July 26, 2008

Today, Earth lost a gem of a human being. Randy Pausch, 47, passed away after a prolonged battle with Pancreatic cancer. It is no surprise that his courage & fortitude allowed him to handily beat doctor’s expectations.

Many, ofcourse, will remember Randy for his ‘Last Lecture’. A beautifully crafted ode to what the essence of life is and why courage under fire sows the sweetest fruit. Randy’s rarefied intelligence, integrity & passion demonstrated  itself very lucidly through the ‘Last Lecture’ and he rightly deserved to be recognized by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people on Earth in 2008.

To me, the “Last Lecture” is beyond Randy. He’s got a secret ‘head fake’ in the lecture that I assume he leaves the listener to deduce… which is that teaching, remains one of the most honorable professions humanity can pursue. It brings to sharp focus the value of dedicating a life to teaching and honors the thousands around the world who have selflessly helped shape our minds into doing good things.

So this post is dedicated to those who are unheralded. To those who haven’t been presented an unbreakable wall against which they pound to the very last. This one is for all the teachers. The ones who helped me, the ones who helped Randy, the ones who helped millions around the world.

Goodbye Randy, and from the deepest ebbs of my heart, may your next journey be as vivid as this one.

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