Death is the scariest part of
living. There are so many unknowns- what happens to us after we die? Will we
leave a legacy behind us? While no one knows for certain the answers to these
questions, many people find comfort in organized religion and believing in a
God. Religion offers a deity that is watching over us and protecting us.
Religion promises us that if we follow the rules during our time on earth, we
will be granted an afterlife.
Although Steve Jobs, co-founder of
Apple, did not graduate college himself, he gave the commencement speech for
Stanford in 2005. At the conclusion of his speech Jobs said, “Remembering that
I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me
make the choices in life.” Now, this statement is pretty depressing and blunt
for a college graduation, which is supposed to be a day filled with joy! I’m
sure these college graduates were not expecting to hear about how they are
going to die soon on one of the happiest days of their lives. Jobs knows that
death is the one unavoidable and completely terrifying part of life and so he
then continues to say, “you are already naked, there is no reason not to follow
your heart.” Jobs is making a direct comparison to Adam and Eve in Genesis to a
college graduation. After Adam and Eve eat from the tree of knowledge they
realize that they are naked, vulnerable, and disconnected from God. Similarly,
the college graduates are now forced to face the world alone. They have the
freedom to choose any path. Jobs is saying that power relies solely within these
individuals. Instead of using religion and belief in God as a coping mechanism
for dealing with the unknowns of death, they need only to trust themselves and
their hearts.
Like Jobs says multiple times in his
address, “dropping out of school was one of the best decisions [he] made.” Thus
in my opinion, I believe Jobs is insinuating that humanity does not need to
rely on the institution of religion and God. Instead of living each day to
avoid death, individuals can live every day as they choose.
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