Randy Pausch, who was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), was found to have pancreatic cancer with 10 tumours in his liver in 2006. He delivered his "Last Lecture", titled Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, at CMU in2007. In it, Pausch talked about the lessons learned in life, and he gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career, and personal goals. Pausch died at his family's home July 25, 2008 at the age of 47.
I like the part where he talked about how he spent time with his nephew and niece. He inspired them to think creatively and encourage them to act in a way that is different from what people did in the past. I appreciate what he tried to do very much because I think an open and innovative attitude towards life is very crucial. It enables a person to look at situations from all different perspectives.
Another part of the speech that impresses me the most was he had a passion for his unfulfilled dreams. He wanted to be a football player, to experience zero gravity like in outer space, and to make stuff at Disneyland.
Although he became a computer science professor, he seized upon any opportunities to achieve his childhood goals while he worked his responsible day-job as a professor.
When we are young, we usually have many dreams, but most of us give up our dreams when we grow up. Maybe because the reality of everyday life is hectic, or we have too heavy a workload. But, what we’ve got to remember is that “Reality is temporary”.
“Relying on one's noble idealism, we can make the time to fulfill our dreams, we owe it to ourselves to do the things that deeply satisfy our core sense of self.” Today, we rush about, in search of fame, or wealth; we compete with each other for cars and houses. Such is the character of this era. But all around us, there are people pursing ideals like Truth and Love instead of only material things, and when they succeed, they are rewarded with a real appreciation of what it means to have had the freedom to pursue one's dreams, and the inner peace that comes with making one's dreams a reality.
And this is exactly what I can see from Randy Pausch. He shows us that he lived his life to the fullest, and it's not the number of years one lives, but what one is able to accomplish that makes for a full and meaningful life, without regrets.
Many of you may ask, why can Randy still be so optimistic when there were 10 tumours in his liver and only a few months are left for him to live? From my point of view, it’s his strong belief in this principle: “It matters not how a man dies, but how he lives.”
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