流浪的薰衣草，流浪……麦子，迷茫

1.

7月25日，美国Carnegie Mellon大学计算机系教授兰迪·波许（Randy Pausch），因晚期癌症去世，享年47岁。

在去世前的10个月，也就是2007年9月18日，他做过一个著名的演说《最后一课》（The Last Lecture），回顾了自己的一生。这篇演说反响极大，数百万人观看了网上的视频，ABC电视网将他选为“2007年年度人物”之一，《时代》杂志将他列入了“世界上影响最大的100人”，同名书籍至今仍然排在“建议类畅销书”的榜首。

你可以在Youtube上看到中文字幕版的录像，全长105分钟；或者在土豆网上（http://www.tudou.com/playlist/playindex.do?lid=3653483&iid=18108365）。点击这里下载中英对照的讲稿（PDF文件，572KB）。更多的信息可以访问Carnegie Mellon大学和《The Last Lecture》的官方网站。

我去年就读过这篇演说的中译，看得很马虎，只觉得他讲了不少专业内容，我不太感兴趣，所以甚至都没有读完。现在想起来，真是惭愧。

今天，我认真地将演说读了一遍，并且看完了视频，发现里面有很多东西值得抄录下来。

2.

演说的第一部分，波许教授回忆了，他如何实现童年的几个梦想。

他的第一个梦想，是想体验失重状态。直到他当了教授以后，这个梦想才有机会实现。

当时，美国宇航宇（NASA）搞了一个大学生竞赛，优胜团队将被送到高空，体验25秒失重状态。波许教授组织了一支参赛队，并且获得了第一名。但是，NASA告诉他，只有学生才能飞上天空，指导老师不行。他就急了，要求将教师的身份改为随队记者，因为记者可以一起飞。NASA回应说：“你这样做，未免太明目张胆了吧。”

他说，我会随行带来最新研究成果——“虚拟现实”头盔，让学生当场演示，一定会让本次活动引起瞩目，登上各大媒体，帮你们宣传。NASA一听，就同意让他飞了。

波许教授的第一个人生经验就是：

Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome.

你必须要有一些真本领，这样可以让你更受欢迎。

3.

接着，他又回忆了，他小时候最喜欢打橄榄球。

可是，第一次上橄榄球课，老师却是空着手来的，没有带球。其他小朋友问：“老师，没有球怎么上课啊？”老师反问：“橄榄球场上一共有几个人？”小朋友们答道：“每队11人，一共22人。”老师又问：“在比赛的任何一个时刻，有几个人可以接触到球？”小朋友们回答：“只有1个人。”老师说：“好的，我们今天就开始学习，那其他21个人要干的事情。”

这件事，波许一直记住了，他的忠告是：

You’ve got to get the fundamentals down because otherwise the fancy stuff isn’t going to work.

你必须练好基本功，否则后面的事情都不会发生。

4.

整篇演说中，我最喜欢的是下面这段话。

That was a bit of a setback.

你总会遇到挫折。

But remember, the brick walls are there for a reason.

但是记住，它们的出现不是没有原因的。

The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.

砖墙并不为了挡住我们。它在那里，只是为了测试，我们的决心到底有多迫切。

Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.

它在那里挡住了那些没有强烈决心的人。它挡住了那些人。

Remember brick walls let us show our dedication.They are there to separate us from the people who don’t really want to achieve their childhood dreams.

记住，砖墙的存在是为了显示我们自己付出的决心。它使得我们，同那些并不真的想实现梦想的人得以区分。

5.

在演说的最后一部分，波许教授为青年学生，更是为他的三个没有成年的孩子，总结了14条为人处世的建议：

i. Helping others.

帮助他人。

ii. Never lose the childlike wonder. It's what drives us.

永远不要失去好奇心，它是人类前进的动力。

iii. Loyalty is a two way street.

诚以待人，这样别人也会忠实地对待你。

iv. Never give up.

永远不要放弃。

v. You can't get there alone. People have to help you. You get people to
help you by telling the truth.

你不能单打独斗，必须有人来帮你。只要你讲真话，就会有人来帮你。

vi. Apologize when you screw up and focus on other people, not on yourself.

当你把事情搞砸，首先要向别人道歉，首先关心他们的损失，而不是你自己的损失。

vii. When you do the right thing, good stuff has a way of happening.

如果你做了正确的事，好的结果自然会发生。

viii. Get a feedback loop and listen to it.

注意倾听反馈。

ix. Show gratitude.

感恩。

x. Don’t complain. Just work harder.

不要抱怨，而要加倍努力。

xi. Be good at something, it makes you valuable.

要有一技之长，它使你有价值。

xii. Work hard.

努力再努力。

xiii. Find the best in everybody.

注意发现他人的优点。

xiv. Be prepared. Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity.

做好准备。所谓幸运，真的是机会和准备的结合。

6.

在演说文稿之后，附有波许教授的病情自述，读来令人心酸。他患的是生存率最低的“癌中之王”胰腺癌。只要得病，几乎必死无疑，可以参考我以前转贴的《米老排：胰腺癌日记》。

兰迪·波许的病情简报

Late in the summer of 2006, I started having some unusual symptoms, culminating with jaudice. Scans revealed it was pancreatic cancer. At this time, my wife Jai and I had a 4 year old, a 2 year old, and a three month old baby.

2006年夏末, 我开始有一些异常的症状, 最后出现了黄疸。扫描发现是胰腺癌。那时, 我的妻子洁和我的三个孩子分别是 4 岁、2 岁, 和三个月大。

Pancreatic cancer is the most deadly of cancers, with only a 4% 5-year survival rate. The only hope is to be one of the 20% of patients (which I was) where surgery is possible. I had a Whipple surgery on Sept 19th, 2006; Dr. Herbert Zeh removed the (4.5cm) tumor, my gallbladder, 1/3rd of my pancreas, 1/3rd of my stomach, and several feet of my small intestine. I was in the hospital 11 days. Even with a successful Whipple surgery, only 15% of pancreatic cancer patients make it to 5 years, and there is no concensus about which chemotherapy and/or radiation after surgery helps. I found the Virginia Mason protocol, where early trials were claiming to get 45% of people to 5 years. However, it was an extremely toxic combination of chemotherapy and daily radiation: a nation-wide trial was shut down because several patients died from the treatment. There were two centers still offering the treatment: Virginia Mason in Seattle, and MD Anderson in Houston, and I was able to quality for the treatment in Houston. This happened in a whirlwind: the treatment needed to start within 6-8 weeks of the surgery. And Jai & I needed to figure out how to have somebody stay with me full time, and also take care of our 3 kids.

胰腺癌症是最致命的癌症, 5年生存率仅 4% 。唯一有希望的是那些 20%可手术治疗的患者(我是其中之一)。我在 2006年 9月 19日接受了胰十二指肠切除术(Whipple); 赫伯特.泽医生切除了我的 肿瘤(4.5cm), 胆囊, 1/3的胰腺, 1/3的的胃, 和几英尺的小肠。我在医院住了 11 天。即使在成功的 Whipple手术后, 只有 15%的胰腺癌患者存活 5年, 而对于术后的化疗和/或放疗方案,医界也无共识 。我找到维吉尼亚梅森方案, 初期临床试验提高 5年生存率到 45%。但是, 这是毒性很大的化疗和每日放疗的组合。因为有几名患者死于该治疗, 全国性的临床试验被终止了。有二个中心仍提供该疗法: 西雅图的维吉尼亚梅森医疗中心, 和在休斯敦的德州大学安德生癌症中心, 而我有资格在休斯敦接受治疗。说时迟,那时快: 治疗需在手术后 6-8周内开始。洁和我需要想办法既能照顾我们的 3个小孩, 有要有人全时陪护我。

I spent November and December at MD Anderson receiving IV Cisplatin once a week, interferon injections three times a week, continuous infusion 5-FU, and daily radiation. Fortunately, Jai's brother and sister-in-law took in our three kids (on top of their 8 and 12 year old), in Norfolk Virginia, while Jai stayed with me in Houston. Every weekend, Jai flew to Norfolk to be with our kids, and my sister Ruby or one of my friends (thank God for Jessica Hodgins, Scott Sherman, and Jack Sheriff) would come stay with me. I was also blessed with my colleague Chris Hoffmann, a CS professor at Purdue who had been through this exact ordeal two years prior: his encouragment and practical tips were invaluable in getting through the treatment. The less I say about Houston the better, but by the end I was barely able to walk, and my weight (starting at 182) dropped to 138.

我在安德生癌症中心度过了 11月和 12月,每周一次静脉注射顺铂, 干扰素注射每周三次, 5-氟尿嘧啶持续滴注, 和每日放疗。幸运地是, 当洁和我一起在休斯敦时, 她在弗吉尼亚州诺福克的哥,嫂为我们看了三个小孩(再加上他们的 8岁和 12岁的孩子), 。每个周末, 洁飞到诺福克跟我们的孩子在一起, 而我姐姐如碧或我的朋友(非常感谢杰西卡·霍金斯, 斯科特·谢尔曼, 和杰克·谢若夫) 会来和我呆在一起。我也有幸我的同事克里斯·霍夫曼, 一位两年前经历过同样磨难的普渡大学计算机学教授, 给予无价的鼓励和熬过治疗的实用窍门。关于休斯敦我说的越少越好, 但最后我几乎不能走路, 我的体重(原来 182磅)掉到 138磅。

The next four months of chemo (continuous infusion 5-FU) was back in Pittsburgh, through May 2007. Now, I'm 168 pounds and look normal. (To answer everybody's first question, no, my hair never fell out). One additional treatment is a vaccine done at Johns Hopkins: I don't expect it will change my odds much, but it can't hurt. I still have digestive inconveniences from the Whipple surgery: I have to eat 5 small meals a day and take pills with each meal, and I have some abdominal cramping from time to time. A small price to pay for walking around.

接下四个月的化疗 (5-氟尿嘧啶持续滴注) 回到匹兹堡做, 直到 2007 年 5月。现在, 我 168磅, 看起来正常。(回答每个人的第一个问题, 没有, 我从未脱发) 。另外还有在约翰霍普金斯大学做的疫苗治疗: 我不期望它扭转乾坤, 但总是有益无害。我仍然有手术后的消化问题: 我必须一天吃 5小顿饭,每顿饭都要吃药, 有时肚子还会抽筋。为活着而付的一个小代价。

In August of 2007, we learned that the cancer had returned, having metastasized to my liver and spleen, which is a death sentence. At that time, the doctors gave me an estimate of having 3-6 months of healthy living left. On Oct 1st, we learned that the first round of palliative chemotherapy was working, and that I would likely be "more like the 6 than like the 3 in that estimate."

2007年8月，我们获悉，癌症已复发,且转移到肝和脾，这意味着死亡。那时, 医生估计我有 3-6个月的健康生存期。在 10月 1日, 我们获悉第一轮姑息化疗有效，我的预后更可能是"6"而不是"3"。

My wife Jai has been an incredible source of stability and courage through all this. We both agree that "you can't control the cards you're dealt, just how you play the hand."

在整个过程中，我妻子洁一直是一个超乎寻常的稳定和勇气的源泉。我们都同意，“你不能控制发给你的牌，只能控制如何打牌。”

Randy Pausch, October 2007

兰迪.波许,2007年 10月

（完）