I own an iphone and a Macbook, and throughout the last week a SJ's tribute has been steadfastly posted on the Apple homepage. Unfortunately if you live under a rock aka a Blackberry then you may not know or care. Statistically two to three people die a second in this world, that's 259,200 people a day according to my not infallible maths, and a quick look at the PeterRussell World Clock. What I'm trying to say is that if you live by numbers the ending of SJ's life is insignificant. What a horribly fatalistic line of argument and way to live you life that would be..
Alternatively what I'm suggesting is to champion and rekindle an attitude that seems to be fading in our era of get-famous-quick; there's absolutely nothing wrong in being sentimental when someone genuinely great is gone.
SJ's legacy - to affect change and facilitate people's creativity- is evident within the products that we see all around us. Jobs made it his mission to make an impact and he found his inspiration in knowing how precious, impermanent and fragile life is, this poignant ethos is what strikes a chord with me and he sums it up most adeptly at the Stanford Commencement Speech in 2005.
"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." ~
Evocative stuff; go forth and produce creative people of Mancunia!
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