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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