Blog Post #7

     At the beginning of Randy Pausch’s lecture he begins by talking about his current condition and says that he will not be talking about that during the lecture. Pausch speaks about his childhood dreams and what it took to reach each of them, he talks about how he has taught different students, and finally he gives credit to those who helped him along the way.  
     Pausch wanted to defy gravity so he did. He worked on a project and broke down the brick wall to be able to participate in the “vomit comet”. This was the first time Pausch brings up the quote “brick walls make us prove how badly we want something.” Next Pausch speaks about wanting to play in the NFL; though he never reached this dream he did play football and learned a lot from his coaches. He teaches us that critics are the ones that care and the football isn’t the most important part of the game. From the football experience he teaches us that “experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.” Pausch also tells us about his dream to be in the encyclopedia, be Captain Kirk, be a Disney Imagineer, and to win the big stuffed animals at the amusement parks.
     Pausch speaks about the difficulties that he had to reach every goal that he had set for himself. He tells us about the different people that helped him along the way and the ways that the goals were met. When he set his goals he wasn’t sure how, or if he would achieve them but many were achieved through a series of events that were perfectly aligned to make his dreams come true.
     In the last part of the lecture he gives credit to the people that helped him in life. He thanks his parents for giving him the freedom and support to do the things he wanted (like painting his bedroom) and he gives thanks to those who helped him in this career. Andy van Dam is someone that he obviously respects. Andy was the one who helped him get into Carnegie and taught him to never get up on something he wanted. Pausch teaches us to respect authority, to helps others and to remember that loyalty is a two-way street. If you can bring something to the table it makes you valuable and people remember what you do. We are also taught to find the best in everybody and to be prepared for anything, get feedback and pay attention to it, and finally to have FUN in everything we do.
     Having fun is very valuable. In the beginning of the lecture he makes it clear that his condition does not keep him from going through life normally. Pausch pokes fun at himself throughout the whole lecture. He shows us that we can teach people through “head fakes” and have fun while doing it.

     I really enjoyed watching this lecture, even though it was a long video. Pausch makes the lecture fun and keeps people’s attention by sharing his experiences. Being able to look at oneself and talk about how they did something and even admit when they were wrong takes a lot of effort. At the very end I really liked that he acknowledged his wife’s birthday and took the time to celebrate, showing that its not all about him. Finally the last line made me think about the whole lecture in a different perspective- when he said the video was for his kids. He talked about his parents and his whole life- something that his kids can cherish even after he is gone. The “Last Lecture” truly is a good lecture to be the last.