The legacy of Steve Jobs

Amidst all that is said about Steve Jobs and his exploits in fields of IT and communication what probably dwarf all that is his character as a unique human being and the extraordinary circumstances that he has been through in life. Considering the larger picture of his life, times and accomplishments, it appears that the most important legacy he has left for us is the thought that there is something unique in every one of us and given the right circumstances and effort this specialty could blossom into unlimited possibilities. 'A man must do what he likes in life' seemed to be the motto that shaped his life and helped him discover the potential within him. This is not just a lesson in life but an important pronouncement in the field of career guidance that many tend to overlook.

Compare this outlook in choosing a persons life's career and in a country like Sri Lanka the very thought of taking to what one likes as his career would be treated as an impulsive act that would not bring success in life. This is because our ideas of education and career have been inextricably linked to social status and remunerative employment. This, unfortunately is not so in developed societies and especially among individuals who have become icons in their chosen fields.

Academic excellence

A few years back, my friend Keerthi Jayasuriya who runs an organization that helps Sri Lankans achieve international academic excellence mooted the idea of commencing a Career Guidance Counselling centre for Sri Lankans. This was because we felt that in Sri Lanka the deciding criteria for a young man to chose a career is often the prospects that comes with a particular career than his temperamental talents and capabilities. Thus we notice that the Sri Lankan society is full of square pegs in round holes and this is mainly because our need to be 'successful' in the accepted sense is more motivating than our need to discover the uniqueness within us.

Such societies do not move forward and such individuals often become prisoners in their limited worlds of 'making a living'. We did not have to go any further than to look at our own selves. Keerthi was an engineer running a higher education counselling centre and I was an accountant with a covetous eye at journalism. Somewhere down the line we have both 'missed the bus' and have ended up living compromised lives.

Guiding young people

Again, even though we were convinced of this aberration in the Sri lankan society and thus the need to overhaul it in terms of guiding young people to choose more appropriate careers, we were constrained by our own stakes and limitations; the 'buts and ifs' of our success in that venture. Yet that may not be the case with Steve Jobs who had been relentlessly committed to his convictions. Steve gets thrown out from the company he founded and nurtured but he sees no difference in his status because he was more the researcher in IT than the Managing Director of Apple Incorporated. Steve then commences his new venture NEXT Computers and he opines, "The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to one of the most creative periods of my life". And that probably is what sets a great man apart from the rest of us!

Then what does he have to say about his epoch making inventions, Ipad, Iphone and the Ipod, "I am pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful-tasting medicine, but I guess it was needed to serve a purpose in the end." Steve Lobs entertained no delusions about 'doing well' in a career to make a living and electronics is what his father (adopted) introduced him to dabble in as a hobby. For many of us a hobby is an expensive penchant in terms of time and money and hence becomes the price we pay for our success and stability in life. But this is not the case with Steve and for him his hobby was his success in life and its very stability. That then, is the secret of his unique accomplishments.

The other remarkable thing about Jobs is that biologically he was borne to a Syrian father and a Swiss mother but was raised by American parents. Hence unlike many of us who spend a life time in promoting customs and beliefs inherited from birth Steve had very little 'baggage' to carry. That was a liberating influence that freed him from prejudice and bias making him the free thinker he was.

Unlimited talents

He was an empiricist like Einstein and Newton and having adopted rational attitude to life he yearned for more knowledge and wisdom. This quest made him explore even the wisdom of ancient sages and thus he finally ended as a Buddhist having learnt the philosophy in India.

Steve Paul Jobs proved to this world that there are unlimited talents in humans and this world is full of possibilities for those who believe in themselves and are dedicated to discover themselves.

[email protected]