If one were told he/she only had a couple months of good health remaining before his/her body deteriorates and he/she dies from the notorious pancreatic cancer, how would that individual choose to spend his/her remaining time? This scenario became a reality for Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch on September 19, 2006. While many would try to live life to its fullest before attempting to fight one of the most aggressive and fatal forms of cancer, Pausch realizes he already has accomplished his childhood dreams and that he wants to use his remaining time to motivate others to achieve their aspirations. In his autobiographical account The Last Lecture, Pausch provides his readers a deeper understanding of his situation through the use positive,
Pausch tells his audience that such optimism was present even in his childhood. For example, one memory Pausch shares is a time when he was at football practice and his coach “rode ... [him] hard” to make sure he got everything exactly right (Pausch 36). Pausch continues that moment by explaining to readers how optimism would not allow him to go through that situation without making the best of it which he does later that day after practice when he is approached by an assistant coach who told him, “when you’re screwing up and nobody’s saying anything to you anymore, that means they gave up” (Pausch 36-37). That is a message Pausch clearly lives by. Pausch could very easily give up, but instead, he continues to push himself even harder. Pausch tells his readers that “when you see yourself doing something badly and nobody’s bothering to tell you anymore, that’s a very bad place to be. Your critics are your ones telling you they still love you and care” (Pausch 37). It is obvious that no matter the situation Pausch is put in, he finds the best in it. This is the case even when the situation is one that can and does lead to his death. That type of optimism is something Pausch wants his readers to see and to apply to their own
The world, through different means, will always try to degrade people’s existence, but it’s up to us to rise up and act. For Nietzsche, Beauvoir and Voltaire, people should act and take the responsibilities. According to Nietzsche, people give meaning to their life by growing spontaneously, seeking out to say ‘yes’ to life to saturate it with happiness and passion. For Beauvoir, people, especially women, give their life meaning by not condemning to immanence, instead affirming their independence and transcending themselves to justify their existence. As per Voltaire, excessive optimism fades one’s sense of responsibility, taking away his or her freedom to take productive action. For Voltaire, optimism is good only when it compels people to take action, and bad when it forces people into believing that failure is inevitable.
Terry knew that aches and pains are common in athlete’s lives. At the end of his first year of university there was a new pain in his knee. One morning Terry woke up to see that he could no longer stand up. A week later Terry found out that it was not just an ache he had a malignant tumor; his leg would have to be cut off six inches above the knee. Terry’s doctor told him that he had a chance of living but the odds were fifty to seventy percent. He also said that he should be glad it happened now fore just 2 years ago the chance of living was fifteen percent. The night before his operation a former coach brought Terry a magazine featuring a man who ran a marathon after a similar operation. Terry didn’t want to do something small if he was going to do something he was going to do it big. "I am competitive" Terry said, "I’m a dreamer. I like challenges. I don’t give up. When I decided to do it, I knew it was going to be all out. There was no in between Terry’s sixteen month follow up he saw all the young people suffering and getting weak by the disease. He never forgot what he saw and felt burdened to thoughts that died to run this marathon. He was one of the lucky one in three people to survive in the cancer clinics. Terry wrote asking for sponsorship " I could not leave knowing that these faces and feelings would still be here even though I would be set free of mine, s...
Ehrenreich opens up her book at an extremely difficult time in her life, battling cancer. Not only is she battling cancer but she is at a time where she is being exposed to the darkest times to positive
There’s optimism in all literature known to man if not optimism then it would be pessimism. They are the basis of any literature work. It’s found in many books and poems today. In the novel Fahrenheit451 by Ray Bradbury evaluates the theme of optimism. The author Ray Bradbury writes about a guy named Montag who is in a society where firemen burn houses instead of putting fires out. Montag seeks out the good in the books which are banned in this dystopian society where knowledge is forbidden to rise from society. He and other literature seekers pave the way for him to learn knowledge and the freedom of thinking which is against the law in this society. Montag falls in love with books so much that he tries to find someone who can teach him about the books and how important they are to life. The world would fall apart without knowledge no one would have a clue on what to do or how to eat since they don’t have that knowledge at hand. Optimism can also be found in the William Ernest Henley’s “Invictus”, Freedom to Breathe” by Alexander Solzheitsynand and in the speech “The Nobel acceptance by Elie Wiesel.
...too optimistic can result in sadness and despair. Optimism also has the power to blind us from seeing the harsh and cruel realities in life. Optimists focus exclusively on the bright side of life and tend to avoid all the cruel realities. However, when the time comes to face a harsh reality, optimists are unprepared and fail. Wiesel makes this argument to show us the negative effects of optimism. For example, the belief that drinking and driving or speeding is not going to end fatally. Optimists have the mindset of “death is something that happens to others.” Drinking and driving and speeding blind the driver from realizing there is a possibility of death. These optimistic people are the most likely to die due to the fact that they are not aware of this possibilities. Wiesel would agree that optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are miserable.
Dr. Pausch mentions that every individual will show his good side if we wait patiently and that no individual is pure evil. I think this is a something I can truly apply in my life, as I am a person who forms an opinion about someone very quickly and find it very difficult to change that in due course of time. Also the concept of brick walls in life being there to show dedication and make you obstinate is something I will remember in life moving forward. This lecture given by Dr. Pausch truly displays courage, appreciation for life and the very simple concept of ‘work hard and have fun doing it’ which results in a great success. A very tearful watch but delivers a strong life message and caused me to reflect back at my own life and see things in positive light.
Statistics shows that the Cancer epidemic is one of the leading causes of death in the United states (“Cancer”). Today, the epidemic is evidently one of the most substantial constraints the world faces. While there are many advocates for the cancer cause, Jim Valvano is remembered by many as a top supporting warrior on the topic. Dying of cancer in 1993, Valvano, a successful college basketball coach, left a surviving legacy through his Arthur Ashe Courage Award acceptance speech at ESPN’s 1993 award ceremony. More than just a simple acceptance speech, Valvano takes dominance of his speech climax through a series of appeals made very impressive through the style and delivery he bestows.
Paul Hammond is a scholar from Oklahoma Baptist University. As a researcher in hymnology he wrote remarkable essays related to hymns and revival in America such as From Calvinism to Arminianism: Baptist and the Second Great Awakening” and “A Study of the Revival Spiritual WARRENTON.” In this essay, Hammond points out specific historical characteristics that define the hymn tune WARRENTON. According to him, this particular hymn tune is a perfect example of the nineteenth century revival hymnody which also can facilitate readers’ understanding of the main revival concepts presented in the religious music from the nineteenth century. Therefore, Hammond’s purpose is to show that the tune WARRENTON works as an illustration that clarifies the study
Diagnosed with cancer and given just months to live, Randy Pausch decided to give a last lecture. Randy felt this was important so that he may give a sort of goodbye to those who he cared about, share advice and life-experiences that he felt were important, and most importantly for his kids, whom would never really get to know him because of their age. This book is a collection of stories and general life advice that Randy felt was important to share before moving on.
The article the “The Patient Scientist”, tells the story of a doctor who has pancreatic cancer. The author, Katherine Harmon articulates some of the things that the doctor, Ralph M. Steinman went through as he was combating his cancer. Steinman was enthusiastically involved with his research, moreover the research he completed early in his career would come to assist him fight his cancer: “In 2007 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, an unforgiving disease that kills four out of five patients with a year. In the end, the cells he discovered at the start of his career, and the friends he made along the way, would not only help him fight his cancer but would extend his life just long enough for him to earn the Noble Prize” (Harmon 261). Steinman was placed in unusual position: most people who suffer from cancer do not have the knowledge that he had. Despite his physical limits he choose to use his knowledge to continue h...
That exact statement makes me or any reader feel that failure doesn’t always have to be perceived to be negative. Failure can improve personal growth. We are always scared out the outcome failure will bring, but that is the silver lining for our personal growth. If we concentrate more on the effort we put into a certain task, we can grow by the steps we take along the way. Anyone can succeed, no matter their
My life took a turn in 2008 when I became a caregiver for my grandfather who was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Then my mother was diagnosed in 2010 with stage four pancreatic cancer. I started my research in 2008 on possible alternatives that both my grandfather and mother could apply to their protocol and potentially relief some discomfort. I modified my dietary lifestyle in 2008 to not only become the best caregiver but to improve my health. I have and continue to notice many positive physical, mental and emotional changes since 2008. Visiting hospitals almost in a daily basis for approximately three consecutive years has changed my perspective in life and my career path.
Randy Pausch was a man who found much success in his life. He received his bachelors degree from Brown University, and went on to earn his Ph.D in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University, later becoming a professor there. He had been employed with major companies, such as Adobe Systems and Walt Disney Imagineering. In September 2006, Randy Pausch discovered that he had terminal pancreatic cancer, and was given 3-6 months to live. He underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy to remove the tumor from his pancreas, but by August 2007 the cancer had returned. After giving a lecture at Carnegie Mellon University in September 2007, called “Really Achieving your Childhood Dreams” (also referred to as “The Last Lecture”), it went viral, and led
Winston S. Churchill once said that, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”. This statement is true; a huge percentage of people say more than once in their lifetime that something is impossible. Some people, however, find ways to achieve their initial goal. Pessimism roots from the Nature vs. Nurture theory, in which it proposes that how parents raise an individual morally could alter due to the exposure to the environment. If a parent or parents raise that individual to not pursue a goal that seems difficult, it is likely that they will be pessimistic. It also applies if an individual approaches an obstacle and they deal with it by not believing in themselves. This applies
The world is made up of optimist and pessimists, and the survival of human beings and our well-being requires a balance between optimism and pessimism. Disproportionate pessimism makes life unbearable; however, too much optimism can advance to dangerously hazardous behaviors. The Optimism and pessimism approach is expecting a positive or negative future outcome, a recognizable way of reasoning is best conceptualized as continuity with many amounts of optimism and pessimism. Successful living requires a great balance between optimism and pessimism. Too much optimism may embolden one to take uncalculated risks that will lead to inadvertent and reckless behaviors, which may conclude in a catastrophe. On the contrary, worrying too much about