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Wednesday, September 20, 2017
10 Years Later: What Randy Pausch's “Last Lecture” Taught Us
The 412 - September 2017: It was 10 years ago this week that Carnegie Mellon University Professor Randy Pausch, who was dying of pancreatic cancer, delivered his now-famous “Last Lecture.”
I read Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture," over the summer and I loved it. I sat down with it and didn't get up until I had finished because it was so good. Watching this video was really interesting because it's so cool to see people that are inspired by it, and to hear from those that were actually in the room. After watching this video, I realized that the people in the lecture were probably touched the most by him because it's different to read a book than to hear the words come out of someone's mouth. Ten years later, and Pausch's words are still resonating with each person in this video, and I think that really proves how important Pausch is to this day, to the CMU community and to the greater Pittsburgh area. There is a reason that the ETC still exists and that there was a bridge created in his honor, and I think ten years later, more people need to know who he was.
This article really caught my attention. Honoring people's legacies is very important, and that this man, though ravaged by a terrible disease and having to confront his own mortality, took the time to create this last lecture is truly inspiring. This reminds me very much of the autobiography turned memoir by Paul Kalanithi and finished after his death by his widow Lucy. Paul knew very well that he was dying-he was a neuro surgeon, but despite the prognosis and debilitating pain, he pushed through to create a book to reach out to others. I thin like Pausch's lecture, the book connects with those who are left behind, and serves as an inspiration going forward day to day. I'd like to take the time to sit down and read the "Last Lecture" and hope to find time in the next few weeks to do so.
I remember reading the Last Lecture the summer before my freshman year. It made me so excited to come to school here because it talked about a learning environment where you were pushed to try things outside your comfort zone, find unconventional solutions to complicated problems and learn by getting thrown in the deep end. The First Penguin award that Pausch talks about in The Last Lecture is such a good idea. You give an award to the students who shoot for the moon and failed miserably. Because though students are the ones who will eventually invent a life-saving device or a ground-breaking piece of art. Two years later and my attitude about CMU as an institution is much more complicated. However, I can always go back to my copy of the Last Lecture and remind myself how to find and create the kind of learning and experiences Pausch talks about. After all, brick walls are only put in our way to show us how much we want something.
The Last Lecture was sent to me and all the other incoming freshmen allowing us the chance to read the book over the summer. The book itself is quite amazing and I do feel that sense that others talked about in the video of understanding who Randy was and how he so well embodied CMU. While I was reading his book, I felt as though I was actually there and in the crowd as I laughed out loud and felt strong emotions about what he was saying. Also mentioned by one of the people in the video is that environment that surrounds CMU to which can be felt by simply walking on the campus. There is a certain aura that exists in the air and can be found in each and every person on campus. The book touched me for these reasons and it turns out that I'm not alone in feeling this way. It is fascinating to see that although I read the book ten years after the lecture happened, people who attended the lecture still feel the same way I feel after just reading the book. There is a definite impact from his words and one that is carried throughout the university and in each of its members - especially so in having the chance to read such a book per the university gifting it to its students. Randy Pausch has left a mark on many people and he has left a mark on me that I believe will last a lifetime.
There are parts of this lecture that make me disappointed with my experience at CMU. I loved the thoughts that CMU is about community and cross-discipline interaction and making things that are beyond what you could do yourself, but that is not my experience of CMU. Last week, the Costume Production department went to the Imagineering studio to learn about their fabric making equipment. There was this dissonance between our two departments because neither one of us could quite understand the experience of the other. They were interested in experimenting and seeing the capabilities of the equipment and the software, and not concerned with a final project. We kept asking “what are you doing” and “what is your goal” and their goals were just to learn, experiment, and make things easier for other users. We do not get to ever have that sort of experience. There is a deadline and you cannot try something new. You must follow a procedure that you know will work because with a show, there is no option for failure and no time to experiment with something that might not work.
When I first read the last lecture my mother and father (both graduates of CMU) had already watched the video of the lecture years before and they were so excited that I was going to be able to learn about CMU and learn about the culture through a man that they both admired to much. Two years later I still have the book and whenever I lose sight of why I made the choice to torture myself with work for four years I open it up and read a little and remember why I was so excited to come to CMU in the first place. Obviously, not everyone is going to have the same magical experience at CMU that Randy did but it is important to understand that his experience and the way that he speaks about CMU sets the tone for the incoming freshman class every single year. As we move into year 11 for the book and year 3 for me I am looking forward to seeing what more I can learn from Randy and how I will continue to see his influence on the way that we are taught at CMU and what is important to us.
I have always been very inspired by Randy Pausch. A friend of mine delivered a ten-minute version of his Last Lecture in high school speech competitions, so I probably listened to it 40 or 50 times before I ever read the book. When it was assigned to us before our freshman year, I recognized themes but was really taken with the rest of his story. Watching the lecture itself after reading the book was another experience as well, seeing the man behind the pages tell his story again.
I think we're all really drawn to the idea of fulfilling our childhood dreams, but sometimes we forget it. Whether that means we're doing it but we forgot it was a childhood dream, or that we've forgotten all about what we used to want and deserted it entirely. Randy Pausch helps me remember how little time we have on this planet, and how little we should be wasting on anything but striving for what we want.
I agree with Sylvi about the “CMU experience” described in the last lecture differs widely from what we experience. The book is very inspiring before arriving at CMU, but it seems to present a false image of what is really happening. So many people on this campus (including those outside of the school of drama) live under the fear of failure and not being “good enough” for the school. My roommates (who are pursuing degrees in BHA and Economics/Public Policy) and I often joke that we are graduating from CMU with a Bachelors in Imposter Syndrome. The healthy “pursue your dreams and experiment” mentality in nowhere to be found from the depths of wean to the studios of Margaret Morrison (maybe professors see it differently). I was so excited for the life the last lecture describes – hard work with no fear of failing. There is still a large amount of experimentation happening at this school, and I am still pursuing “the dream,” but alas, I am stressed, tired, and I don’t eat.
I read The Last Lecture when I was in high school and once again before coming to Carnegie Mellon and it is still one of my favorite books. Randy Pausch had an extraordinary life and I feel very grateful that he was able to write about his life in a way that inspired so many people and told them different ways to actually live their lives. It is hard to see what is actually really important in life and what is not worth worrying about when you are actually going through life. He was able to reflect on his life during this lecture because he knew he would be dying soon. He wanted to pass on his knowledge and life advice to as many people as he could. I thought it was a great idea that Carnegie Mellon asked all incoming freshmen to read The Last Lecture before coming here because this can be a very stressful environment and sometimes it might not seem worth it in the end. This book was very good at giving people hope and suggesting things that you should focus on in your life because life is short.
9 comments:
I read Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture," over the summer and I loved it. I sat down with it and didn't get up until I had finished because it was so good. Watching this video was really interesting because it's so cool to see people that are inspired by it, and to hear from those that were actually in the room. After watching this video, I realized that the people in the lecture were probably touched the most by him because it's different to read a book than to hear the words come out of someone's mouth. Ten years later, and Pausch's words are still resonating with each person in this video, and I think that really proves how important Pausch is to this day, to the CMU community and to the greater Pittsburgh area. There is a reason that the ETC still exists and that there was a bridge created in his honor, and I think ten years later, more people need to know who he was.
This article really caught my attention. Honoring people's legacies is very important, and that this man, though ravaged by a terrible disease and having to confront his own mortality, took the time to create this last lecture is truly inspiring. This reminds me very much of the autobiography turned memoir by Paul Kalanithi and finished after his death by his widow Lucy. Paul knew very well that he was dying-he was a neuro surgeon, but despite the prognosis and debilitating pain, he pushed through to create a book to reach out to others. I thin like Pausch's lecture, the book connects with those who are left behind, and serves as an inspiration going forward day to day. I'd like to take the time to sit down and read the "Last Lecture" and hope to find time in the next few weeks to do so.
I remember reading the Last Lecture the summer before my freshman year. It made me so excited to come to school here because it talked about a learning environment where you were pushed to try things outside your comfort zone, find unconventional solutions to complicated problems and learn by getting thrown in the deep end. The First Penguin award that Pausch talks about in The Last Lecture is such a good idea. You give an award to the students who shoot for the moon and failed miserably. Because though students are the ones who will eventually invent a life-saving device or a ground-breaking piece of art. Two years later and my attitude about CMU as an institution is much more complicated. However, I can always go back to my copy of the Last Lecture and remind myself how to find and create the kind of learning and experiences Pausch talks about. After all, brick walls are only put in our way to show us how much we want something.
The Last Lecture was sent to me and all the other incoming freshmen allowing us the chance to read the book over the summer. The book itself is quite amazing and I do feel that sense that others talked about in the video of understanding who Randy was and how he so well embodied CMU. While I was reading his book, I felt as though I was actually there and in the crowd as I laughed out loud and felt strong emotions about what he was saying. Also mentioned by one of the people in the video is that environment that surrounds CMU to which can be felt by simply walking on the campus. There is a certain aura that exists in the air and can be found in each and every person on campus. The book touched me for these reasons and it turns out that I'm not alone in feeling this way. It is fascinating to see that although I read the book ten years after the lecture happened, people who attended the lecture still feel the same way I feel after just reading the book. There is a definite impact from his words and one that is carried throughout the university and in each of its members - especially so in having the chance to read such a book per the university gifting it to its students. Randy Pausch has left a mark on many people and he has left a mark on me that I believe will last a lifetime.
There are parts of this lecture that make me disappointed with my experience at CMU. I loved the thoughts that CMU is about community and cross-discipline interaction and making things that are beyond what you could do yourself, but that is not my experience of CMU. Last week, the Costume Production department went to the Imagineering studio to learn about their fabric making equipment. There was this dissonance between our two departments because neither one of us could quite understand the experience of the other. They were interested in experimenting and seeing the capabilities of the equipment and the software, and not concerned with a final project. We kept asking “what are you doing” and “what is your goal” and their goals were just to learn, experiment, and make things easier for other users. We do not get to ever have that sort of experience. There is a deadline and you cannot try something new. You must follow a procedure that you know will work because with a show, there is no option for failure and no time to experiment with something that might not work.
When I first read the last lecture my mother and father (both graduates of CMU) had already watched the video of the lecture years before and they were so excited that I was going to be able to learn about CMU and learn about the culture through a man that they both admired to much. Two years later I still have the book and whenever I lose sight of why I made the choice to torture myself with work for four years I open it up and read a little and remember why I was so excited to come to CMU in the first place. Obviously, not everyone is going to have the same magical experience at CMU that Randy did but it is important to understand that his experience and the way that he speaks about CMU sets the tone for the incoming freshman class every single year. As we move into year 11 for the book and year 3 for me I am looking forward to seeing what more I can learn from Randy and how I will continue to see his influence on the way that we are taught at CMU and what is important to us.
I have always been very inspired by Randy Pausch. A friend of mine delivered a ten-minute version of his Last Lecture in high school speech competitions, so I probably listened to it 40 or 50 times before I ever read the book. When it was assigned to us before our freshman year, I recognized themes but was really taken with the rest of his story. Watching the lecture itself after reading the book was another experience as well, seeing the man behind the pages tell his story again.
I think we're all really drawn to the idea of fulfilling our childhood dreams, but sometimes we forget it. Whether that means we're doing it but we forgot it was a childhood dream, or that we've forgotten all about what we used to want and deserted it entirely. Randy Pausch helps me remember how little time we have on this planet, and how little we should be wasting on anything but striving for what we want.
I agree with Sylvi about the “CMU experience” described in the last lecture differs widely from what we experience. The book is very inspiring before arriving at CMU, but it seems to present a false image of what is really happening. So many people on this campus (including those outside of the school of drama) live under the fear of failure and not being “good enough” for the school. My roommates (who are pursuing degrees in BHA and Economics/Public Policy) and I often joke that we are graduating from CMU with a Bachelors in Imposter Syndrome. The healthy “pursue your dreams and experiment” mentality in nowhere to be found from the depths of wean to the studios of Margaret Morrison (maybe professors see it differently). I was so excited for the life the last lecture describes – hard work with no fear of failing. There is still a large amount of experimentation happening at this school, and I am still pursuing “the dream,” but alas, I am stressed, tired, and I don’t eat.
I read The Last Lecture when I was in high school and once again before coming to Carnegie Mellon and it is still one of my favorite books. Randy Pausch had an extraordinary life and I feel very grateful that he was able to write about his life in a way that inspired so many people and told them different ways to actually live their lives. It is hard to see what is actually really important in life and what is not worth worrying about when you are actually going through life. He was able to reflect on his life during this lecture because he knew he would be dying soon. He wanted to pass on his knowledge and life advice to as many people as he could. I thought it was a great idea that Carnegie Mellon asked all incoming freshmen to read The Last Lecture before coming here because this can be a very stressful environment and sometimes it might not seem worth it in the end. This book was very good at giving people hope and suggesting things that you should focus on in your life because life is short.
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