Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University is dying of pancreatic cancer. He has 2-5 months to live.
He was asked to give a last lecture – and a packed hall experiences something profound: A man who is happy in the face of death.
As he says at the beginning:
“If I don’t seem as depressed or morose as I should be, sorry to disappoint you.”
He also told people not to pity him:
“I am in phenomenally good health right now; it’s the greatest cognitive dissonance you will ever see — the fact is, I’m in better shape than most of you,” he said.
And then, to the appreciative laughs and applause of his audience, Dr. Pausch dropped to the stage floor and did a set of pushups.
“So anyone who wants to cry or pity me can come down here and do a few of those, and then you may pity me,” he said.
From this article.
The best line of the day:
“If you have any herbal supplements or remedies – stay away from me!”
Here’s a short five minute version with just a few highlights:
Click here to see the whole lecture – it’s easily the most inspiring 90 minutes I’ve ever spent.
Leave a Reply