A Follow-Up to the Human Condition

Ive never understood pity and self-pity as an emotion. We have a finite amount of time. Whether short or long, it doesnt matter. Life is to be lived. Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think. Go out and do for others what somebody did for you. Go out and do for others what somebody did for you. Just because you're in the driver's seat, doesn't mean you have to run people over. vanish If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy? I'll take an earnest person over a hip person any time, because hip is short-term. Earnest is long-term. --Randy Pausch

In this first unit, weve taken a rather depressing route in examining the human condition According to Julius Caesar and The Lord of the Flies: what motivates and drives most humans? how do we behave in groups? are human beings good at heart? at the core, what matters most to humans? What do you think? Is this a fair analysis of the human condition?

Can you think of any redeeming qualities of man? Are people purely good or purely evil? Does literature paint a fair picture of how humans act? What is human nature?

In many ways, our every day lives are a testament to the human condition We constantly convince the world of who we are, what we do, and what we value. So, who are you? What do you do? What do you value? I want you to keep thinking about these ideas…

On September 18, 2007, Carnegie Mellon professor and alumnus Randy Pausch delivered a one-of-a-kind last lecture. Only a month after doctors told him that he had three-to-six months to live following a recurrence of pancreatic cancer, he presented a lecture called "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" to a packed auditorium at Carnegie Mellon. The moving and often humorous talk recounted his efforts to achieve such childhood dreams as becoming a professional football player, experiencing zero gravity and developing Disney World attractions. In the process, he shared his insights on finding the good in other people, working hard to overcome obstacles and living generously.

Randy Pausch on Oprah ch?v=ncoSRKoU6GQ ch?v=ncoSRKoU6GQ

It is an easy time to dream when we are young (and happy) and we should never lose that spirit. Experience is what you get if you dont get what you wanted. When people drive you hard, they care about you. They want you to be better. When you are doing a bad job and no one points it out to you, that is when they have given up on you. Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things. The importance of people versus things (people come first, always!). You cant change the cards you are dealt, just how you play the hand.

Never ever underestimate the importance of having fun. Choose to have fun today, tomorrow, and every day thereafter. Work and play well with others: (1) tell the truth, (2) apologize (properly), (3) wait, and people will show their good sides. A good apology has three parts. (a) I am sorry, (b) it was my fault, (c) how do I make it right. Most people neglect the third part and fail to demonstrate sincerity. Be patient. No one is pure evil. Wait, and people will show you their good side. Show gratitude. Dont complain; just work harder. If you lead your life the right way, if you live properly, the dreams will come to you.

The question then becomes: how do you rationalize or balance good and evil in the world? Based on what weve read in class, reading the news, or even studying the world around us– whats your take on the world? Is the human condition as rotten as what weve seen in Jack, Roger, Cassius, Caesar, the Nazis, or segregationists? Or is like Randy says?: Find the best in everybody. Just keep waiting no matter how long it takes. No one is all evil. Everybody has a good side, just keep waiting, it will come out.

What would your last lecture be? What would you say? Who would you say it to? We are going to write our own last lectures & share them with each other. This is a piece of persuasion that we will create, but not in the typical sense This is the ultimate persuasion: what is the love story for our lives? Also, you are developing your own definition of the human condition– what does it mean to be human and how do we embrace our own definition of humanity in a world that is often made up of dictators, killings, hate, and war?