[Athens]

I know there are a lot of Steve Job threads already but indulge me on this topic.




“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 other's 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.”

How does this affect you personally? I mean ok it came from Steve Jobs and every one is more sensitive to many of the things he has said because his death is so fresh and recent. I actually herd this quote before and watched his address to university students and at the time I didn't take anything from it. Now I find myself reading his quotes, and watching videos of things past said and they have a entire new meaning. I don't know if its because now in death it brings quotes like this into a new perspective. I think in my case it does.

I have come to realize I am not living my life for myself. I am wasting it on others around me. I hold my potential back out of fear of losing everything. I hold my self back because of fear of the unknown. I keep thinking about many of the things Steve has said looking beyond what he did for the computer industry. Looking beyond Apple. Looking more into the man himself and how he ran his life and what drove him.

So I think I am about to have a second change in my life which I will be able to contribute to Steve. For the good or the bad I don't know yet. Steve brought us personal computers. This much is certain. With out him home computers would be at least 10 years behind where it is now or even further. This comes from watching a excellent series made in 1992 about computers. A very unbiased very complete and very informative series about computers from 150 years ago to 1992. The establishment couldn't see the big picture. Its why Xerox didn't do anything with its GUI and mouse for a decade that it had it. It took Steve to see it and if it was not for him its a question if Microsoft would be here today. If computers would be in the home today as they are now. I suspect it would have happened but just 20 years later. We might be using something like Windows 3.1 right now. Anyways I grew up in this new world of personal computers. My work, my life is totally based around personal computers. So this is attributed to Steve.

Now my second change with my life will be around living it up. Its hard to escape that death could be tomorrow. You never know when that drunk might cross into your lane. Or when you will contract a deadly infection or develop a cancer. Living ones life around others instead of going after what you really want and making yourself number one is what my next goal will be. Not so much to honor Steve in death. I respect him and thank him for what he has done but I have not lost perspective that he was a man I never meet, some one while important in one aspect of my life was just another stranger. But as a teacher, a guide to which I want to follow, to learn from and to better myself, I think these are good personal reasons to attempt a change in life. I mean we all learn from each other one way or another. That is what being human is about the exchange of ideas and knowledge. I see what he accomplished. I see what his end results where. His message while simple is as true as it can be. We control our lives, live our lives the way we want to not for others and live each day as its your last because it could be. I can't find any fault in this and its absolutely true in every respect.

So I want to know has any one else given it much thought. Has it changed anything for you. Will it possible change anything for you.

Oh for those interested in that series I was talking about its the machine that changed the world (1of5) The Machine that Changed the World: Giant Brains. 1992 480P Documentary - YouTube the complete series is on youtube. Every computer geek in the world should watch this series.

[calverson]

Wouldn't it be "How do these words affect you?"

[Big Mac]

I can hear Steve's voice in my head when I read those words. They're tremendously inspiring and self-empowering. They are also probably dangerous words if taken to heart by some. After all, living the way other people expect is good for those who are anti-social or psychotic. But for normal people it's probably most often terrific advice. And Steve's life exemplified that philosophy.

I also see in those words strong parallels to Nietzsche. SJ was Nietzsche's ubermench in the best sense of the term. He didn't settle for the status quo or the narrow conventional vision. He transcended it and changed the world through his brilliance and charisma.

[jmiddel]

Athens, first, I saw your sig in another post, what a loving tribute to SJ Re Steve's speech, I embrace it. We do only have this life, it is not long. We have been led in many ways to do as others wanted, see as others saw, and mis-understand the world as they have. I know that I have a true part, that is mine, not conditioned by anyone else. That is my GPS. I also know that at some times, some other personal daemon can masquerade as a true self. Oh well....

Big Mac, thank you for that reminder. SJ was surely 'ueber', ahead of, everyone? I think so

[Athens]

Not my sig, took it from some one else on here. Im going to have to look up Nietzsche, that name is unknown to me.

[Waragainstsleep]

Originally Posted by Athens 

Im going to have to look up Nietzsche, that name is unknown to me.

Really? I don't know too much about him, but I know the name. Mostly due to this:

Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl - Philospher's Song - YouTube

[Twilly Spree]

He's just rephrasing the classic "live in the moment" mixed with "be yourself".

Good advice.

[Waragainstsleep]

I think its a little more than that actually. I think you 'd have to throw in "don't live by what other people tell you are the rules" or something like that.

[Shaddim]

It's nice. That's pretty much been my MO for most of my adult life.