The Last Lecture - An old review I wrote and now need to take my own advice...

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I find reading the reviews of this book almost as interesting as reading the book itself. Why do some people appear to take a dislike to this man's message, despite their compassion for his situation, while others believe his message is poignant and important? It is interesting that many of the people giving more stars have seen Randy Pausch or heard him, which I believe may cause them to have gotten his message more directly - they have felt a connection with him and heard the meaning behind his words from something other than the words themselves. This may say something for his writing style - he appears not to have made his point without ruffling a lot of feathers.

When I read the negative reviews, they criticize him for things I specifically know are not accurate. For example "he does not mention a higher power" was one criticism. He certainly does and talks about his upbringing to keep his faith to himself as a private matter. He discusses conversations with his pastor and other members of his church. The reader was possibly expecting him to openly discuss prayer, etc. as a means of achieving his dreams, but Pausch chose not to do so. I believe Pausch indicates this was intentional, as he was talking about what WE could do to achieve our dreams, assuming we would use our spiritual connectedness in our endeavors.

Another criticism I have read is that Pausch was "too full of himself". Seriously? This is a book about how to "achieve" your dreams, not how to get through life without accomplishing anything. Did you want him to tell you about how he never quite got around to doing something? Of course he had to tell you about his accomplishments and what he did to get there. That's the point!! Not only that, but he discussed the many ways in which his failures taught him how to move forward and try again to do things differently and better. And, he used anecdote after anecdote about OTHER people's accomplishments to get his point across.

Finally, I think the most serious criticism I read is that he didn't really provide any information of any great import. This was all such simple stuff. It wasn't new. It didn't matter. I am just a few years older than Randy was when he died. I'm not sure if age gives me any great perspective, but I agree so strongly with Randy that it is the fundamentals that I see causing people to miss out on so much in life. To do what you want in life and to feel proud of what you have accomplished you need to do certain things that so many people just don't do. Say thank you. Write notes. Appreciate the world around you. Work hard. Stay positive. Take time with the people you love. Yes, you may hear this and think this is so banal. But, life is simple and basic and everyone is running around trying to make it so difficult. That's the message I am hearing from Randy.

I believe that Randy Pausch has no interest in your sympathy or tears. His short time after his diagnosis gave him a unique perspective and opportunity. Of course, his main objective was to leave a message to his children that he was somebody they could be proud of, and they could become somebody, too. We are lucky to be privy to this message. So, if we choose to listen, he reminds us once again - if you ignore those basics, you will miss out on much. Don't wait until you get your diagnosis to make the changes you need to in your life. If you are unhappy in your life ask yourself what simple things you could do today to improve your fundamentals to make life a bit better. Then just do it.

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