R.I.P. Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Melon professor who became famous for his speech entitled "The Last Lecture," died from pancreatic cancer today.

Pausch's speech, as I mentioned in a previous post, was one that inspired many. His lecture was centered around achieving childhood dreams, in which he threw in various pieces of his own advise and wisdom such as overcoming metaphoric brick walls, recognizing that your critics do care, and building upon the experience you gain when you fail to get exactly what you wanted.

I discovered this man's lecture on YouTube about 8 or 9 months ago. And yet, something about his speech really stuck with me. I thought to myself, "Here's a computer science guy who, by the very definition of his profession, should either be sitting in a cubicle writing software all day or standing in front of a class saying stuff like 'P=NP.' Yet, he's so poised, he has a great outlook on life, he's humble, he's intelligent but not cocky, and he's taking his news of terminal cancer like a solider." The reason that this stuck with me is because, in the grand scheme of things, he was merely an average guy. This man wasn't a Hollywood celebrity, a professional singer, or a Broadway actor. He was just a teacher who found out he had cancer and gave a speech.

That is what's so amazing. The fact that an average nobody can find out he only has about a year to live, yet hold his head up high and spend some of his last months pouring out such profound messages from the story of his life just gives me so much hope. Randy Pausch was everything I hope to be in career, poise, personality, and wisdom. I recognized that the first time I saw his videos, including his "Last Lecture" speech and his appeal to Congress to increase funding for pancreatic cancer research. It was such a breath of fresh air to know that a normal guy could affect so many people in an extraordinary way.

Don't get me wrong: I do NOT think that Randy Pausch was an average human being. He had an average job with an average income and an average lifestyle. But he had a superhuman will and strength about him that allowed to accept his condition and use that to better himself, his family, other cancer victims, and whomever would listen to him talk. As the man himself put it, "You can't change the cards you are dealt, just how you play the hand." Pausch played it marvelously, and the world will remember him for doing so.




Rest In Peace, Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 - July 25, 2008) . You were a tremendous man, a wonderful spirit, and an inspiration for us all.