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“The Last Lecture”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Randy Pausch was told last August that he had 3-6 months to live. It has been nine months, and he is still alive.
That’s good news for Pausch and his family. The good news for the rest of us is that Pausch’s book, “The Last Lecture,” has been tearing up the best-seller lists lately. Which means a lot of people are benefitting from Pausch’s wondrous world-view and approach to life, and that, ultimately, his family is benefitting from every book sold. I have rarely felt so good plunking down my $22 for a book.
Here’s the story. Pausch was a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University. He was an award-winning teacher who truly inspired his students, and a man who had married late in life and started a family, with three children under age six. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which has one of the worst fatality rates of any disease, and battled it for a while. But eventually it metastisized, and he and his family had to come to terms with his impending death.
So on Sept. 18, 2007, Pausch stepped in front of a packed hall at his school and delivered his last lecture, on the topic “Achieving Your Childhood Dreams. (You can watch it, at over an hour long, on the Youtube link above.) It was funny, upbeat, wise. Although the video is free on Youtube, he expanded the lecture into the book.
Pausch’s advice is not startlingly new to anyone who’s paying attention to what matters in life. Show gratitude. Tell the truth. Don’t obsess over what other people think. Decide whether you want to be Tigger or Eeyore. But the way he delivers all this, both in the video and the book, while facing a death sentence, is just flat-out overwhelming. I’m not ashamed to admit I choked up a dozen times reading this slim book.
Pausch continues to post updates on his life and health on a blog here.
I’d love to hear people’s reaction to Pausch’s last lecture. Or we can go this way: If you were dying, and could pass along some wisdom to those who live on, what would it be?
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Comments
By Joyce
May 9, 2008 8:28 AM | Link to this
I love The Last Lecture. It is my gift for graduates and those dealing with the fatal illness of a family member.
Randy teaches us to celebrate each moment. Live positive.
I believe his lessons have extended his own life and can do the same for others.
By Sue
May 9, 2008 9:25 AM | Link to this
Thank you Randy, Jai and kids for letting us in. God Bless you all and keep you in his arms.
By Anne
May 9, 2008 9:31 AM | Link to this
Randy Pausch is just amazing. As is his family and their outlook on life. When I saw his “Last Lecture”, I cried for an hour. I know we all suffer from bouts of “poor pitiful me” times, but this man truly put things in perspective for me. Whenever I get to one of those moments, I just pick up the book and just open it to whatever page and read. I guarantee I’m out of that mood almost immediately. I can’t think of anything to add to the message that Pausch gives. It was moving and beautiful and insightful.
By bob
May 9, 2008 10:22 AM | Link to this
Also check out a lecture he recently gave at UVa on Time Management - especially from the perspective of someone w/o much time left. Just go to Google and type in Time Management and it’s right at the top. Excellent stuff.
By Jesse's Girl
May 9, 2008 11:46 AM | Link to this
This is one of the greatest pleasures of my life…reading his pure and simple take on everything! My children watched the lecture with me..they cried too. And when we were all done crying, we went out for a walk and picked weeds. The weeds looked very pretty that day..still do.
By Goodship Sue
May 9, 2008 10:02 PM | Link to this
Randy says in his book that you’re either an Eeyore or a Tigger. I’ve always been a “Nice Day if it doesn’t rain” type myself. Randy’s lecturehas me picking up the “hope” slip out of Pandora’s box. I bought three copies of his book - that’s hope for his family’s financial future and hope that my kids and husband will be as motivated and challenged as I was.
By carolyn
May 27, 2008 10:05 PM | Link to this
I was fortunate to be in the audience at the CMU commencement. What a perfect ending to a very special day for all of the graduates and their families. I have since read and listened to the Last Lecture. Not a day goes by when I don’t think about something that he has said. I hope I will always remember to view my life and the lives of my loved one with such a positive attitude. Dr.Pausch’s words and actions are a gift. Thank you.
By statehotwaterheaterpartscori
August 19, 2008 6:35 PM | Link to this
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