The place to begin is a portion of his Stanford University Commencement Address in 2005. Some have called this address the "Gettysburg Address" of all commencement addresses. The context is his diagnosis with terminal pancreatic cancer.
Remembering 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 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. Stay hungry. Stay foolish.
Knowledge of impending death means each moment is important. Don't waste time. Focus now. If you want to accomplish something, get on with it. Make your life count for something. Don't worry about all the consequences because you won't be around to take all the flak. Fear nothing! Create something helpful! Try it! Take risks!
It is significant that Jobs was a college drop-out who teamed up with a friend to start his computer journey in a garage. Jobs was also fired from Apple. He said it was the best thing that ever happened to him because it freed him to travel another direction which ended up being the most creative journey of his life.
Jobs also realized that what he was able to do, he could not have done alone. He said: "My business model is the Beatles.... they balanced each other and the total was greater than the sum of the parts.... great things in business are never done by one person, they are done by a team of people."
One of his favorite quotes was from Picasso: "Good artists copy. Great artists steal." Steve Jobs studied the works of others and was able to connect their genius with his genius. He said: "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards." He had respect for others' insights.
I have learned in life that you can always do something. Even when there are times of scarce resources, you can always dream, always write a letter, always read a book, always meet with a friend, always bat around ideas, always make a phone call, always visit with a leader, always comfort a friend, always reconcile with an enemy, always lay plans for the future, always spend time Google-ing, always love your spouse and family, colleagues and the poor, always march and demonstrate for peace and justice, always join a committee to make life better for folks, always start a group, always scrounge for financial resources, always take time for the family and neighbors, always look for a way through, always seek employment, always support each other, always worship Jesus, ALWAYS.... There are always ALWAYS.
ALWAYS isn't easy. We need each other. This is one of the lessons of the "99%". The "99%" are those who are Occupying Wall Street, saying "We have had enough of your greed and selfishness. We demand fairness." In 1977, the top 1% of wage earners controlled just 9% of the nation's wealth. Today they control 24%. And the gap is widening. Yet, these 99%ers are dreaming, working together, innovating with passion, casting risk to the wind, cleansing their wills of fear, acting foolishly (according to some), embodying Bob Dylan's classic phrase: "When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose."
As I read scripture I am always struck by the Exodus deliverence story and Jesus' empathy with people's life situations. I am also struck by God's call to be faithful and Jesus' call to discipleship. The faithful are never left to wallow in hopelessness or powerlessness. There is acknowledgement of people's plights, support and comfort in the difficult times, as well as opening the door to the future with promises. Christ makes ALWAYS a reality.
Jobs? Christ is ALWAYS with us in our struggles; yet, also, Christ is ALWAYS calling us to act, to "stay hungry", and "stay foolish"!
In I Corinthians 15, Paul writes: "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? Death is swallowed up in victory!.... Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, ALWAYS excelling in the work of God, because you know that in Christ your labor is not in vain."
Press on!
Peace!
Ron
OK. I will!
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