Kay's Bookshelf

What can I say about Randy Pausch? Nothing comes to mind other than “I would so much like to be just like him”. He was a great teacher and a loving husband and father. However what I admire most about him (other than his smarts) is his optimist and his zest for life. After reading the book I watched the lecture video online and (although I knew by then what to expect) I was once again impressed (on the verge of shocked) by his words, his laughter and his jokes. As he called it himself, a huge “cognitive dissonance”: I knew him to be dying, I knew he had less than a year to live since that particular moment, and yet he was smiling, and joking, and acting like he had no care in the world (although I can only imagine how hard his situation must have been). I applaud him for that. If there’s be only one thing I’d love to learn from Randy, that would absolutely be his courage and optimism in the face of the unavoidable.

For me, this was, besides an inspirational book, also one of the coolest books ever, because I enjoyed reading about (what were for me) some really cool experiences that Randy had — at one point I was in full OMG mode: OMG, he has written an article for an actual (printed!) Encyclopedia!!! How cool, he thinks Wikipedia is as believable a source as any! And, OMG!!! He has actually met William Shatner!!!!! etc. What can I say, the guy not only had cool dreams (at least in my geeky book), but he also got to achieve most of them, which makes them doubly so (understandably enough — perhaps — this is one of my favorite parts of the book).

Not everything is OMG-ish though. Most parts are the kind that make the reader stop and reflect. Such as at the very beginning, when Randy tells us about how he thinks of his death in a practical way: he and his wife have bought a house and moved to Virginia, in order for her to have her family near after Randy will die. I can only imagine how hard it must be to go through something like that. Randy, the eternal optimist, the eternal Tigger, has jokingly managed to find at least a happy thing in his situation: at least he won’t have to go to the dentist’s anymore.

A large part of the book is filled with words of advice (what I called life lessons): in Randy’s words, things that he has done and have proven useful. The chapters are short, and usually also describe a situation in the author’s life where it (the advice in that chapter) has been useful and how/why. Perhaps this overabundance of personal details and events have made some people criticize this book for being egotistic, saying that the author is talking too much about himself (some even say he doesn’t talk at all about anything else). What these people seem to miss is that there is no better way to learn things other than first hand, through your own experiences — which is what Randy did, and now tries to share with the rest of us. In my opinion the book would be a lot drier, a lot less interesting and a lot less useful without Randy showing the practical (as opposed to the theoretical) part of his experience too.

Speaking of which, there’s another feeling I get when I read Randy’s account of his life (although he rarely mentions it, if at all): gratitude. He had wise parents that taught him to work hard, that taught him to search for his own answers rather than just waiting for them to be offered, that let him paint his room the way he saw fit. He’s been lucky to meet and work with wonderful people. He has had wonderful experiences, has met his other half, married her and fathered three beautiful children. He knows that he has been absolutely blessed in some areas and appreciates them, despite his illness. I have once read that gratitude and optimism go hand in hand — this book is a perfect example of that. And you know what? After achieving his own dreams Randy’s next step was, as he puts it, “enabling others to achieve their childhood dreams”, so that he could share that joy to as many people as possible.

Two of my (many) favorite quotes:

“Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won’t make us happier.”

“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 karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you. “

What I liked most: My most-liked moment was, by far, the one where the young Randy went to Disneyland for the first time and thought “one day I want to make something like this too!”. Why? Because I can SO relate to that. Years ago, when I was more or less the same age as Randy at Disneyland, I have “met” a computer for the very first time. My thought that evening? “Wow, I want to make something like this!” (meaning the software not the hardware, of course, as I was fascinated by the way the computer does whatever one wants it to do at the touch of a button). So you see, I can totally feel for little Randy (and rejoice for big Randy when his dream has finally come true, as I too know how important such a dream can be to a person). In a way it was like reading about myself :)

What I liked least: Understandably enough the fact that the author died. I do realize that no man lives forever and that this book wouldn’t have been written if the author wasn’t dying. And yet Mr. Pausch has been such an extraordinary man and I am very sorry that his life was cut short like that :( He made the world a better place (one word: Alice) and who knows what his living at least a few more years could have brought. Not to mention the difference it would have made for his wife and kids.

Recommend it? Well, given that I think it one of the coolest books I’ve ever read (while also filled with most useful advice), I absolutely do. Especially if you are an IT geek as I am.

Links:
Watch Randy’s last lecture
Randy Pausch’s (sort of) blog — confirming the fact that he was a complete optimist until the end; looking at his posts one sees a guy focusing a lot more of the tiny details that went right other than the rest of them, the many that went wrong
An extra chapter that didn’t make it into the book

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