Farewell Lecture — CDAC Fall 2006
CDAC Fall 2006
Farewell Lecture
Good Morning, First of all let me congratulate all of you on completing your Foundations of Web Technology course with the completion of the Practical Exams yesterday. The exams yesterday marked many memorable events for me personally as I was finally able to provide you with “individual” attention. Never mind that it was in the stressful environment of the exam, I hope you learnt a few things there. Especially those of you for whom yesterday marked a “debut” in the practical exam hall. Hopefully you are encouraged by the experience to spend more time practicing writing and debugging code. Hopefully the course has been as much fun for you as it had been for me. Your contributions, your hard work and your eagerness to learn has made it possible to look at the future ahead with a very positive outlook in terms of opportunities for growth, learning and success, and yes that “Dream Job”.
Writing to you today marks a milestone in my life as well. It has been 7 years that I since I have been teaching and your batch marks the thousandth student that I have taught. Still the implication of being your speaker frightens me. For one thing, if a 20-something, ex-anything wrote to me, he was about the last person I'd believe. I have no intention of giving you the boring speech that you might be expecting; I think I have already given you all of that in my regular teaching hours.
Instead, I am going to talk about Insights today. Insights that I've accumulated in the last 7 years from where you are to where I am. Don't blindly believe me. Don't take what I say as "truth." Just listen. I don’t usually impart this advice to young impressionable 21 yr old students on every Sunday and hence I may be horribly out of whack. I believe though that this might just help you a little tiny bit
#10: Dare to Dream
It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult. Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. A great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage. Our Country needs more people who specialize in the impossible. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now work to put the foundations under them. Your aspirations are your possibilities.
#9 Pursue joy, not happiness.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve a complex C pointers problem by chewing bubble gum. Nice house. Nice car. Nice material things could all be predictable happiness. Take my word for it, happiness is temporary and fleeting. Joy, by contrast, is unpredictable. It comes from pursuing interests and passions that do not obviously result in happiness. Do what you love, Love what you do. Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only
with yourself. Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
#8: Challenge the known and embrace the unknown.
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually fear that you will make one.
#7: Do one thing everyday that scares you. Sing
Learn to play a musical instrument. My only connection to music was that I share my name with a famous singer “Robbie Williams”. Playing a musical instrument could be with me now and stay with me forever. Instead, I have to download illegal music at the BitTorrent network.
#6: Continue to learn
Learning is a process not an event. I thought learning would be over when I got my degree. It's not true. You should never stop learning. Indeed, it gets easier to learn once you're out of school because it's easier to see the relevance of why you need to learn.
#5: Learn to like yourself or change yourself until you can like yourself.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how nice you really looked.
#4: Play to win and win to play.
And what if you lose? Just make sure you lose while trying something grand. "If you are going to fail, you might as well fail at a difficult task. Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming. Use what talent you possess. “For the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best" And yes, be careful what you set your heart on, for it will surely be yours. Ultimately, your greatest competition is yourself.
#4: Give it “Once more chance”.
Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognize them. Having once decided to achieve a certain task, achieve it at all costs of tedium and distaste. The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labor is immense. But if you don’t succeed at first; just remember the theme of our entire course "Giving it one more chance" and try once more, you will be amazed by the results. Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there. For after all, Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones. After all these years since someone coined this term, Genius is 99 percent perspiration and 1 percent inspiration, it remains a 100% true.
#2: Obey the absolutes.
When you were very young, it was absolutely wrong to lie or cheat, or steal. As you get older, and particularly when you enter the workforce, you will be tempted by the "system" to think in relative terms. "I made more money." "I have a nicer car."
"I went on a better vacation." Worse, "I didn't cheat as much on my taxes as my colleagues." This is completely wrong. Preserve and obey the absolutes as much as you can. If you never lie, cheat, or steal, you will never have to remember who you lied to, how you cheated, and what you stole. There absolutely are absolute rights and wrongs.
#1: Enjoy your family and friends before they are gone.
This is the most important insight. It doesn't need much explanation. I'll just repeat it: Enjoy your family and friends before they are gone. Nothing-not money, power, or fame-can replace your family and friends or bring them back once they are gone. Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young
Well that’s the end of all my insight, even if one of them helps even one of you, I will consider this as time well spent.
I know these probably weren't the most inspirational ten minutes of your lives, but if your past few weeks have been anything like mine, you've probably received enough advice and good wishes to last you well into your 40s.
I wish you all luck in the rest of your lives; may they be full of enjoyment and just enough sorrow to really remind you how great the good times are. I end with an oft used Irish Blessing.
May the road rise to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields, and, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Till we meet again. Adios. Goodbye.
Regards
Roby John
15th October, 2006.
CDAC, University of Pune
Thube Park, Pune – 411005
(adapted from Kawasaki’s speeches)
From my archive, typed up from the original.
