The Last Lecture – Talk about living by a dying man.

Death is a horrible thing when it comes upon a loved one. The person dying is usually a bunch of gloom thinking of what he/she would miss. But this dying man thought about what others would miss in life when he died. Randy Pausch, a professor in the Carnegie Mellon University was suffering through pancreatic cancer, one of the most fatal cancers while he prepared and presented his literal ‘THE LAST LECTURE‘.

It was his way of saying goodbye to all the people who cared about him by reliving his whole life and a way of leaving behind a legacy to his three little kids which he would have himself told them if alive. When asked why this lecture was so important to him, he said – “I was trying to put myself in a bottle that would one day wash up on the beach for my children. If i were a painter, i would have painted for them. But i am a lecturer, so i lectured.”

The enthusiasm in this man in spite of the illness is an inspiration every person will surely learn if not for what he had to tell. He was a person who lived every moment of his life. He played with every hurdle offered on his way to succeed in life. Quoting him – “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”

Randy believed in his dreams and went on to realize most of his. When asked what he dreamt for his kids he said – “Kids, don’t try to figure out what i wanted you to become. I want you to become what YOU want to become”. Such was his character. He believed in each individual working to realize his own dreams.

If there is something you must watch, it is this lecture by him. There is also a book published by the same name. A 10 minutes long condensed version of the original 1.25 hour long lecture is also available which sums up quite much. But one watch does quite much to inspire and set you thinking about how you should live your life. It makes us realize how important it is to live the life we have, for us as well as for the people who make it worth living!

 

As the book says, i leave you with this question to ponder upon, “If you only had a short time to live, what would you do?”