The Last Lecture Professor’s Legacy: Embrace Life!
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
Professor Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon Professor we all got to know for his famous “Last Lecture”,died last Friday, leaving the world a bit emptier in some ways but much fuller in others. He left a gift behind that is truly remarkable - a road map of how we should be living and parenting.
It isn’t often these days that people truly have the power to inspire. It isn’t often that we find someone who “gets it”. What is remarkable is that while most people would have retreated and dealt with their pain privately, this man turned outward and worked to leave his family a legacy of grace, gratitude and love, and shared that message with the world. While not intended as inspiration for the world, that is basically the result his “Last Lecture” has had. Clearly we have all needed someone like Professor Pausch to wake us all up in a positive way - to get us moving and living again.
On ABCNews.com, you only have to read a few of the comments on any of the stories about Professor Pausch to understand the inspiration he has had in people’s lives, whether they have had cancer or not. Read this page on ABC’s story of Professor Pausch’s life for a few amazing examples. I particularly love the story of the lawyer dad who handed his daughter a pencil and told her to go to town on her walls in whatever way she wanted. After all, why not!!
And, that is the legacy he leaves for us all. We all have to learn to live and not wait to be handed our own fatal diagnosis. Now is the time to embrace our kids. Now is the time to truly learn to love our families and be good friends to our friends. Now is the time to take steps to live that dream we have always had and learn to do whatever it is we have always wanted to do. We can’t keep saying “I”ll do it next year”.
One woman, a cancer survivor, took up singing after having a dream to do so for many years. She told ABC:
“I think so many people relate to Randy because every one of us has some sort of dream they want to make real, or some sort of passion that they want to tap into if they’re not already thinking that way. … I think people are just drawn to that. It’s very magnetic to see someone positive not just about the big things but the little things.”
After Randy died, his wife Jai issued a statement that Good Morning America posted. This line jumped out at me:
“Randy was so happy and proud that the lecture and book inspired parents to revisit their priorities, particularly their relationships with their children….”
My sympathy goes out to Professor Pausch’s family. The world has lost an amazing man but his legacy will be felt for generations as we all finally learn to realize those dreams we have been putting off - for ourselves and our kids.
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