You feel that?
It's surrealism. Sitting here, typing this post about a man who I never personally knew, who most of America never personally knew, yet, who has inspired more than 6 million YouTube viewers in a single swoop of rarely witnessed authenticity.
Professor Randy Pausch is that man and his breathtaking "Last Lecture" was that spark which ignited the extraordinary, albeit unexpected torrential outpouring of emotions for a man who only until last year, was just another everyday, hardworking American.
Now a folk hero in our global village, Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2006 and on September 18 2007, he delivered what was originally a traditional academic conceit - a lecture to be given by educators, under the premise that it would be their last and final deliverance.
In Pausch's case however, it wasn't just a premise. He succumbed to his illness yesterday. He was 47.
In a world where ordinary people would often go to extreme lengths to seek out stardom, Randy Pausch chose instead to be an ordinary man who, subjected to the vicissitudes of destiny, unknowingly signaled stardom to seek him out. And deservedly so.
His story is online for all to read and his "Last Lecture," is his gift for us all. A gift which stands as a permanent reminder of our own mortality. But, more than that, it serves as an inspiration for anyone who dares to dream.
And if there could only be just one talk made available to help us dreamers take that first step, the "Last Lecture" would be it.
Thank you Randy, for keeping the dream alive.
"Remember, brick walls let us show our dedication. They are there to separate us from the people who don't really want to achieve their dreams. Don't bail. The best of the gold's at the bottom of barrels of crap."
- Professor Randy Pausch
Randolph Frederick Pausch
1960 - 2008
Please click on the Title post to view the "Last Lecture". The video is directly to the top right of your screen.
