Just a Thought

Last night I watched a special on ABC entitled, The Last Lecture. This was inspired by a lecture that was given by a professor at Carnagie Mellon University, Randy Pausch. The idea behind a last lecture, is that the professor is asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, the audience cannot 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?

Well, Professor Pausch, didn't have to think hard about this topic. He had previously been diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer, and a month before the lecture he was told that rather than responding to treatment, the cancer had metasticized and spread to the liver and kidneys. He was told he had between 3 and 6 months of good health left. This was in August 2007. Luckily, he is still in good health today.

In his own words, even with everything that is going on in his life, "I don't know, how to not have fun. I'm dying and I am having fun."

Think about that...

If you want to download the last lecture you can download it through iTunes (for no charge). Also, they allow the use of the lecture without authorization for any non-commercial use.