THE LAST LECTURE: Leaving behind a Legacy that will Inspire Generations

A couple of months ago, my Sis presented me with a book called the ‘The Last Lecture’ but for reasons I can’t quite pin down today, I just put on the backburner. Finally when I overcame my indifference and picked up the book it turned out that I couldn’t put it down till I flipped the last printed page on it. It struck a chord with me like few others and hence bucking my usual scheme of typing in the synopsis on the Books I’ve Read page, I am actually going to post why this book is special.

Synopsis (Book Filpside):

A lot of professors give talks titled “The Last Lecture.” Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can’t help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn’t have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave–”Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”–wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.

It struck a chord : My bag of goodies

Reading this book was a truly humbling and emotional experience. But this experience came with its bag of goodies. Randy talks of what he came to believe in life which might seem like cliché stuff to the some but I felt it was classic! What I have complied below is the stream of thought that came while I read this book. I felt it was worth sharing. Read on!

#1 The Parent lottery:

Most of the things we take for granted are seldom valued till they are lost. We forget to feel lucky and grateful about being born with a winning ticket – the almost perfect parents! The selflessness of a mothers love has never failed to fascinate me. My dad is awesome too. Many a time in life I have found myself channeling my dad, more like recycling a few of his choicest bits of wisdom. They have loved me enough to let me free at the same time being my best critics not letting their love warp their judgement. Wow! I won the parent lottery at birth -  a born winner – Awesome feeling!

#2 The theory of optimism: The ability to count your blessings

Contrary to my idea that being compulsively half-glass-full and zero gravity mind wishful thinking is optimism, Randy Pausch professes the ability to count your blessings as optimism though not explicitly mentioned. When Randy was told that he had only 3-6 months to live instead of losing himself in desperation, He was thankful that he didn’t get hit my the proverbial bus and was given time for the family to prepare for it. That’s optimism. If you were to draw up your life in a balance sheet with boon and bane, most of us would be able to fill the boon section with more efficiency. Optimism is the ability to see things holistically and count your blessings. No matter how bad things are you can always make them worse. At the same time, it is often within your power to make them better. There is nothing called a no-win scenario.

#3 Time is of essence:

Time is all you have. For all you know, you might find out some day that you have less than you think. Randy makes the point, that you need to have fun in everything you do, you need to live life to its fullest. Life is about having dreams and the ability to make them work but the factor of time is beyond us. Never take time for granted, time is of essence.

#4 The Brick wall and the Recovering Jerk:

Obstacles are part of every dream but brick walls are there for a reason, it gives us a chance to reflect on how badly we want something. I think for the most part if you are really honest with yourself with what you want, life gives it to you. When Apollo 11 landed on the moon It was almost like humanity had given itself the permission to dream big.

There are times in life when you look at your past and wish to break with it. You really wish to change your past but you can’t. You ask your self- ‘When are you going to stop sucking in life’? Well Randy says that is the best part. Education is about helping people develop the ability to assess themselves. Having flaws are just part of the imperfections of humanity and it’s always better to have a flaw in the social than in the moral category. Assessing yourself can make you feel better because you realize you are not really a ‘Jerk’ but you are a ‘Recovering Jerk’!

#5 It’s about how you decide to live your life:

Bravado in most individuals is only skin shallow but for Randy he proved it wasn’t. He talked about living in the moment and taking life as an experience. Understanding that failure is not just acceptable but is also essential is very important. He also talks about helping others achieve their dreams as source of endless joy. He says ‘Stop sucking and live a life of abundance because people generally tend to live lives far below their potential mentally’.  But fundamentally as mentioned in the $100000 salt and pepper shakers episode – there is more than one way to measure profit and loss in life!

Verdict:

Even if a commendation from a person like me is a fragile endorsement, if this write up has induced some curiosity in you please give it a try. You are less likely to regret it! This book is based on a presentation that Randy Pausch gave at Carnegie Mellon. Check out the video of his presentation. Its simply awesome!

PS: visit the site http://www.thelastlecture.com/ Life Rocks!

‘We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand’ – Randy Pausch

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