Last Lecture w/ Randy Pausch
Name: ___________________________________________
1) Randy remembers his childhood dreams with clarity. Do you remember your childhood dreams—are they as vivid as his? And how important is it to hold onto your childhood dreams—might not they change over time?
2) Does The Last Lecture make you rethink your own priorities —what you want out of life, your school, your friendships, your relationships? Does it make you re-evaluate—or confirm—the things you thought were important?
3) Discuss Pausch's statement that "it's not about how to achieve your dreams. It's about how to lead your life. If you lead your life the right way ... the dreams will come to you."
Do you think he's right? Might the reverse be true—that only by working toward (and achieving) your dreams can you "lead your life the right way"?
4) If you had only 6 months to live (and adequate financial means), how would you spend the time left to you? Would you continue to work? Travel? Spend time with family and friends? Would you make changes in your day-to-day life or continue the life you're living now?
5) Many cancer patients are bombarded with the advice to “be optimistic” or “think positively.” Pausch says his surgeon worries about “patients who are inappropriately optimistic or ill-informed”: “It pains him to see patients who are having a tough day healthwise and assume it’s because they weren’t positive enough.” What is Pausch’s view of this? Is he appropriately or inappropriately optimistic? Why?
6) When someone asked what he wanted on his tombstone, Pausch said: “Randy Pausch: He Lived Thirty Years After a Terminal Diagnosis.’ If you were to write your own epitaph, what would it say?
7) What did you find most interesting about the videos you watched today? Did it change your way of thinking at all? Do you think it is better to be more optimistic when you are facing death or should you accept the sentence pessimistically?