How to Lead Your Life?

My paper is on Randy Pausch’s “The Last Lecture” briefly about never losing sight of what is important or right in front of you. He was diagnosed with severe pancreatic cancer, and was given approx... 3-6 months to live. With the time he had, he spent it teaching, given lectures so before he goes, his memory and knowledge will live on through many. My paper is about introducing his childhood dreams and how he managed to achieve them as well as compare his life through our other readings, and what past philosophers may have thought about his life and ideas.  His lecture is uplifting, fun, sad, and provides everyone watching or reading hope that everyone’s life though comes to an end at some point we all have a choice as how we would like to spend it.

my paper:

Julianne Ferguson

                                                 How to Lead Your Life?

  Randy Pausch a respected professor at Carnegie Melon, wrote “The Last Lecture” when he was given just 3-6 months to live, due to pancreatic cancer. He chose to spend his remaining time doing what he has always done so well, lecture. In this specific famous lecture “How to achieve your childhood dreams”, he discusses his childhood dreams and the journey he took to achieve them or at least get close to that dream.

  As he goes through the list number one being in zero gravity. He never went to space, but did experience what it would be like to be like to be floating through air. Number two, playing in the NFL, he did not get to achieve the dream of playing in the NFL, but did achieve a practice with the Steelers. Number three, authoring an article in the World Book Encyclopedia, which he did, he was asked to write a section. Number four, being Captain Kirk, he may have not been able to be Captain Kirk, but did settle for meeting William Shatner, one of many famous well- known actors.

  Another dream he wanted to accomplish was winning stuffed animals, not just any stuffed animal, the great big ones at the circus, or amusement park. He sufficed this dream and more, he had won at least four or five big bears at Disney World.  Ever since he was a kid talked about becoming a Disney Imaginer, the ones who take part in deigning all digital sets for films. After so many years in college at Brown University, talking and writing in to Disney he finally proved himself worthy of taking part in the Aladdin Project, where he helped many build an incredible design for the film Aladdin.

After working on the Aladdin Project, when asked to work full time he turned it down because to him teaching was more important, and he did not want to give it up. After hearing his answer they gave him another proposition to work once a week as a consultant, he said yes and did that for ten years, while teaching full time.

One of my favorite quotes he says in his lecture is when he is talking about his football practice when he was a kid recalling how hard his coach was on him, “when you’re screwing up and nobody’s saying anything to you anymore that means they gave up” (p.5). He added to this by saying “your critics are your ones telling you they still love and care” (p.5). To push you to your best is real love and takes hard work to be better to allow yourself to grow.

   Referring to a previous reading we had about the will to live by Shopenhauer. He talked about drive and what pushes you Shopenhauer, who never really felt he knew the point as to why on earth would people want to keep living in a world with heartache, pain, and suffering. One section in the reading I really responded to “only apparently are people drawn in front; in reality they are pushed from behind. It is not life that entices them on, but want and trouble that drive them forward” (p.360). Pausch acknowledged his troubles, as he said in the beginning of his lecture his cancer is the big elephant in the room. He knows it is there, but does not dwell on dying, he focusses more on the want of wanting to be there for his kids and wife now, and embrace whatever time he has left with them, and leaving valuable life lessons with them, and for others. He talked about how he has achieved his dreams by doing so through hard work and determination, he mentioned how football taught him about life, working hard and never giving up. He stated “brick walls are there for a reason there not there to keep us out there there to give us a chance to show how bad we want it” (p.8) He also said toward the end of the lecture “never lose the childlike wonder. It’s too important. It’s what drives us” (p.19). To be a kid is to have that creative freedom we take for granted as we get older as we are afraid of opinions holding us back.  

In relation to this reading, another reading we have read about living for others I feel is important when discussing Randy Pausch. “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Viktor E .Frankl about a man’s experience in a concentration camp during the Holocaust. I liked how despite everything that was happening around him he managed to stay positive, and lived for others making sure those he volunteered to help were doing well and giving food to those he felt needed it. He states that there were few people like him who would help, “they may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms-to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way” (p.75). No matter one’s situation there is always a way to live your life, one always has the choice to do something, but depending on certain circumstances those choices may be limited, but they are still choices. Pausch could have chosen to be depressed, but instead he chose to be strong, lively and an incredible source of positivity for himself and those around him.

In comparison to his life choices, Aristotle, one philosopher I have found interesting wrote “Nicomachean Ethics” about goodness always aiming toward something. In this case relating to Pausch, Aristotle would classify him as followed “the happy man lives well and does well; for we have practically defined happiness as a sort of good life and good action” (p.568). Pausch during his “Last Lecture” gave advice for young girls, believed to be aiming at his daughter he said “ignore everything a guy says about you, focus on their actions instead” I found this advice to be strong and noteworthy because it is true that anyone can say anything to show they are interested in you, but it is their actions that weigh more to actually show how much they care.

  On the subject of expectations, Iris Murdoch used the example of a mother-in law becoming frustrated with her daughter- in law who she felt was a kind hearted person, but came across “unpolished” in terms of the way she would use certain words in a different way. This example relates to Randy Pausch’s life as a kid who never thought his dreams were too out of reach, and as we get older people expect us to think more practical. Through his life he was able to do everything he wanted or at least a variation of his childhood dreams such as, despite not being able to play for the NFL, he still got to practice with a team who plays for the NFL, as well as not getting to be Captain Kirk, but getting the chance to meet the man behind the role. We as people have these assumptions or preconceived notions of who we think people are before we meet them, as a way of categorizing them to mentally prepare us in a way to avoid getting hurt, or even disappointed. Even if we are wrong which can happen often we can always learn from those judgments. Pausch learned his dreams with hard work could in fact be achieved.

    Reading Randy Pausch’s “The Last Lecture”, and seeing the live viewing was incredible to be able to put a personality to the man behind the words people have found comfort and meaning behind. He till this day has inspired many to go after their dreams and he has proven it is never too late to go after what you want. He gave tips as to how to achieve your childhood dreams. He said supporting parents, teachers, mentors, and collogues it was his teacher who stressed he should go to grad school and earn his PH.D the reason behind this he states was because “you’re a good salesman, sell education”. It is a job he said he loved very much. He in his last words he wants his legacy to be learning something hard, while having fun. He spread some advice to many watching decide if you are a Tigger or an Eeyore (p.19). Meaning decide whether you are a fun person or a downer. Never lose your child like wonder, and help others.  To end my paper with his last famous words “it’s not about how to achieve your dreams it’s about how to lead your life” (p. 22). I like all of you should live like Randy Pausch’s examples to take life in strive; don’t focus on the future or the past, but the here and now.