RANDY PAUSCHS LAST LECTURE ~ IF THERES AN ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, INTRODUCE THEM “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” Introduction If you had one last lecture to give before you died, what would it be? Dr. Randy Pausch a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA), gave his last lecture on September 18, 2007. During that final lecture, he talked about his childhood dreams and how he achieved them, and then how he went on to enable others to achieve their childhood dreams. He recounted outstanding moments from his life, the outstanding people he had encountered, and the lessons learned along the way. Dr. Pausch dedicated his last lecture to his three young children, aged 5, 3, and 1, but the lessons to be learned from this lecture are universal. Dr. Randy Pausch is 47 years old and he has terminal cancer, with a life expectancy of a few months. First diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the summer of 2006 [1], he underwent Whipple surgery in September 2006, followed by chemotherapy with cisplatin, interferon, and 5-fluorouracil combined with daily radiation (the Virginia Mason protocol). By August of 2007, the cancer had metastasized to his liver and spleen, and he was given a survival prognosis of 3–6 months. At the end of August 2007, he began palliative chemotherapy with gemcitabine and erlotinib [1]. A computed tomography (CT) scan on October 1, 2007 and positron emission tomography CT scan on October 13, 2007 both showed tumor response in the spleen and response or stable disease in the liver tumors [2]. At the time of this writing, Dr. Pausch was considering other treatments, including other chemotherapies and a cancer vaccine, and reported having a very good quality of life. Previous SectionNext Section Excerpts from Dr. Pauschs Last Lecture Dr. Pausch began his last lecture by cutting to the chase: So, you know, in case theres anybody who wandered in and doesnt know the back story, my dad always taught me that when theres an elephant in the room, introduce them. If you look at my CAT scans, there are approximately 10 tumors in my liver, and the doctors told me 3–6 months of good health left. That was a month ago, so you can do the math. I have some of the best doctors in the world. … So that is what it is. We cant change it, and we just have to decide how were going to respond to that. We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand. If I dont seem as depressed or morose as I should be, sorry to disappoint you. And I assure you I am not in denial. Its not like Im not aware of whats going on. My family, my three kids, my wife, we just decamped. We bought a lovely house in Virginia, and were doing that because thats a better place for the family to be, down the road. And the other thing is I am in phenomenally good health right now. I mean its the greatest thing of cognitive dissonance you will ever see is the fact that I am in really good shape. In fact, I am in better shape than most of you. [At this point in the lecture, he gets on the ground and executes some one-handed pushups.] So anybody who wants to cry or pity me can come down and do a few of those, and then you may pity me. Dr. Pausch goes on to recount his childhood dreams—being in zero gravity, playing in the National Football League, being an author in the World Book Encyclopedia, being Captain Kirk, working for Disney—and what it takes to achieve them: … remember, the brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who dont want it badly enough. … [H]ave something to bring to the table, … because that will make you more welcome. And he discloses some valuable lessons learned along the way: I did not make it to the National Football League, but I probably got more from that dream and not accomplishing it than I got from any of the ones that I did accomplish. … when you see yourself doing something badly and nobodys bothering to tell you anymore, thats a very bad place to be. Your critics are your ones telling you they still love you and care. … And the other thing about football is we send our kids out to play football or soccer or swimming or whatever it is, and its the first example of what Im going to call a head fake, or indirect learning. We actually dont want our kids to learn football. … we send our kids out to learn much more important things. Teamwork, sportsmanship, perseverance, et cetera, et cetera. Dr. Pauschs legacy is built on what he calls the “head fake” or indirect learning. So Alice is a project that we worked on for a long, long time. Its a novel way to teach computer programming. Kids make movies and games. The head fake, again, were back to the head fakes. The best way to teach somebody something is to have them think theyre learning something else. … the head fake here is that theyre learning to program but they just think theyre making movies and video games. This thing has already been downloaded well over a million times. … And its not the good stuff yet. The good stuff is coming in the next version. I, like Moses, get to see the promised land, but I wont get to set foot in it. And thats OK, because I can see it. And the vision is clear. Millions of kids having fun while learning something hard. Thats pretty cool. I can deal with that as a legacy. He hasnt forgotten the instrumental people along the way and, among many others, credits his parents with helping him achieve his dreams and keeping him grounded. When I was here studying to get my Ph.D. and I was taking something called the theory qualifier, which I can definitively say is the second worst thing in my life after chemotherapy. And I was complaining to my mother about how hard this test was and how awful it was, and she just leaned over and she patted me on the arm and she said, “we know how you feel honey, and remember when your father was your age he was fighting the Germans.” After I got my Ph.D., my mother took great relish in introducing me as, “this is my son, hes a doctor but not the kind that helps people.” But he has never forgotten that it is all about having fun. [Carnegie Mellon University] President Cohen, when I told him I was going to do this talk, said, “please tell them about having fun, because thats what I remember you for.” And I said, “I can do that, but its kind of like a fish talking about the importance of water.” I mean I dont know how to not have fun. Im dying and Im having fun. And Im going to keep having fun every day I have left. Because theres no other way to play it. So my next piece of advice is, you just have to decide if youre a Tigger or an Eeyore. I think Im clear where I stand on the great Tigger/Eeyore debate. Never lose the childlike wonder. Its just too important. Its what drives us. Dr. Pausch concluded his lecture with words of wisdom from his lessons learned, summarized as follows: Loyalty is a two-way street. Never give up. You get people to help you by telling the truth. Being earnest. Ill take an earnest person over a hip person every day, because hip is short term. Earnest is long term. Apologize when you screw up and focus on other people, not on yourself. Get a feedback loop and listen to it. … Anybody can get chewed out. Its the rare person who says, oh my god, you were right. … When people give you feedback, cherish it and use it. Show gratitude. Dont complain. Just work harder. Be good at something, it makes you valuable. Work hard. Find the best in everybody. … No one is all evil. Everybody has a good side; just keep waiting, it will come out. And be prepared. Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity. The final “head fake” of Dr. Pauschs last lecture was that none of this was meant for the audience, but for his children. And that may be his true legacy. youtube/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo To read the complete transcript of Randy Pauschs last lecture or to view the lecture online, visit randypausch.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 05:26:35 +0000
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