Prof. Harleen Singh (WGS) shared her wisdom on life, love and finding one's place in the world on Tuesday, Sept. 23, in an event inspired by the award-winning book by Mitch Albom '79 Tuesdays with Morrie, which was sponsored by the Religion, Plurality and Spirituality group and hosted by Marci McPhee, a staff member of the group. Brandeis has run a "Tuesday" series for the past eight years, in which notable Brandeis professors are invited to impart their knowledge and life lessons to student audiences.

The wisdom faculty members give to the students is of a similar nature to that which Brandeis Prof. Morrie Schwartz (SOC) imparted to Albom shortly before Schwartz died.

Following her introduction by McPhee, Singh said, "How can I teach what I have not yet learned?" This question set the tone for her subsequent exploration of the human experience.

Singh engaged her audience with her favorite quotes about the wide array of life's experiences, including falling in love, experiencing the death of a loved one and developing an outlook on life, while adding her own anecdotes and advice.

"Never lose your excitement about life," she said.

Later she continued, "There is no one clear message in life; Rather, we must try to figure out our own messages in our own lives."

She spoke about various universal experiences, such as love, desire and death, and the meaning of finding one's "home."

Singh discussed the storm of the heart's emotions in connection with love, the difficulties of falling in love with the right person and the pain that one experiences upon the loss of love.

"There is no logical continuum of time for love. It is inescapable, irrevocable, and you almost always fall for the wrong person," Singh said, "but to love the right person is devoid of accident."

The pain of lost love is unavoidable, she said, but the comfort that one receives with age is the knowledge that it will hurt less in the future.

She stressed the value of humility and its connection to the passions of the human heart as she quoted a Sufi sage, "If you can walk on water, you have done no better than a straw. If you can fly, you are no better than a gnat; conquer your heart, then you can be someone great."

Singh concluded by urging her audience to enjoy the journey of life, to laugh, to sing and most importantly, to find a home, whether it is a literal home, a secure base of friends and loved ones, or even just an inner calm within yourself with which you approach life.

"[The lecture] really showed a very intimate side to Prof. Singh that I haven't seen before, and it was really refreshing to see all the things she has gone through in life," said Laila Khan '08.

"And to a student that is about to graduate, she made me feel more calm about the future that as you get older, time will sort things out. Her wisdom spoke to me and relaxed me," Kahn said.