Steve Jobs has died but not his influence; that will live on for generations to come. Let's take a look at why that is.
A strong clue is contained in his address at the June 2005 commencement at Stanford University. In it Jobs stated: "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."
In his view there is a beginning and ending of life; but in between is life itself. What we do with it is our task. It is to be lived authentically and originally. That process requires courage, self investment and an honest reaching out to the surrounding world. There we see needs and connundrums; puzzles to think through and make sense of; challenges to overcome; happiness to manage; sorrow and loss to heal; achievement to absorb constructively. And much more, so very much more.
Steve Jobs invented his life. He created new technologies and social means to access technology, to harness it in our daily living. Along that journey he kept his privacy and humanity. He loved and parented a family. He nurtured employees and friends alike so they would produce their own life dreams. He may have lived within the social fabric provided by society but what he did with his life itself was his very own story.
And the result? He and his family and friends and employees created so much more for the rest of us to experience and make good use of. He became wealthy of course, but this was not his purpose or dream. His purpose was to make sense of the world in a way that would benefit others in small and large ways.
He did not copy from others. He did his own thinking. He added valued input from others to augment group creation and the rest is history. Do the rest of us even use a tiny fraction of the creative power we have? I doubt it. We tend to follow the leader or mob. We listen to the 'noise' of others ranting. We think on matters handed to us. We shrink from the hard work of inventing and creating.
Steve Jobs did not advocate a solitary life. He engaged life with others in it. He did select how he used his time, and what he spent his mind thinking about. He joined efforts with others and allowed creativity to shape their interaction.
Steve Jobs would say, make your own life story happen. Listen to your inner voice. Heed the ideas springing from your mind. Wonder how these ideas can connect to others. Create a new way. Imagine it. Live it.
On the other hand, one thinks Steve Jobs would also say: nevermind the loud speech of negative people; ignore the Westboro Baptist Church which today announced via twitter on an Iphone that they would picket Steve Jobs' funeral. Turn a deaf ear to the clanging messages on news outlets. These are distractions from the important work of living a whole and creative life.
That's why his influence will live on for generations to come. His life gave us the freedom to be ourselves, to take charge of our own lives, and to be as a new breeze upon the globe, refreshing all that is.
No comments:
Post a Comment