We were assigned Randy Pausch's Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/Randy/pauschlastlecturetranscript.pdf) as part of our weekly reading this week. I was impressed with his credentials, his humor, his zest for life, and his humility. At the time of this lecture, he was suffering from cancer and only had a few weeks to months to live. He was introduced and honored by a list of friends, mentors, and coworkers. His resume is full of degrees and jobs that I will most likely never experience. The world of Virtual Reality was apparently shaped in large part by his innovation, creativity, drive, and passion for educating the next generations. I am not tech-savvy. In fact, most of the gaming world is completely uninteresting to me. But I found myself reading every word of his speech and then researching the man behind the words. He seemed to fulfill his earthly mission well.
Randy listed the items from his childhood bucket list. There were only 6 items.
- Being in zero gravity.
- Playing in the National Football League.
- Authoring an article in the World Book Encyclopedia.
- Being like Captain Kirk.
- To become one of the guys that won the big stuffed animals in the amusement park.
- To be an Imagineer with Disney.
And he achieved them all.
This is what is inspiring to me. That at the young age of 7 or 8, Randy not only knew what he wanted to do in his lifetime, but he had the wherewithal to write it down. Impressive. He discussed in some detail how he achieved each of these dreams (*meeting being like Captain Kirk).
Three things I take away from Randy Pausch's story:
1. He was not afraid of failure/he had inner confidence which enabled him to move through life with a positive force, seeking and taking advantage of every opportunity in his path.
2. Randy Pausch had a mission on the earth. Call it what you may: a teacher, a tech wizard, a father and husband, a friend, a mentor. God gave Randy talents and filled his life with people and chances that allowed him to succeed. Even with his life cut all too short, Randy was able to accept the end, perhaps, because he was able to accomplish all he set out to do.
3. "But remember, the brick walls are
there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us
a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the
people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people."
Dreaming is an important part of life. Sometimes dreams turn out to be unfulfilled wishes, but sometimes, they become our reality. I believe that God gives us dreams (i.e. inspiration) to give meaning to our lives, provide direction to our journey, and help us see the gifts that He gives to us.
As I try to peruse the files that are my childhood memories, I struggle to find my childhood dreams. Honestly, when a child doesn't grow up in a loving home with parents and siblings cheering them on, I think their dreams are stunted. Confidence in who we truly are allows us to see ourselves as God sees us, as loving parents see us, as our biggest supporters see us. Without it, a child has to work hard just to make sense of life, leaving very little energy for dreams. It is pretty sad when I put it into words. BUT... and it's a big BUT... there is no deadline for dreaming! I am in the midst of fulfilling my dream of earning a Bachelor's degree. It is hard. And I am doing it. I give thanks to God for giving me this dream, to my husband for being my biggest cheerleader, my kids for their (sometimes sarcastic) support, and Pathways/BYUI for having a program that works for me.
We have a lifetime to dream, and, in doing so, create a life of meaning for ourselves and those we love.
Comments
Post a Comment