Blog Post #6

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

Randy Pausch was a professor of Computer Science and Human-Computer Interaction at Carneige Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. After learning in September 2006 that he had pancreatic cancer and given a terminal diagnosis in August 2007, he delieved as to what he thought would be his last leture in September 2007. He entitled it "The Last Leture: Really Achieving Your Childood Dreams." This lecture became an international media story and a phenomenon.

This speech is based on three principles; his childhood dreams and how he acheived them, how he has enabled the dreams of others, and the lessons he has learned. Pausch shared a list of some of his childhood dreams. He told how some way or another how he achieved each one of them. For those he did not achieve, it taught him very important lessons which were useful in helping others to achieve theirs. He created ways to allow others to explore themselves and center themseves around things they enjoyed with no limitatations. He encouraged freedom of creativity and excitment. Through his good works and indeeds, he showed us not only how to become better teacher but better individuals.

I believe that this intelligent, humorous, and inspirational message was not about dying. He created this visual that life is about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, and of seizing every moment. It was simply about living!