Randy Pausch wrote some notes for his family. He said the lessons were meant as a "message in a bottle" for his kids. Funny thing. The bottle washed up on the internet screens of millions who came to feel that they were part of Randy's extended family.
Randy Pausch has been dead for six months. He knew he was dying. He determined not to allow his terminal condition to paralyze him for the time that remained to him. Further, he made up his mind that he would develop a lecture that could teach countless other people how to live. His lecture title was "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams."
Randy Pausch was 47 years of age when he died on July 25, 2008, a husband in love with his wife and a great father of three children. Eleven months earlier on September 18, 2007 he delivered his now famous “Last Lecture” at Carnegie Mellon University where he was a professor. One year before that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and later learned it was terminal. His last lecture was recorded and became a YouTube phenomenon viewed by millions of inspired people and became a best selling book published in 35 languages. In addition he taught his dying lesson about living to audiences on shows like Oprah and in network news interviews.
We are not always in a position to fulfill our childhood dreams. Sometimes urgencies and commitments derail us. If you had a few months to live, wouldn’t you seriously consider how you will spend them. Likely! Pausch would counsel us to aim at dream fulfillment sooner than later.
His ten minute lesson on Oprah is here
The entire one hour lecture is here
Charles Osgood of CBS reported on the death and life of Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch.
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