I have just been amazed and cheered by this video. Dr Randy Pausch of Carnegie Mellon University, who is facing death within a few months from pancreatic cancer, reflects in the university’s “Last Lecture” series on his life, on achieving his childhood dreams, and about what he’s learned from life. He’s funny, he’s positive and he’s not in denial. He says he won’t talk about spirituality and religion, but he has had a death-bed conversion - he’s just bought an Apple Mac (good man).

At the time of the lecture, Dr Pausch was facing, with extraordinary strength, the greatest journey that we all have to make. Inevitably the video has set me to wondering how I would face death if I knew that I had only a few months to live. Knowing how long he had to live, Randy Pausch decided to make the best use of his remaining time to live his values, to help others achieve their dreams, to created good memories for his wife and particularly for his kids. The family bought a new house, moved, he bought a new computer; and he demonstrated that he was in really good physical shape.

I don’t think I would have the spiritual and psychological fortitude, if I were faced with what Randy Pausch was (still is?) facing - but, then, who knows how they will respond to the ultimate challenge until they actually face it.

You can watch the whole lecture by searching the ABC News site on “Pausch” you can find links to the whole lecture.

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