my last lecture...

Many universities have a program called the "last lecture" series. This is typically a monthly session in which a faculty or staff member will be asked to take an hour or so and give his/her "last lecture," or rather, a lecture on a topic of their choice. This is typically what he/she would choose if he/she knew if was going to be the final lecture of his/her life.

I was recently asked by the student planners to be the final speaker of the semester. Unfortunately, I didn't have a single evening free to a) plan it and b) actually give it. I have deferred this honor until next semester; however, it has really gotten me thinking. What would I speak about if I knew it was the last time I was going to speak to an audience? For nearly every speech/workshop/lecture I've ever given, I've always had a specific goal, topic or theme. This is utter and complete freedom and I'm really at a loss for what to focus on in this.

Do I pick a topic on which I'm very familiar and on which I have given many workshops? Do I speak about social injustices and use the time in front of a captive* audience to raise awareness? Do I get personal and talk about relationships/dating and other human social interactions? Do I practice my ever-evolving stand-up comedy routine? Do I talk about the benefits of travel and share stories from around the world?

Augh. It's somewhat overwhelming... but fun to think about. If you were asked to give your last lecture, what topic would you choose?

*I say "captive" because college students are never really captive, they are always multi-tasking. I would be competing for attention with facebook, instant/text messaging, email, web surfing etc.