The Apple Of Our Eyes

"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."

~Steve Jobs, Co-founder and CEO, Apple, Inc.

Prior to last Wednesday, I thought it was Eve who invented the apple. Of course I'm joking; I hardly believe that an apple, one of my most favorite fruits (Fuji in particular) is at the "core" of woman being "established as subordinate to man, ending Utopian unity between the sexes."

At least Steve Jobs didn't allow one bad apple to destroy a whole bunch of great ideas, which all began in his parents garage at 20 years old. I've researched so much about this man in the last few days all because after returning from taking the apple of my eye to school, I heard the news of the Apple Founders death on the radio just as I was about to turn my car off. My curiosity was piqued so I stayed to listen. If nothing else, I thought I'd be able to impress my extremely technophile son with my knowledge since he can't stand that I won't "get with it," never mind that it costs a lot of money to "get with it." I still refuse to pay the extra $30.00 for the texting "privileges," if that gives you an idea of where I stand in the world of technology. (Whatever happened to Morse code, by the way?)

What captures my attention is good old fashioned wisdom; un"Tweeted," un"Texted," and un"Status Updated." By the end of the 3-5 minute news announcement of Job's death, I was bewitched by the infinite wisdom of this technological genius and bewildered that the two should go hand in hand. (e.g. I can't picture the Dalai Lama hanging out in the Silicon Valley). Okay, so I've been enlightened...again. As the radio played an excerpt from Steve Job's Commencement address delivered to the students at Stanford University, I was blown away and couldn't wait to find out more about this man who was clearly taken from us too soon...as usual with the "good ones."

"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." (Steve Job, June 12, 2005. To read the entire speech and/or watch the video, click here http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html )

Being the Apple fanatic that he is, I pulled up the Stanford speech and told my son I wanted to share a little of the man behind his beloved Apple products; as usual, he was anxious to oblige. He, too, was enamored by the humanness behind the gadgets. Then we watched the video of the actual speech together and I watched as my little techno monkey hung onto every single word. It always makes my heart smile when I witness him being influenced by positive and influential role models.

He has been saving his allowance and dog walking money diligently with the hopes of owning an iPad before they become extinct. It's comforting to know that when he does (and he will) acquire his "latest and greatest," that the gadget will have a heartbeat and a constant reminder that anything in life is attainable if you follow your heart.

Steve Jobs

2/24/1955 - 10/5/2011

Stay hungry, stay foolish....indeed!

The Paper Whisperer