The Last Lecture.... by Randy Pausch
If you don't know who Randy Pausch was, he was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who became a world wide inspiration in his final months of fighting pancreatic cancer. He first came to focus after an article about him surfaced in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and the video of his "last lecture" at Carnegie Mellon hit YouTube.
Randy chose to look at his impending death in ways that so few of us would do....he chose to live out the days by laying a foundation for his children who would grow up without him. This seemed to be his biggest concern....not his fate, not his mortality, not his pain nor his fears, but he chose ways to put into place a way to father his kids in their future...when he would not be with them.
I became instantly inspired by his story when I read the original article about him in the Post Gazette. I then watched his last lecture on YouTube. Finally I just bought and read his book, "The Last Lecture."
I honestly do not know how I would react if I had been given the card of pancreatic cancer. I don't know if I would say "let's fight this all the way" or " I have to run away from this..." I do know that I would worry about my husband and kids and how it would affect them....
Death is a part of life, but it so hard to understand or think about especially when you are a parent. I would find it difficult to focus on my own health and issues when I would be thinking so much about how it would be affecting my family.
I love the messages that Randy Pausch has in the book and his lecture. It is very uplifting and selfless. I recommend that anyone read it and have thought seriously about showing excerpts of the YouTube lecture to my students...as a way to inspire them to pursue their dreams........
Fun, wonder, living your dream. From The Last Lecture
- Decide if you’re a Tigger or an Eyeore. I’m a Tigger.
- It is not about achieving your dreams but living your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself, the dreams will come to you.
- Never underestimate the importance of having fun. I’m dying and I’m having fun. And I’m going to keep having fun every day, because there’s no other way to play it….Having fun for me is like a fish talking about the importance of water. I don’t know how it is like not to have fun…
- Never lose the child-like wonder. It’s just too important. It’s what drives us.
- Help others.
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