BlogHer - Remembering Randy Pausch and His "Last Lecture" Gift - Comments

Very few

Maria Niles — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:44:01 -0500

Not many of us have the wisdom, or at least know how to share it in the way Randy Pausch did and impact so many lives. Thank you for sharing the inspiration you received and the efforts you are making.

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A life Well-Lived

MissSuzy — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:12:08 -0500

How many of us have the wisdom to impact that many in one short life span? He left behind a lot of changed people.I will always be grateful for being able to lear his Last Lecture, and I hope his insight will trickle down to my children, and that I do a good job modeling what he believed.

Thank you for writing this post, Maria, and Kelly -- I am sorry for your loss.

MissSuzy

www.introvertigo.typepad.com/licensetolove/

I am very sorry

Maria Niles — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:57:13 -0500

for your loss of your father, Kelly. But thank you for sharing his inspiration as well as the impact Randy Pausch had on your life and your efforts to have a positive impact on the world through your website.

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Thank you for the links

Maria Niles — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:54:12 -0500

To your blog as well as to Black Women Blow the Trumpet and Lisa's observations. I agree that we would all be wise to put his teaching into practice.

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Thank you, Maria

Maria Niles — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:51:01 -0500

For sharing your memories and the impact he had on your life. I agree that his words are ones worth revisiting.

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Randy Pausch Has Died

Kelly Jadon — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 18:28:06 -0500

I founded the blogsite--Basil & Spice. It is the death of my
father, just 9 nine months ago, and his earlier diagnosis of pancreatic
cancer which pushed the design of Basil & Spice into its existing
form. I've deliberately avoided writing about Randy Pausch and his last
lecture, because it truly hits home, where it hurts most. I know how
his family feels. My children, mother, sister, and I have been affected
in ways both good and bad by Dad's passing. In part, I've learned much
and lost much. Death is not this Hollywood-hyped image. It is real, and
painful, but finally peaceful.

Kelly Jad'on/Founder

www.BasilAndSpice.com

Further Reading: The End Of Cancer Begins With Everyone Standing Up

If only

Nordette — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:18:52 -0500

As it happens, I just learned of this at another blog, BWBT, and also posted the video at my blog plus a few comments. If only we could learn what he tried to teach us and put it into practice, but then again we've had many lights to guide us that we've ignored. That video is true inspiration. I love how he opens that lecture by saying he won't be talking about cancer and if you have herbal remedies, he's not interessted. To me, it didn't mean he'd given up hope; it meant he'd chosen to live in the moment and make wise decisions about how to manage his time, to focus on the people important in his life.

Nordette is a Contributing Editor with BlogHer.com whose personal blog is hosted on another site at this link. Latest BlogHer post: The Season of Our Discontent or Life with the "N" Word.

I am Heartbroken

Maria0305 — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 16:52:19 -0500

Over his passing. He touched me, he was an inspiration and I feel like I've suffered a personal loss. He changed my outlook on life in a small way when I was going through a very tough time and I repeat some of his words from his last lecture to myself when I need to.

He will be missed by the world.

- Maria

http://immoralmatriarch.com

Remembering Randy Pausch and His "Last Lecture" Gift

Maria Niles — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 16:18:41 -0500

Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and a blogger, died recently at the age of 47 from pancreatic cancer. Where a passing such as this might usually go unremarked, Pausch inspired an outpouring of tributes because he was a "symbol of the beauty and briefness of life." As Douglas Martin writes in The New York Times, Pausch's "The Last Lecture" "inspired many to live with wonder."

Thanks to appearances on shows such as Good Morning America and Oprah, the talk Pausch gave in the lecture series at Carnegie Mellon previously known as "The Last Lecture" became and internet sensation and video of his talk has been viewed more than ten million times. Titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," Pausch's talk though given while he was dying was all about living life as fully as possible.

In addition to the video, Pausch wrote a book (with Jeffrey Zaslow) titled The Last Lecture. The lecture and the book are not just inspirational but are also full of practical advice. The section of the book titled "It's About How You Live Your Life" is full of chapters like "Look for the Best in Everybody" "Start By Sitting Together" "Dream Big" and "Don't Obsess Over What People Think,"

I've found that a substantial fraction of many people's days is spent worrying about what others think of them. If nobody ever worried about what was in other people's heads, we'd all be 33 percent more effective in our lives and on our jobs.

How did I come up with 33 percent? I'm a scientist. p. 141

I love that he attempts to illustrate his inspirational insight with numbers because he is being true to the scientist/geek in him.

Even if you don't consider yourself the type to be moved by motivational sentiment, I urge you to watch the video and/or read the book. Randy Pausch had a gift in his ability to speak to so many in this world - jocks, geeks, scientists, parents, crazy creative kids and dreamers.

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

A sampling of tributes:

Tara Parker-Pope New York Times "Last Lecture" Professor Randy Pausch, 47, Dies

“Cancer didn’t change me at all,'’ he said. “I know lots of people talk about the life revelation. I didn’t have that. I always thought every day was a gift, but now I am looking for where to send the thank you note.'’

Angie Felton, ParentDish, Randy Pausch, "Last Lecture" author passes away

For better or worse, parents are a child's first and most influential teacher of life. It was a job that professor Randy Pausch took seriously.

BethB, Silicon Valley Moms Blog, Randy Pausch, Inspirational Father and Lecturer

My geeky side (a fan of open-source software) hopes that open-source science may someday help find cures for cancers like Pancreatic. That would be a tribute to Randy Pausch, who openly shared his inspirational lecture with communities around the world by loading it to YouTube.

Susan Wiggs, The View From Here, Randy Pausch - Indelible

Publishing a novel is such a personally revealing, emotionally risky thing to do. I always worry when a book hits the stands–did I show too much? Go too far? Will readers see too much of my heart? From now on, I’m going to remember the remarks of Randy Pausch–when you get to the end of your life, you won’t regret the risks you took, the things that embarrassed you or made you look silly; you’ll be glad you followed your passion.

DeBorah Beatty, Opportunity's Knocking, Open the Door!, Randy Pausch, 47, Died Today

Watch the video and celebrate this incredible person’s journey. This is truly a shining example of a human being stepping up to embody the magnificence that is possible in us all.

The Anchoress, Randy Pausch, Hero, RIP

But…every once in a while, you see a real hero. And there is no need to lionize and no need to demonize. When you see a real hero, you know it. A real hero does not reflect or validate you. He makes you want to be like him.

Whitney Hess, Pleasure & Pain: Measuring the impact of new technology on human experience, The outpouring of love for Randy Pausch

When I found out yesterday morning that Randy Pausch had passed away the night before, I felt a wave of regret pour over me. For the things I never said. Like: “Thank you for showing me that my purpose in life is to make other people’s lives better.” That would have been a good start.

Instead, we argued. A lot. Publicly, in the middle of a classroom with 100 students. I questioned his strong opinions and he pushed back. Quite honestly I couldn’t stand him. I just thought he was a tough professor that didn’t like being challenged. It was years later when I watched his Last Lecture and heard him say, “When you’re screwing up and nobody’s saying anything to you anymore, that means they’ve given up on you.” That’s when it finally clicked. I had been wrong. And he cared enough to let me know it.

SuperViva, BlogHer, Randy Pausch Has Passed On (Lessons for Life)

Well, the Brazilian phrase "saudade" expresses how I feel about Randy Pausch dying. It is melancholy mixed with joy for his generous contributions to the world when he had limited time on earth. May we all follow his amazing examples for whatever our callings may be.

Lauriesm, BlogHer, The Last Lecture

For those of us who eavesdropped on his Last Lecture, I’m thinking we were privileged to have had him as our life professor.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of The Last Lecture from The Lustgarten Foundation For Pancreatic Cancer Research.