I was walking on the streets of Ginza today when I saw a crowd consists of passers-by and media in front of the Ginza Apple store. I got news from my social feed today that Steve Jobs has passed away. I suppose... experiencing the solemn atmosphere in the otherwise energetic and high-buzz Apple flagship store in Tokyo really made the fact sink in. That today, we lost one of our history's most brilliant inventor, innovator and thinker.
I don't know Steve Jobs. I know he made a lot of money. But that's besides the point. I admire him as a person. A person who respects and fully puts priority on human experience and simplicity. A person who when the world zigs, zags. I think everyone can think different. You and I by virtue of being you and I are already different. But it really takes someone with a lot of perseverance, courage and faith to make 'think different' mean something. He built an empire, his influence can be valued in cash, he changed the way people lived, he created a whole new spectrum of possibilities and I'm sure along the way, he had faced many criticism, self-doubting moments, opportunities to be consumed by arrogance and pride, the temptation of being 'enough' and retire to 'enjoy life'. He literally worked till his death - his retirement from Apple was already an early indication that his health was going through a tough ordeal. But did he really work? As in, the way we view work? A salary-paying 9-5 job? That's what above his brilliance in both creative and business thinking, I admire this person for. It was because his work and life was in total balance. It was one. I don't know how many of his Facebook friends are really his true friends. I don't know what he did on weekends. I don't know if he hung out with his buds over beer. I don't know if he went clubbing or had beach vacations. I don't know anything about his family. But I know that when you make it a point to make the world a better place, you will make the world a better place. And it becomes more than a job, it's your life mission. When that happens, I suppose you never have to work for money. Because money will come work for you. Somehow.
Well rest in peace, Steve. Like Einstein, you're never really gone. But you will be deeply missed.
I don't know Steve Jobs. I know he made a lot of money. But that's besides the point. I admire him as a person. A person who respects and fully puts priority on human experience and simplicity. A person who when the world zigs, zags. I think everyone can think different. You and I by virtue of being you and I are already different. But it really takes someone with a lot of perseverance, courage and faith to make 'think different' mean something. He built an empire, his influence can be valued in cash, he changed the way people lived, he created a whole new spectrum of possibilities and I'm sure along the way, he had faced many criticism, self-doubting moments, opportunities to be consumed by arrogance and pride, the temptation of being 'enough' and retire to 'enjoy life'. He literally worked till his death - his retirement from Apple was already an early indication that his health was going through a tough ordeal. But did he really work? As in, the way we view work? A salary-paying 9-5 job? That's what above his brilliance in both creative and business thinking, I admire this person for. It was because his work and life was in total balance. It was one. I don't know how many of his Facebook friends are really his true friends. I don't know what he did on weekends. I don't know if he hung out with his buds over beer. I don't know if he went clubbing or had beach vacations. I don't know anything about his family. But I know that when you make it a point to make the world a better place, you will make the world a better place. And it becomes more than a job, it's your life mission. When that happens, I suppose you never have to work for money. Because money will come work for you. Somehow.
Well rest in peace, Steve. Like Einstein, you're never really gone. But you will be deeply missed.
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