The five people you meet in Heaven: Reflections

Normally, I write about my experiences and technical lessons learnt. This is my first post dedicated to a simple yet powerful book I read. This book is “The five people you meet in Heaven” by Mitch Albom.
Having read a few books by this author, knowing he writes sentimental and short (~ 200 pages) books and given how lazy I am in completing a book, I was excited to finish this one!

This post is not a summary or a review, but my insights on some deeper meanings that the book subtly touched upon.
If you like classic story-telling, simple, short and insightful- do read this book. We can share a perspective or two 😉

83-year-old Eddie, the head maintenance person at an Amusement Park, dies in a tragic accident. After he dies, he finds heaven is not a paradise garden as he had expected, but a place where a succession of five people are waiting to show him the true meaning and value of his life; how each person’s life (and death) was woven into Eddie’s own, in ways he never suspected. He is reminded that we all live in a vast web of interconnection with other lives. Each soul has a story to
tell, a secret to reveal, and a lesson to share. Through them Eddie understands the purpose of his own life even as his arrival brings closure to theirs.

I write this article to appreciate how effortlessly, this book reminds us of what really matters here on Earth. I’d like to share a few really good Aha! moments that apply to our life.

The Concept of Heaven

“People think of heaven as a paradise garden, a place where they can float on clouds and laze in rivers and mountains. But scenery without solace is meaningless. This is the greatest gift God can give you: To understand what happened in your life. To have it explained.”

Kudos to the imagination! Everyone has an idea of heaven. To understand why what happened, what purpose you served- would actually be great. We all have certain questions about our life that we seek answers to — why did this happen to me? why couldn’t I get this even after trying my best? why did he/she do this to me? If someone could answer this to us, we can actually rest in peace.
I also think of it as- why wait till death to find the answers? If the people here on Earth are going to answer, why not do it here? It is your duty to ask and have that level of communication, and other people’s duty to understand that they themselves will seek it and provide the answers rather than holding it back.

Also, in the book, the five people he meets teaches him five lessons. And these are not too preachy, but important details to make Eddie understand his life. The sheer beauty of these five lessons was that, had Eddie known them while being alive, he would have led a much happier and satisfied life.

Find Peace while you’re here

“Ain’t you supposed to have peace when you die?”, Eddie asked.
“You have peace,” the old woman said, “when you make it with yourself.”

So true! Peace is not something for which you’ve to look outside, but look inside. Search it within you. Even if the circumstances are not favorable- accept them or work hard to change them. Accept yourself. Remember to live in peace, rather than hoping to die in peace.

We are all connected

“That there are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind.
Did you ever wonder? Why people gather when others die? Why people feel they should?
It is because the human spirit knows, deep down, that all lives intersect. That death doesn’t just take someone, it misses someone else, and in the small distance between being taken and being missed, lives are changed. It happens every day. When lightning strikes a minute after you are gone, or an airplane crashes that you might have been on. When your colleague falls ill and you do not. We think such things are random. But there is a balance to it all. One withers, another grows. Birth and death are part of a whole.”

This sounds philosophical, but it is so true. Remember- you’re the protagonist of the story of your life, but a background artist in others’. We are so engrossed in our lives, that we forget the bigger picture. When something bad happens with you, remember the balance. The book illustrates this message perfectly.

Sacrifice is a part of life

“SACRIFICE,” the Captain said. “You made one. I made one. We all make them.
That’s the thing. Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you’re not losing it. You’re just passing it on to someone else.”

The way I interpret it is when you lose a contest(or anything), someone else just won it! It’s just the happiness which you’d have felt, will be felt by that person. This doesn’t mean you don’t try to win- Try, but if you lose, remember there was a face who smiled your smile!
Acts of sacrifice seemingly small or fruitless do affect others;It’s beautiful.

Free Yourself from Anger

“Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from inside.
No one is born with anger. And when we die, the soul is freed of it. But now, here, in order to move on, you must understand why you felt what you did, and why you no longer need to feel it.”

Eddie hates his father, and in heaven, he’s shown the story from his father’s side. As discussed above, every person has his own situation, we don’t know it all the time. Rather than hating someone(which is the most obvious instinct), communicate and try to understand him/her.
And when you do, let it go. Forgive. Even if you do not figure out the reason, remember there must be a reason, let it go. No point holding it inside you.

You have a purpose. Everyone has

This is the central theme of the novel. Eddie was the kind of guy everybody, including Eddie himself, tended to write off as one of life’s minor characters, a gruff bit of background color. In heaven, he comes to appreciate his 83 years of mortal life; making a point that apparently insignificant lives do indeed have their own special kind of significance.
The rag pickers, vendors, guards, drivers- each and every one is serving a purpose even they don’t know of. It’s an interconnected universe.

Do not keep the words unspoken

As I read through, I made an observation. Being toughened by life’s circumstances, Eddie grows silent, as most men do. After dying, he realizes these are the last moments he has with his loved ones. All he wanted was time- more and more time and then he spoke of everything he wished to speak about.
Again, why not communicate your heart out with the people you love, while you still have time? Do not wait.
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may!

Conclusion

The five people you meet in Heaven is a small, pure, and a simple book.
It poses this beautiful question in front of us:

Which was worse when left unexplained: A life, or a death?

And while you’re wondering, remember- we are all connected. Live a life full of compassion. Towards yourself, your loved ones and strangers.
Let the below words sink in.

That each affects the other and the other affects the next, and the world is full of stories, but the stories are all one.