“My Father never stops working, and so I keep working, too.” (John 5:17)
In my most recent reading, “The Last Lecture,” Randy Pausch, who was a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon, encouraged his students, friends, and family to realize why people should always try to achieve their childhood dreams. He said, “Give yourself permission to dream. Fuel your kids’ dreams, too.”
We were privileged to hear one of his last speeches at our grandson’s graduation ceremonies in 2008. Randy Pausch was considered by many to be a master teacher. He gave his “Last Lecture” knowing that his terminal cancer would soon take his life. He did not talk about dying, but gave everyone one last lecture on overcoming obstacles, enabling dreams, and living for every moment. Randy Pausch died several months later.
Two things in the book struck me. Randy Pausch said:
Don’t Complain, Just Work Harder
Too many people go through life complaining about their problems. I’ve always believed that if you took one-tenth the energy you put into complaining and applied it to solving the problem, you’d be surprised by how well things can work out.
The author of the book said we should:
Look for the Best in Everyone
This is beautiful advice that I got once from Jon Snobby, my hero at Disney Imagineering. I just was so taken with the way he put it. “If you wait long enough,” he said “people will surprise and impress you.” As he saw things, when you’re frustrated with people, when they’ve made you angry, it just may be because you haven’t given them enough time. Jon warned me that sometimes this took great patience – even years. “But in the end,” he said “people will show you their good side. Almost everybody has a good side. Just keep waiting. It will come out.”
Prayer: Dear God, help us to appreciate all peoples and look for the best they have to offer. Allow us to live our dreams. Amen.
Bob Morrill
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