In The Last Lecture, the author, Randy Pausch, provided insight to his life from his childhood up to some of his last moments. The book is a different version of the last lecture that he gave students at Carnegie Mellon; it focuses on some of the major points that he spoke about, as well as points that he did not. Throughout the book, Pausch told of the lessons he had learned, significant days in his life, and how he impacted the lives around him. At the end of the book, he said he gave his last lecture, which included much of what the book is about, in order to leave a legacy for his children. Every person should want to leave a legacy of some sort for the future generations to learn from, even if it is not for one’s children. Though I do …show more content…
While dying is a major concern for innumerable people, Pausch did not make thinking about dying a priority in his life; he had accepted that it was inevitable. Rather than focus on dying, he focused on what was going to make his family happy in addition to what he was going to leave behind for them and everyone else. In chapter 59: Dreams for my Children, Pausch explains the adventures and activities he had recently ventured to do with his family. Additionally, he gave light to the dreams and aspirations that he had for his children; though, he later wrote that he did not want them to feel like they had to fulfill them just because it was what he said. I can relate to this specific chapter because my family has high hopes for my life. Pausch wrote “I want you to become what YOU want to be” (198). This quote made me realize that my family’s words have impacted many of my decisions in life, but now that I reached the point in life where I am almost on my own, I will be who I want to be. They have wanted me to enter a career field with the potential of earning money that they could not dream of. I, on the other hand, do not care about materialistic lifestyle. The legacy that I want to leave behind is that I helped the underdeveloped countries to live a healthier and safer life. My legacy that …show more content…
His legacy has been spread around the United States, impacting the lives of those who hear his lecture and who read his book. His words have shown me that leaving a legacy that leaves an impression on the world is possible. Pausch has inspired me, as well as people through the states, to never give up on our dreams. If people were to give up, others would follow suit, and nothing would get accomplished. Dreams and legacies go hand in hand. Pausch’s dreams shaped him into the man he became, which provided him with optimism. The optimism he had throughout his life to the strength he needed to leave his
The Last Lecture was written by Randy Pausch as a way to eventually pass on his ideas, story, and beliefs to his young children via video recording after his death due to pancreatic cancer. Pausch hoped to illustrate his life's trajectory coming full circle and to wrap up his academic career as a professor at Carnegie Mellon University.
His family was not involved in his choice and when he looked back at his life, it is quite obvious that he never actually loved them. As he was approaching his final days he had cried out to his mom “Mom! Mom! Help me. (Krakauer 147)” At this point he noticed that death was on his footsteps.
William Manchester, the author, wanted us to comprehend that it is goal-oriented people such as Desiderius Erasmus who doubtlessly have all the capacity to alter the world. As Erasmus once said, “There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are those who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other”. If people do not have faith in themselves and work hard towards their goals, then they will never reach said desired goals and continuously remorse the days that they did not take advantage of.
When I hear the word “legacy,” I often feel intimidated because I instinctively compare myself with those who have accomplished something significant. In fact, I get the impression that I am disadvantaged, or strictly speaking, useless, compared to those who are leaders. I feel that my fate prevents me from meeting new opportunities, which ultimately impedes me from making great accomplishments. However, after reading “Home of the Free” by Wendell Berry, I am forced to riffle through my life span and smile at the great accomplishments that I, as a “disadvantaged” kid, have taken pride in. Berry’s thesis can be summarized by a quote from the famous existentialist Friedrich Nietzsche, who wrote, “If you wish to strive for peace of soul and pleasure, then believe; if you wish to be a devotee of truth, then inquire.” Nietzsche establishes the notion that, in life, we should not avoid “the necessary work of human life” and only seek pleasure and peace. This notion, which is what comprises Berry’s concept of “satisfaction,” makes me ponder everything in life that can make existence prove worthwhile.
Jischke is the perfect example of an ordinary American who surpassed his limited boundaries. He proves that an American can come from a humble background and still move up in the success ladder. Martin C. Jischke is firm believer that the American Dream lies in the hands of our future graduates (75). After all, he was the president of Purdue University for almost eight years; as he gives the commencement speech he says the American Dream entails more than financial success, and more than popularity, that it is a matter of opportunity (Jischke 75). The power to gain knowledge freely, learn from past mistakes, and achieve the previously unachievable, is what the American dream has to offer (Jischke 76).
It’s the triumphs as well as the defeats, that I will remember most about my life when I look back in thirty years. If I can look back and say, “I didn’t think I could ever accomplish this, but I gave it my all.” Pursuing the next challenge along with being a well-rounded, compassionate person will allow me to consider my life a success in thirty years. Nothing in my life emulates this attitude towards what I will consider a success, in terms of pushing my limits, in thirty years, than my current pursuit of collegiate level sports.
In his paper “The Makropulos case: reflections on the tedium of immortality” Bernard Williams asserts his central claim that when immortality is feasible it is intolerable; further, it is reasonable to regard death as an evil. He argues his position by utilization of The Makropulos case, or the case of E.M. This character and circumstance is derived from a play by Karel Capek. E.M. is a woman of three hundred and forty two years. She has survived so long due to an immortality draught concocted by her father, a physician, long before the play’s action. E.M. explains her problem with immortality is that her unending life has become incredibly dull, her emotions have become cold and indifferent. She feels that in the end, everything has happened before and life has become unsatisfying. She stops taking the immortality draught and death overtakes her. This invokes the optimistic thought that immortality may be rewarding, if certain desires continue to be satisfied. Williams expands on the idea of these desires, called categorical desires and inherent motivation, but first we should confirm the views of death that make the conversation of immortality desirable.
I think that what the author was trying to imply in this passage was that in his personal experience, he has noticed that many people take many things for granted and that they don’t live their lives according to what they want and need to do. So much is wasted during one’s lifetime, and people just allow their lives to pass them by.
...s is related to his philosophy about doing the right thing and about a being a good person. But it goes beyond this. He spoke often about having true compassion. It isn’t enough to help those in need, but we must truly care about them, to take a good look and see how they got that way. He asked us to examine how we as a society can change the conditions that led them to be there in the first place. Doing this makes us better as people. I have found that it also makes me feel better. Never give up on your dreams. While his life was cut tragically short, he died in pursuit of his dream and in spite of everything he faced, he never gave up on it. He faced obstacles I could never imagine having to face, and still persisted. This reminds me that the small things in my life that often seem insurmountable, are just my excuses for not taking action and are not obstacles.
This was a very touching book. If one word had to be chosen to describe it, this word would be “real.” It was an extremely easy read, but was still able to hold value in its teaching and depth as Randy shared to the best of his ability what knowledge he thought to pass on. One
Rick Perlstein states in his article, "What's the Matter with College?" that college should be a time of self-discovery. He thinks of college as a gateway into to adulthood where everyone is suddenly gaining this new sense of freedom and finding their own identity. It was a time one to read their first banned book and see their first independent film. Perlstein seems to consider one's college years as the most defining years of their life. Today, however, students do not have the luxury of attending an institution solely in the name of self-exploration. The college experience is indeed different from what it once was, much to Perlstein's chagrin. No longer are students going to college for the college experience that was once known by past generations, instead, they are going for the opportunities promised by attending college.
Throughout the speech, Weisel challenges his listeners through numerous thought-provoking questions. First, he asks the audience, “What will the legacy of this vanishing century be?” (3). The word “legacy” shows that the coming generation will suffer a sum of consequences due to the indifference those in the twentieth century. He then questions, “What is indifference?” (4). By definition, the word means “no difference.”
People use the word okay nearly every day. It is a word that everyone knows and uses due to its vast meanings. To be okay, is what Gary D. Schmidt’s novel Okay for Now really tries to get readers to understand. He poses the question: just what does “okay for now” mean? These answers are found through examining the characters in the store. While, okay can mean many different things, being okay means that the person is in a state where while things are not perfect, but they are tolerable and satisfactory and can improve.
...s that you develop a way of regarding the information that you receive to the society that you are living in. He also believes that a quality education develops a students moral views and ability to think. And that these qualities are best developed in the traditional classroom setting by interaction between the student and their professors, and the student’s social life on campus, that is, their interaction with fellow students.
As a young girl at 14, I used to reminisce about the future, how badly I wanted to grow up, to drive, to be popular in high school, go to college and land an amazing job, have a huge home, nice cars, and an extremely handsome husband. The older I got, the more I began to realize all of the things I once desired for were not what I truly wanted. I began to realize the value of happiness, adventure, and creating memories rather than the value of temporary popularity, material items, and physical appearances. What I realized was that when one is lying on their deathbed, because the only thing guaranteed in life is death, they will not think, “oh what a lovely car I drove” but rather, “I remember when I went on my first road trip with my friends.” As mentioned in “Tuesdays With Morrie” by Mitch Albom, Morrie emphasizes the idea, “once you learn how to die, you learn how to live,” meaning, remembering that one day we will all depart from this world, one will realize what it truly means to live. Another pointer that can essentially alter one’s vision of living life: to live simply, as discussed in “Where I Lived and What I Live For” by David Henry Thoreau. Although thinking about death is a harsh reality on a young teenager, it is rather helpful to wrap our heads around it at a young age. Why? because as one grows older, they will see more death. Living a simple life may seem boring to a young teenager, but as one grows older and their schedules become bustled with work, and responsibilities, they will wish that they could step back, and choose a simple lifestyle.