I've never even owned an Apple product
(yet - if I had lots of money I would probably have an iPad and iPhone
both), but just about every personal computing and cellular
communications I have ever owned has been affected by his
influence on the world of technology. His Pixar Animation Company's
movies are some of my favorite animated movies. Jobs, who died yesterday
at the age of 56, was a businessman, an inventor, an innovator, and a
visionary, in an era when too many of our business leaders and
scientists live narrowly-focused lives bounded by only their own greed.
I will admit that I took issue with his position on philanthropy: when
he returned to Apple in 1997, he closed the company's philanthropic
programs, and he steadfastly publicly refused to participate in charity
foundations or comment on the subject other than to say that he chose to
put his time and energy into his corporation. There is evidence that he
made substantial unpublicized donations over the years, and his wife is
involved in a number of philanthropic organizations. At the end of the
day what matters most is what he contributed to the world with his
creativity and accomplishments, and how his legacy of innovations has
that truly changed our world. (And hopefully the ripple effect will
continue, and eventually there will be an iPhone knockoff for the poorer
folks like me, just like there are affordable versions of iPads and
iPods now.)
I've been thinking a lot lately about my own legacy:
just exactly what it might be when my time comes, and how to make the
best use of the time I have left on this planet. I guess some of this
comes from having lost my brother a few years ago (he was only 58 when
he died) as well as another very dear friend who was just a few months
younger than me, and part of it probably comes from the fact that I turn
55 myself next month. There's something about those landmark birthdays
that brings out that kind of thinking (I'll now qualify for "senior
citizens discounts!" -- *shudders*.) The quotation below - very much
along those lines - is excerpted from a commencement address Steve Jobs
delivered for Stanford University in 2005, one year after he was
diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I really think I need to tattoo some
of these words on the back of my hand, to remind me how important it is
to kick my sorry ass out of the bed or off the couch - even on those
days when I feel really shitty, to just get moving, and do something, even on the days when I'm feeling lousy. Life is truly short, and it goes by so damn fast.
So. Some parting words from Mr. Jobs....
"When
I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each
day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It
made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have
looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the
last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?"
And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know
I need to change something.
Remembering that I'll be dead soon
is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big
choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations,
all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just
fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.
Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid
the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked.
There is no reason not to follow your heart....
No one wants to
die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get
there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever
escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely
the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears
out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but
someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be
cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your
time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be
trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's
thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own
inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart
and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.
Everything else is secondary....
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."
Bon Voyage, Steve.
