Legacies.
I’ve been thinking about life, death and what we leave behind for those who follow us.
It’s not that I’m being particularly fatalistic, quite the contrary in fact. I’ve been thinking about the impact we each have on the people around us, the world we live in and history in general. Many would have us believe that for the most part, we can’t change the course of history… that it’s momentum and inertia is too great for a single person to alter.
Of course, I disagree… and I think you may too after reading this…
I got to thinking about this primarily because a good friend of mine told me about some stresses in her life, in part for advice, in part to unload, and in part because she just needed a friend who’d listen and not judge. Many things in this world I may be… intelligent, eloquent, a half decent cook, and let’s not forget modest (or sarcastic for that matter)… judgemental is one thing I try my hardest to avoid being.
One of the burdens weighing on her is that of a family member having recently suffered a stroke, and this stroke worsening an existing Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Pretty heavy stuff, and of course, my friend is experiencing the gamut of emotions that we all would experience in the same circumstances. I’m not trying to diminish those emotions, just recognising how intense and tumultuous they are.
But it comes at an interesting point in history, because last week the world lost a very special person whose mark was made not through an epic achievement, a miraculous discovery or some media grabbing attention seeking act. Instead, this man who recently died changed the world through a simple heartfelt gesture to his children, that went on to touch so many other normal people.
That man was Randy Pausch, who sadly lost his battle with pancreatic at the age of 47.
I’ll start by saying that I never knew Randy, never met him, and until recently, had never heard of him. A colleague at work recommended his book to me recently, and sadly, I have yet to read it and have only just now watched the video of his last lecture, a video that has been widely distributed over the internet.
But his message is one so very familiar to me: that we can achieve anything we can dream of.
It is one of the earliest lessons I can remember my own father teaching me… that anything is possible, with the right tools, the time, and the training… oh, and of course, the will.
And now, I find myself thinking of Randy’s message, left as a type of time capsule for his kids, but having become so much more to so many people around the world.
We each can make a very large difference in the course of history. The people around us may not be world leaders, or billionaire business people, or anyone that has power and influence… but they each matter, many of which in ways to simple for us to truly appreciate or articulate. And the dreams of each and everyone of those people play a part in shaping the world of today, and through the generations they influence, the world of tomorrow.
And I can’t help but think, as a consequence, of the way we each deal with the hands we’re dealt. At 32, I’ve had my share of ups and downs. A couple of car accidents, a failed marriage, a reasonably successful business, a career that has more by accident than by design, friends come and go, and love ones leave this world for whatever there is beyond… but none of that has made me contemplate my life as much as this man’s message, and the way that he dealt with his imminent death.
There are so many things to take from this lecture… too many to list off here… but it feels like such a positive message, that I had to share it.
And it shows, that no matter how insignificant we each feel… how irrelevant we are told our dreams and desires are, or how much we convince ourselves that those dreams are irrelevant… those dreams matter, and the people in our lives that enable us in the pursuit of our dreams are more important than words can describe.
So, without further ado… Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture…
