinks is just a visit with Morrie turns into every Tuesday and lessons from Morrie about living.
     A popular theme Mitch learns about in his meetings with Morrie is dependency. Americans are afraid to be dependent on others. In our society being dependent shows weakness and no one wants to be considered weak. Growing up we depend on our parents to take care of us until we go to college, which then we are still being financially supported by them. After college, it is expected that we get a job, our own house and a family sometime later. In our society it is frowned upon to be still living with your parents a couple years our of college. If your parents are supporting you then your are "weak" and cannot support yourself. This fear of dependency stems from the American value of independence and freedom. Americans so badly want to be considered successful and "self-made" that we are willing to push people away that could help us. I also think we want to be independent because if you are dependent then what happens when they die? You don't have a way to support yourself. But if you push them away now, then you could lose a close relationship. I guess it's kinda a "choose your poison" situation. Right now I depend on my parents the most. They support me and I still live with them. My brother just moved to Florida in January so they no longer support him. He still keeps close ties with us but as time goes on you never know how much people can drift and how busy they get. It doesn't bother me that I am dependent on them because I am not ready to support myself; however I don't want them to support me my whole life. I have accepted this social norm of independence and want to pursue my own way of life.