read for PopSugar 2018 Challenge: a book by a local author

This book was not what I wanted it to be. I was expecting to close the book feeling hopeful and inspired, but mostly I was annoyed. Randy Pausch lived a really great life, and it's terrible that he died so young. But the lessons he imposes in this lecture... Well they're coming from someone who was incredibly privileged in life and doesn't quite seem to realize it. Sure, he acknowledges that he was really lucky, but Pausch seems to fall into a classic trap of privilege of thinking that everything in his life he gained only because of his hard work and not his position in the world. I mean he tells the story of getting into CMU because his professor got him an interview with the head of the department! This isn't to underscore whether or not he's qualified, but just that extremely few people would find themselves as fortunate as Pausch was. It's just not about a good attitude and hard work. Sometimes, you have to be born with a foot in the door, which Pausch was fortunate to have.

While I respect his optimism, it did seem overbearing? I've never been diagnosed with a terminal illness, so I don't know how I would handle the situation. But I was rubbed the wrong way by Pausch's declaration to choose to be an Tigger instead of an Eeyore. The world would suffer if everyone was a Tigger. Tigger is fun, but he's also manic and out of control, and the 100 acre woods needs the balance of all characters. It's not my fault the neurochemicals in my brain make me feel like more of an Eeyore most days. His over simplification of the world in order to stumble upon profundity was what made me frustrated during the snippets of "life lessons." They didn't go far enough or deep enough. Yes, Pausch didn't have time, and that's sad. It's hard for me to think negatively on this book when he tried to write this with so little time left.

All that said, this book isn't for me as the ending makes clear. It's for his children. They won't remember him, but they can carry him with them through life and get a bright and happy outlook from their father. He won't be able to tackle the difficulties they're going to face, so he tried to cram as much as he could into this book, and his lecture, for his kids. I cried a the end when he discussed his kids and his wife, mostly because that was what was real. These little lessons are just basically clips from the Farmer's Almanac, and not what was important. I hope he did make videos and write letters, and I hope his children watch and read them, and see how much they were loved by him.