Steve Jobs: Stanford commencement address, June 2005 | Technology | The Observer
^^^TO READ AND CONTEMPLATE...
If you read or skip down to the part where Jobs talks about life and death, we find
it deeply moving and wise beyond his years. Mom doesn't own one i-anything, although it would make a tremendous difference in our lives if she used technology we could all understand. We followed Jobs for a different reason, and know we have mentioned it a number of times. Which is that Edwin was diagnosed, in much the same way, with this same rare form of pancreatic cancer which is, supposedly, 100% curable with surgery. When the doctor came out after the endoscopy (and Edwin was still under anesthesia) he didn't have to say one word. He invited mom into a private room, sat her down, then patted her on her knee. She burst into tears. That was the exact same way she found out her best friend was dying years earlier. And Sylvia did die. Mom was there for Sylvia...it was only to have been a routine colonoscopy...turned out to be mom's first "pat on the knee" experience.
We couldn't afford anything Apple, nor can we now. So, we watched Jobs for his weight gain, weight loss, the color of his skin, the way it hung loose on his face
over time, while his pants looked baggier, his skull leaner. Edwin does not have cancer but it took two surgeries, none of them easy. We followed Jobs' secret illness while he fought to keep it that way so Apple stocks wouldn't plunge like the weight rapidly fleeing his body...we watched because we wanted to see what happened to the famous man with such a rare form of "curable" pancreatic cancer.
Then, at the age of 56, Jobs died. Edwin and mom are 55. So we followed Stephen Jobs, not because mom's a techie, or can afford the newest, latest, greatest i-Thing, we watched because we have gone through at least some of what he fought so hard to keep secret.
And we grieve for him. Our generation lost our Thomas Edison prematurely,
before we could wring everything from him, or so one commentator lamented.
Perhaps he - knowing more acutely than anyone - his own mortality, actually
wrung it out of himself, perhaps even hastening his own death...we don't know
him. He said it wouldn't matter whether or not he was the richest man in the
cemetary, that the only thing that mattered is what he did while he was here
on earth. He followed his heart. He was an iconoclastic personality who changed the world. And he was a college drop-out.
So, to honor him, we ask you, dear readers, to introspect within, find your passion, and follow it. Ours is animal rescue, supported through art and the kind generosity of like-souled humans. Mom never feels like she does a good enough job because she gets tired so quickly but we know she does the best she can and we are all happy to be together, especially she is happy we are all together, we calm her
and give her life a sense of purpose and meaning.
We love and admire people who have the guts and courage to follow their hearts.
Right now our friend Eric Blehm is working feverishly on a book which has
broken his heart, yet the story will be written because Eric is a passionate man and devoted to his heart, follows his calling, and has a beautiful wife and family who
support him in this. We have friends who takes risks such as these and love them,
find inspiration in them, and live better for knowing them, whether we ever meet
them or not.
So, we followed Stephen Jobs. We follow Eric Blehm, although now we can only
see the front page of his FACEBOOK because he is communing with the one he
is writing about with a rapidly approaching deadline. We follow our new friend
Alison, working desperately against some pretty tough odds to continue printing
the only Guinea Pig Magazine in the world! We follow our new friend Jen, of
Jen's Custom Crafts, who sewed all our new cuddle cups and YumYum's plush
"MAN-CAVE" because she does this to support her own rescued animals, her
family, and still donates a portion of her profits to small animal rescues
like ours!
So, we follow the visionaries amongst us, mostly invisible to the world, less
newsworthy than Stephen Jobs, yet no less fearless. We follow them, we keep
in touch with them, we admire them, we are here for them, and we hope to
become one of them.
Godspeed, all of you. And Stephen, you fought heroically. Godspeed, friend.
"You have to trust in something--your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.
This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference
in my life."
~Stephen Jobs
We couldn't afford anything Apple, nor can we now. So, we watched Jobs for his weight gain, weight loss, the color of his skin, the way it hung loose on his face
over time, while his pants looked baggier, his skull leaner. Edwin does not have cancer but it took two surgeries, none of them easy. We followed Jobs' secret illness while he fought to keep it that way so Apple stocks wouldn't plunge like the weight rapidly fleeing his body...we watched because we wanted to see what happened to the famous man with such a rare form of "curable" pancreatic cancer.
Then, at the age of 56, Jobs died. Edwin and mom are 55. So we followed Stephen Jobs, not because mom's a techie, or can afford the newest, latest, greatest i-Thing, we watched because we have gone through at least some of what he fought so hard to keep secret.
And we grieve for him. Our generation lost our Thomas Edison prematurely,
before we could wring everything from him, or so one commentator lamented.
Perhaps he - knowing more acutely than anyone - his own mortality, actually
wrung it out of himself, perhaps even hastening his own death...we don't know
him. He said it wouldn't matter whether or not he was the richest man in the
cemetary, that the only thing that mattered is what he did while he was here
on earth. He followed his heart. He was an iconoclastic personality who changed the world. And he was a college drop-out.
So, to honor him, we ask you, dear readers, to introspect within, find your passion, and follow it. Ours is animal rescue, supported through art and the kind generosity of like-souled humans. Mom never feels like she does a good enough job because she gets tired so quickly but we know she does the best she can and we are all happy to be together, especially she is happy we are all together, we calm her
and give her life a sense of purpose and meaning.
We love and admire people who have the guts and courage to follow their hearts.
Right now our friend Eric Blehm is working feverishly on a book which has
broken his heart, yet the story will be written because Eric is a passionate man and devoted to his heart, follows his calling, and has a beautiful wife and family who
support him in this. We have friends who takes risks such as these and love them,
find inspiration in them, and live better for knowing them, whether we ever meet
them or not.
So, we followed Stephen Jobs. We follow Eric Blehm, although now we can only
see the front page of his FACEBOOK because he is communing with the one he
is writing about with a rapidly approaching deadline. We follow our new friend
Alison, working desperately against some pretty tough odds to continue printing
the only Guinea Pig Magazine in the world! We follow our new friend Jen, of
Jen's Custom Crafts, who sewed all our new cuddle cups and YumYum's plush
"MAN-CAVE" because she does this to support her own rescued animals, her
family, and still donates a portion of her profits to small animal rescues
like ours!
So, we follow the visionaries amongst us, mostly invisible to the world, less
newsworthy than Stephen Jobs, yet no less fearless. We follow them, we keep
in touch with them, we admire them, we are here for them, and we hope to
become one of them.
Godspeed, all of you. And Stephen, you fought heroically. Godspeed, friend.
"You have to trust in something--your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.
This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference
in my life."
~Stephen Jobs
