| April 2008
Dear Friends,
Certain things seem to remind
us of the fragility of life, as well as what truly matters. I am
constantly looking for quotes, people, and circumstances that help
me to look beyond the day to day and to ponder matters of real significance.
In that vein, I heard about a professor from Carnegie Mellon University
who literally had only months to live. What was intriguing to me
was that he gave a ‘last lecture’ to his students. The
focus of his words concerned what had shaped his life and the central
themes that he would urge his students to consider while on their
own very unique journeys. While it might sound morbid, it is an
interesting exercise to actually ponder our own mortality. The poet
John Donne actually kept a human scull on his desk to remind himself
of the brevity of life.
Years ago, I heard of an exercise
where individuals thought about the things that might be said at
their own funerals. How would you and I like to be remembered? All
such talk is likely uncomfortable for many of us. But such musings
reminds us to ‘number our days’ as the psalmist urged
thousands of years ago.
Click the link below to view the
professor’s lecture, which was aired on national television.
I found it to be pretty amazing.
Live in hope, my friends.
Doug
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=8577255250907450469&hl=en
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