The Inspiring is far too often Saddening

Posted by Joshua S. Hill

September 25, 2007

Found this in my travels today, Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch doesn’t have long to live, and as a father of three kids and a virtual-reality expert, he has a lot of information to impart upon the world, and on to his children.

But he is fast becoming familiar to a broader audience as a man with little time to live and much wisdom to impart. Pausch, a 46-year-old father of three, has pancreatic cancer and, most likely, just a few months left.
In the last week, he has gained national attention for an inspiring and sometimes upbeat talk, titled “How to Live Your Childhood Dreams,” that included one-handed push-ups, bright smiles and reminiscences of some of his own dreams met (getting a Ph.D, walking in zero gravity, designing Disney rides). “Brick walls are there for a reason,” he told his audience. “They let us prove how badly we want things.”

One can only hope for a miracle, and barring that, peace.

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