I have followed the exploits of Don Quixote, the man of La Mancha, for several decades. He is one of my mentors, and I felt as if I understood Miguel Cervantes' character better than most Americans.
However, I danced with death a couple of times and then watched Randy Pausch's Last Lecture. The dances and the Last Lecture were transformative moments for me. Doing the dance caused me to rethink everything I thought that I knew about life.
What is true about the Last Lecture is equally true regarding Don Quixote. Years ago, I could not fully comprehend what his mindset was at his age in life, since I was not at that age and hadn't danced with death. Nonetheless, I grasp his insights, his struggles, and his will to obtain his quests.
Dance with death and life comes into a far clearer focus. My understanding of Don Quixote is influenced by Randy Pausch's Last Lecture and Teddy Roosevelt's Man in the Arena. I have a radically different Weltanschauung (worldview) than I had when I was first introduced to Don Quixote many years ago.
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The Angel Spoke... And I Listened. | 06/10/16 |
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Worthless Windmills Time Will Tell Their Worth | 04/01/16 |
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Learning from My Mentor A Knight-Errant On His Deathbed | 03/28/16 |
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Could I Have This Dance... For the Rest of My Life? | 03/11/16 |
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Alex Failed... But Danced On. | 03/09/16 |
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What Drives Me? And the Answer Is.... | 03/07/16 |
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The Art of Beating the Grim Reaper Follow Randy Pausch's Example | 02/24/16 |
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The Value of Dreaming About My List of Dulcineas | 02/12/16 |
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Somewhere in Time The Importance of Memories | 02/04/16 |
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Another Dancer David Hume | 02/01/16 |
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Talking with Vincent About Life and Art | 01/27/16 |
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Dreams will come to you.... If You Are True to Your Quest | 01/22/16 |
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Miguel Cervantes As Don Quixote | 01/18/16 |
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What a Feeling And It Is a Great Feeling | 11/20/15 |
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Pandora Provides Hope... Don Quixote Provides Determination | 11/09/15 |
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Don Quixote Then and Now | 11/04/15 |
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A Man with a Mission... Sinking a German U-boat | 08/12/15 |
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Forrester and I in Our Winters Seasons Change Young Man... | 09/10/13 |
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Don Quixote Rides Again... Or Looking Down the Hallway | 08/04/13 |