The Five People You Meet in Heaven
For a few weeks, I have been thinking about the concept of death and the afterlife. I kept asking myself what is death, what awaits us after we bid goodbye to the living world. Recently I came across a book by Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven. The book was a Godsent. I found the lessons from the book to be so relatable. This book was an absolute joy to read as it drew attention immediately and divided into five major parts so I never put it down for a minute and completed it without getting distracted.
The book is philosophical fiction. The story is about an 83-year-old war veteran named Eddie who died in an accident at his workplace, an amusement Park, Ruby Pier. He had a bumpy life but lived through it. Eddie died alone, without any family member by his side. A huge part of his life was filled with regret, bitterness, desolation and anger for what had happened to him. All of his life has been explained through five states in heaven after he dies at the age of 83 in an accident at Ruby Pier trying to rescue a girl.
The First Person Eddie Meets in Heaven
After dying, Eddie woke up in the same place. He was greeted by a person with a blue body. The person explained that whenever a human being would die, he would meet five people who would be waiting for him to explain the answers to any questions or explanations about the cause and effect of a person’s life. The Blue Man named Joseph Corvelzchik was the first human to explain his life story connected to Eddie.
“That nothing happened randomly. That we are all related. That you cannot separate one life from another, just as you cannot separate the gust of air from the wind”. — Joseph Corvelzchik
Eddie did not know Joseph, but it turned out that Eddie was the cause for Joseph’s death in the past. Due to this, Joseph waited for Eddie to describe all the events that occurred and after that, he left Eddie.
Joseph and Eddie’s interaction tells us that we don’t realize our impact on others. Often we don’t know that even a small incident that happens to us can influence a big thing that happens in another person’s life.
“No life is a waste,” the Blue Man said. “The only time we waste is the time we spend thinking we are alone.”
The Second Person Eddie Meets in Heaven
After Joseph’s departure, Eddie was sent to a new place. This time it was a place he was quite familiar with, it was the place of his combat against the Philippines and the person waiting for him was his war captain, Captain Michael. The captain rested in a tree smoking awaiting him.
The Captain revealed the reason why Eddie got wounded in his leg, Eddie went crazy when he found out that the Captain was the cause of his disability. But when the Captain finally explained his reasoning and also the cause of his death, Eddie felt regretful and realized that life was around giving up and sacrificing for other big things. The Captain exploded to death to protect Eddie and the three other friends from the landmines.
Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to. Little sacrifices. Big sacrifices. A mother works so her son can go to school. A daughter moves home to take care of her sick father.
From the story of Eddie and the Captain, we learn about the significance of sacrifice and appreciate the sacrifices of others. We may feel our sacrifices are not recognised but are we able to recognise and be aware of the sacrifices from others to us?
“I didn’t die for nothing, either. That night, we might have all driven over that land mine. Then the four of us would have been gone.”
The Third Person Eddie Meets in Heaven
The third person Eddie met after his death was a lady he didn’t know. Eddie thought that the third person would be his father, with whom he had a very rocky relationship. but it turned out that this woman was Ruby, the former owner of the amusement park where she and Eddie’s father worked. Eddie, who had been holding on to the hatred and anger towards his father got an answer for the cause of his father’s death. Ruby’s story made Eddie finally understand and erase all grudges and hatred for his father.
“Learn this from me. Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from inside. We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves.”
“Forgive, Edward. Forgive. Do you remember the lightness you felt when you first arrived in heaven?”
“That’s because no one is born with anger. And when we die, the soul is freed of it.”
The interaction of Eddie and Ruby and the story of Eddie’s father’s life teaches us to forgive those who have hurt us. In reality, there is always something behind everything that hurts us. Again, we may not be aware at that moment, but sometimes we are blinded by anger and pain.
The Fourth Person Eddie Meets in Heaven
The fourth person Eddie met was the only love in his life, Marguerite, his wife who died first because of her sickness. Marguerite explained the reason for her death to Eddie and her emotions that she didn’t have the chance to communicate to Eddie before.
LOVE, LIKE RAIN, can nourish from above, drenching couples with a soaking joy. But sometimes, under the angry heat of life, love dries on the surface and must nourish from below, tending to its roots, keeping itself alive.
All of Eddie’s shortcomings and bitterness in life did not depress Marguerite’s love. This was what caused Eddie not to want another woman in his life even though Marguerite died leaving him so quickly.
From this story, we can understand that love will still exist even though it is no longer the same form, no matter what or how it is separated.
“Lost love is still love, Eddie. It takes a different form, that’s all. You can’t see their smile or bring them food or tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor. But when those senses weaken, another heightens. Memory. Memory becomes your partner. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it.
“Life has to end,” she said. “Love doesn’t.”
The Fifth Person Eddie Meets in Heaven
“I was sad because I didn’t do anything with my life. I was nothing. I accomplished nothing. I was lost. I felt like I wasn’t supposed to be there.” — Eddie
Last he met a little girl who told him that the hands that he felt toward the end of time were hers to bring him to heaven where he can rest in peace. Tala was not the girl who he saved before he died, she was a Philipino girl who died when Eddie, his friends, and the Captain tried to blow up the barracks they were held in during the war in the Philippines and Eddie didn’t have time to save them.
Eddie shivered with horror when he saw Tala, who was beautiful and smooth, but suddenly turned charred and burned. He washed Tala’s wounds and as he did, the wounds and the scars disappeared. Tala was his fifth person. After that, he felt light, floated up, he saw a woman in a yellow dress. It was Marguerite, waiting for him with her arms extended.
In the end, Eddie is said to be waiting in his own heaven, above the Ferris wheel which was always visible from his apartment, together with Marguerite, waiting for those who will get answers from him when they die.
Mitch Albom is one of my favourite writers because his books are about subjective concepts, his philosophical explanations invite the reader to reflect on their own beliefs and ideas around those concepts, such as forgiveness, love etc. The language is simplistic yet full of meaning. It can be said that this story is aimed at those who feel that their life is useless and worthless.
I came across this book when I was struggling and grieving a loss of a loved one. I was fighting with resentment, regret, anger, loss and a lot of other emotions. There were things that were left unsaid, and I was struggling with closure. This book helped me with finding some peace while recovering from the grief of my father’s death. I keep coming back to Mitch Albom’s writings as they give me a very safe space to reflect on my self. This book will help find answers to the questions we have within our souls and will help us understand that after a journey ends, another begins.
