Ricky GerÂvais, the comeÂdiÂan and brains behind The Office, talks here about the difÂferÂence between British and AmerÂiÂcan humor, and it realÂly gets down to deep culÂturÂal difÂferÂences. OptiÂmism, the belief that anyÂthing is posÂsiÂble, verÂsus an ingrained pesÂsimism and penÂchant for the underÂdog. I wonÂder whether UK readÂers would agree with this charÂacÂterÂiÂzaÂtion. And, more so, I wonÂder which outÂlook, the British or AmerÂiÂcan, can betÂter get you through these difÂfiÂcult times. The answer, to me, is not obviÂous…
The Life You Can Save
If you’re not familÂiar with him, Peter Singer is an AusÂtralian-born philosoÂpher who teachÂes at PrinceÂton and who wrote AniÂmal LibÂerÂaÂtion in 1975, helpÂing to launch the aniÂmal rights moveÂment. A pracÂtiÂtionÂer of applied ethics, he has also takÂen conÂtroÂverÂsial posiÂtions on euthanaÂsia. NowaÂdays, he’s workÂing on less senÂsiÂtive issues. His latÂest book is called The Life You Can Save: ActÂing Now to End World PoverÂty, and it makes the basic point that most of us could be doing more, with very litÂtle effort, to save lives around the world.
It’s a givÂen that we would rush to save a small child about to step into oncomÂing trafÂfic. That’s a no-brainÂer, an instinct. But, if we’re told that we can save the lives of chilÂdren worldÂwide by givÂing token amounts of monÂey each month, we often react indifÂferÂentÂly and then go out and conÂsume. In this interÂview heard on San FranÂcisÂco airÂwaves this mornÂing, (MP3 — iTunes — Feed), Singer gets into how small sacÂriÂfices can make big difÂferÂences, and why we should make them. And if you’re lookÂing for charÂiÂties that can help make these difÂferÂences, Singer proÂvides a helpÂful list on his web site.
What We Can Learn from Past Presidents
AppearÂing at the TED ConÂferÂence in 2008, Pulitzer-Prize WinÂning hisÂtoÂriÂan Doris Kearns GoodÂwin talks about what we can all learn from AmerÂiÂcan presÂiÂdents, includÂing parÂticÂuÂlarÂly AbraÂham LinÂcoln and LynÂdon JohnÂson. This is not anothÂer talk about what makes presÂiÂdents great. It’s more about the balÂance between work, love, and play, and how we can genÂerÂalÂly be proÂducÂtive, shiny, hapÂpy peoÂple.
“Last Lecture” Professor Randy Pausch Dies
Randy Pausch, the comÂputÂer sciÂence proÂfesÂsor from Carnegie MelÂlon UniÂverÂsiÂty whose “Last LecÂture” caught the pubÂlic imagÂiÂnaÂtion, has died of panÂcreÂatÂic canÂcer. Thanks partÂly to a Wall Street JourÂnal artiÂcle writÂten last SepÂtemÂber, the pubÂlic disÂcovÂered the remarkÂably upbeat and upliftÂing lecÂture Pausch gave soon after getÂting diagÂnosed. Titled “RealÂly AchievÂing Your ChildÂhood Dreams” (see video below, or downÂload on iTunes here), the lecÂture became a media senÂsaÂtion and went viral across the web. And it served as the basis for Pausch’s bestelling book, The Last LecÂture. If you haven’t seen the video, give it your time. It will teach you someÂthing more valuÂable than anyÂthing else we serve up here.
J.K. Rowling Tells Harvard Grads Why Success Begins with Failure
Here’s J.K. RowlÂing speakÂing with eloÂquence at HarÂvard’s gradÂuÂaÂtion, 2008. You’ll find a litÂtle wit (although far difÂferÂent than the kind on disÂplay when Sacha Baron Cohen — a.k.a. Ali G & Borat — spoke at HarÂvard gradÂuÂaÂtion fesÂtivÂiÂties in 2004). And then there’s the sage advice that she disÂpensÂes. Some good thoughts on why sucÂcess is ultiÂmateÂly predÂiÂcatÂed on failÂure (thoughts that call to mind Steve Jobs’ now famous talk at StanÂford), and why we need to exerÂcise the powÂer of imagÂiÂnaÂtion — and empaÂthy — in the broadÂest sense. We have othÂer fine gradÂuÂaÂtion speechÂes postÂed below.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
Conan O’Brien Kills It at DartÂmouth GradÂuÂaÂtion
Bono Tells GradÂuÂates “Pick a Fight, Get in It” (2004)
Stephen ColÂbert DishÂes Out WisÂdom & Laughs at NorthÂwestÂern
Ira Glass on Why Creative Excellence Takes Time
Ira Glass, host of the beloved radio show This AmerÂiÂcan Life, offers a helpÂful reminder that excelÂlence doesÂn’t come autoÂmatÂiÂcalÂly. (See video below.) It takes work, years of it. And he revisÂits some of his earÂly radio work in order to prove it.
The Glass video has been added to our YouTube playlist.
The Lecture That Captured the Public Imagination: From YouTube Sensation to #1 Best-Selling Book
By now, many of you have probÂaÂbly seen (or at least heard about) the last lecÂture by Randy Pausch, a comÂputÂer sciÂence proÂfesÂsor from Carnegie MelÂlon UniÂverÂsiÂty, who is dying from panÂcreÂatÂic canÂcer. EntiÂtled “RealÂly AchievÂing Your ChildÂhood Dreams,” the lecÂture (see video below) is upbeat and upliftÂing withÂout being the slightÂest bit morose. And it sets an examÂple for how we can think about livÂing and dying. The lecÂture has been watched by milÂlions on YouTube, and it serves as the basis for a new book called The Last LecÂture, which is now the numÂber one bestÂseller on AmaÂzon. We’ve added the video to our YouTube playlist. If you haven’t seen it yet, give it your time. It will teach you someÂthing more valuÂable than anyÂthing else we serve up here. Also, you can downÂload it on iTunes.
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