"I’ll remember how he chose to pursue ideas that inspired a man staring down death."
I've always been leery of people who are obsessed with work to this extent. If work is your only metric, then yeah, its great. I sure would love my employees to have a 'work till you die' attitude. But life != work. Or rather, life > work.
For me, Steve was an interesting curiosity. Not an example to emulate.
I live in the neighborhood. I love so many aspects of silicon valley culture. But when I hear that train late at night, I'm not thinking "alone on my journey, on the edge of chaos, exploding into the future". Hell no.
Steve authorized his biography so that his kids would know him. Inspirational? For me, it sounds like a nightmare.
Water is necessary for life, but if you drink too much water you will die. Positive traits like creativity/focus/passion are crucial, but unchecked they can become destructive.
I've always been leery of people who are obsessed with work to this extent. If work is your only metric, then yeah, its great. I sure would love my employees to have a 'work till you die' attitude. But life != work. Or rather, life > work.
It takes all kinds to make up a society. Some of us want a balanced life; we want to be reasonably good at everything. Some others want to be the best at a certain thing and are willing to sacrifice almost everything else to achieve that goal. To a very crude approximation, those from the former group keep society going while those from the latter push human society forward.
For me, Steve was an interesting curiosity. Not an example to emulate.
On the face of it, there's nothing wrong with being either type, but it does seem like each type cannot fathom why the other behaves the way it does.
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. -- Heinlein
> Steve authorized his biography so that his kids would know him. Inspirational? For me, it sounds like a nightmare.
My father lived most of his life long before I was born, and while he always told stories, the simple fact is, you never really know what your parents were like before you were born. If you can get a biography professionally written, no matter how much time you spent with them, your kids will probably appreciate it, whoever you are.
> I've always been leery of people who are obsessed with work to this extent. If work is your only metric, then yeah, its great.
There are some people who get obsessed with work, getting most if not all of their energy into work. Many don't even know what they're chasing for, often bringing them to some predicament at a point in time. Yet there are a few people in a peculiar situation, who happen to have an understanding of a tiny shard of life, which give them a unique insight. You could strive to be the best at your work and you wouldn't hold a candle to them, because work is not the point, it's the means to an end. Their body commands them reach that end. Their mind unconsciously arches towards that goal every single minute. They have to do it. And you are right, you can not emulate that.
I had a similar experience upon moving to Palo Alto last June. Living, working, and walking in places where "the greats" work changes your perspective immensely. Yes, it humanizes them, but it also emphasizes that you could just as well create something yourself as tremendous, valuable, and worthwhile. You don't have to be a god. They weren't.
I've always been leery of people who are obsessed with work to this extent. If work is your only metric, then yeah, its great. I sure would love my employees to have a 'work till you die' attitude. But life != work. Or rather, life > work.
For me, Steve was an interesting curiosity. Not an example to emulate.
I live in the neighborhood. I love so many aspects of silicon valley culture. But when I hear that train late at night, I'm not thinking "alone on my journey, on the edge of chaos, exploding into the future". Hell no.
Steve authorized his biography so that his kids would know him. Inspirational? For me, it sounds like a nightmare.
Water is necessary for life, but if you drink too much water you will die. Positive traits like creativity/focus/passion are crucial, but unchecked they can become destructive.
Live in balance.