Joseph L. Kagle, Jr. Peace Essays

Dr. Randy Pausch: My Last Lecture

At many colleges, professors are asked to give a “last lecture.” In this talk, they ruminate on what matters most to them. As they speak, audiences mull the same question: What wisdom would you impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance?

As Dr. Randy Pausch said in an April 6, 2008 article in Parade Magazine, “Last year, I agreed to give a last lecture at Carnegie Mellon University, where I’m a professor in the computer science department. A few weeks later, I learned that I had only months to live- I was dying of pancreatic cancer.”

In the lecture, Pausch made the following points after this opening, “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” It was a paraphrase of a previous statement made by Mrs. Gandhi when she was asked how she led India as prime minister, “Fate are the cards that you are dealt; skill is how you play them.” Pausch was summing up lessons that he had learned in his 47 years from many sources. Here are his basic points in the lecture:

Always have fun.  “Each of us must make a decision, best captured in A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh characters. Am I a fun-loving Tigger or a sad-sack Eeyore? It is clear when I stand. I won’t let go of the Tigger in me. Someone asked what I want on my tombstone. I said: ‘Randy Pausch. He lived thirty years After a Terminal Diagnosis.’ I could pack a lot of fun into 30 years. If that’s not to be, I’ll pack fun into the time that I have.”

Dream Big.  “Give yourself permission to dream. Fuel your kids’ dreams too. Once in while, that might even mean letting them stay up past their bedtimes.”

Ask for What You Want.  “On a trip to Disney World, my dad and I were at the monorail with my son Dylan, then 4. Dylan wanted to sit in the nose-cone with the driver, and my father though that it would a kick too. “Too bad they don’t let regular people sit there,” Dad said.

“Actually, I’ve learned there’s a trick to getting to sit up front,” I said. “Do you want to see it?”

I walked over to the attendant and said, “Excuse me. Could we please sit in the front car?” “Certainly,” the attendant said. He led us to the nose-cone. It was one of the only times I ever saw my dad flabbergashed. “I said there was a trick. I didn’t say it was a hard trick.”

Ask. More often than you’d suspect, the answer you’ll get is, “Sure.”

Dare to Take a Rick.  “In a virtual-reality course I taught, I encouraged students to attempt hard things and not worry about failing. At the end of the semester, I presented a stuffed penguin- ‘The First Penguin Award’- to the team that took the biggest gamble while not meeting its goals. The award came from the idea that when penquins jump in water that might have predators, well, one of them’s got to be the first penguin. In essence, it was a prize for ‘glorious failure.’

Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you wanted. And it can be the most valuable thing you have to offer.”

Make Time For What Matters.  “When Jai and I went on our honeymoon, we wanted to be left alone. Since my boss demanded a way for people to reach me, I recorded this greeting: ‘Hi, this is Randy. I waited until I was 39 to get married, so my wife and I are getting away for a month. I hop you don’t have a problem with that, but my boss does. Apparently, I have to be reachable.’ I then gave the names of Jai’s parents and the city where they lived. ‘If you call directory assistance, you can get their phone number. And then, if you can convince my in-laws that your emergency merits interrupting their only daughter’s honeymoon, they have our number.’ We didn’t get any calls.

Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think.

Let Kids Be Themselves.  “My job is to help my kids foster a joy for life and develop the tools to fulfill their own wishes. My wishes for them are very exact and, given that I won’t be there, I want to be clear. Kids, don’t try to figure our what I wanted you to become. I want you to become what you want to become. And I want you to feel as if I am there with you, whatever path you choose.

“After I gave my lecture in September 2007, I expected to go home and quietly spend time with my family. I never imagined that my talk would be viewed online by millions worldwide. The response has overwhelmed and moved me. Thousand of people have written to me about their life lessons. I’ve also been buoyed by former students who’ve told me how my teaching made a difference to them. There’s no greater gift for a teacher.

I’ve had great fun too. In my lecture, I told of two childhood dreams: playing in the NFL and being Captain Kirk on Star Trek. Strangers fulfilled those wishes. I was invited to scrimmage with the Pittsburgh Steelers and got to say a line in a new Star Trek film. Both experiences were thrilling.

I’m lucky to live longer than I expected, allowing me more time with my kids. I’ve tried to do unforgettable things with them- such as swimming with dolphins- so they’ll have concrete memories of us and of my love for them.”

As Randy Pausch said in his last lecture, “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, they karma will take care of itself, the dreams will come to you.”

On Saturday, July 26, 2008, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran a simple headline, “Randy Pausch, October 23, 1960- July 25, 2008: CMU Professor Who Inspired Millions.” Also the paper ran one half of a page with a sample of all the email messages that had come in during the twelve hours since Randy passed away in Virginia (having fun right to the moment that he died.) Here are only a few of those:

“A man of Randy’s magnitude doesn’t die. He will be forever alive in our hearts and minds.” –Neuza Turner, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“Last year, I was also battling cancer. Randy was such an inspiration to me during the dark times. Now that I am well again, I keep a stuffed Tigger on my desk to remind me to live my life life a ‘Tigger’…thank you, Randy, you will be greatly missed.” Abbi Ratieneck, Pittsburgh, Pa., USA

“Randy has been an inspiration to millions who never met him! Let his message carry on!” Nancy Johnsrud, Minnetonka, Minnasota, USA

”I think Rancy Pausch should be Time magazine’s Man of the Year—he has single-handedly touched (and changed) more lives than ever imaginable.”—Julie Madill, Whitty, Ontario, Canada

“My sincere condolences go out to you, with fond Aloha. Randy gave me an eye opener as I am a cancer survivor. I take each day with a smile to my face, and cherish and love and enjoy each thing or saying that they give to me.” – Lyn Medeiiros, Kanerohe, Hawaii, USA