The Last Lecture
By Randy Pausch (Hyperion, 2008)
A touching bestseller that sold 5 million copies.
Randy Pausch was professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania. The book is based on the last lecture he gave, just months before his death at age 47. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given a few months of life. The lecture was given in September 2007; Pausch died in July 2008.
Carnegie Mellon has the practice of inviting faculty members to give a “Last Lecture’’—a lecture in which a professor would share whatever s/he would consider his/her final message to the world.
The talk was moving, not only because of its contents and the enthusiastic and humorous way Pausch spoke, with but especially because his four hundred colleagues attending the lecture knew of his condition. His wife sat in the front row, struggling not to weep.
Pausch began with his childhood dreams, offering some lessons which he wants his children to learn from him. We should have fun in everything we do, he said, and life should be lived to the fullest, because we do not know when we will lose it. He said making our life meaningful is about “enabling the dreams of others.” The key statement he makes is an inspiration for all. “It’s not about how to achieve your dreams; it’s about how to lead your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself; the dreams will come to you.” He has this message for educators: “The best gift an educator can give is to get someone to become self-reflective.” The 2012 edition of the book features a short foreword written by Jai, his widow, reflecting on the time since her husband’s death…
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Dr.Gigy
