Check it out:
http://issuu.com/eriksoderlund/docs/final_-_apple__google__facebook.doc
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Technology and Religion
The great thing about religion for most is the
spiritual bond and community formed through tied to a specific practice. Without
the spiritual faith in the validity of a said religion I believe everyone would
remain secular. There is another side to the divineness and culture of worship
and that other side is community.
Let’s take a deeper look into community. As mentioned
before in one of my earlier blogs Robert Bellah claims that, “community is a cultural theme, which
calls us to wider and wider circles of loyalty, ultimately embracing that
universal community of all beings”. [1]
Meaning ultimately the internet and the advancement of new technology should be
a good thing for community within religion. Anyone can access the bible at any
time without having to actually carry it around with them; they can attend
online mass, meditation, or worship when they are not able to physically be
present due to either geographical location or inability to appear. Sounds pretty
good in the terms of “wider and wider circles of loyalty … embracing that
universal community …”
 |
| Robert Bellah's, Habits of the Heart |
On the other hand, is
technology and this accessibility in fact doing the exact opposite in terms of dissolving
the sense of communal worship. Associate professor of Christian spirituality
and medieval history at the Franciscan School of Theology in California, Darleen
Pryds says, “I am aware of mobile devices being integrated into religious services,
but have found that most people tend to disengage from the experience of
communal worship, and there is a nervous, excited energy that pervades the room
and takes over,” which is the exact opposite mental state many religions aim to
produce. [2]
“Even the people who think they [are great multitaskers] aren't paying as much
attention as they think they are. And how do you develop supplication when the
very way you are communicating is so fragmented?” explains Dudley Rose,
associate dean for ministry studies at Harvard University’s Divinity School.[3]
 |
| Fragmented communication? |
In terms of Bellah I believe
the advancement of technology and new media has created a sense of universal
community, impossible in the past. People are able to do real time worship
through watching live feed sermons, meditations, or pray with a live podcast
from Mecca. However I believe there is something to be said about the
spirituality communal worship brings the individual physically surrounded by
their peers. When I was younger and went to church frequently, the one thing
that kept me coming each Sunday was the divine interaction with the church
itself as well as the congregation. When people broke out into unanimous psalm I
was overcome by the beauty of it. This communal experience alone was the only
thing keeping my faith alive in the hope of some sort of spiritual experience.
 |
| Köpings Kyrka, the lutheran church from my youth in Sweden |
 |
| Inside the church |
[1] Robert Neelly Bellah and others, Habits
of the Heart, (California:
University of California Press, 2008), xxxiv
[2] http://www.nbcnews.com/id/38126658/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/technology-changing-way-we-practice-religion/#.UyIQz_ldXwI
[3] http://www.nbcnews.com/id/38126658/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/technology-changing-way-we-practice-religion/#.UyIQz_ldXwI
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Mass Globalization of Information
“Accelerating a Vacuum” is a section from chapter
four of Jaron Lanier’s book You are Not a
Gadget, describing the effects progressing technology has on what he calls
low and high bandwidth human expression. Low-bandwidth expression like
newspaper-style reporting and music has already met the disastrous fate of
“free culture”, whereas high-bandwidth expressions like movies are well on the
way, argues Lanier.[1]
In the section “Accelerating a Vacuum” he makes
strong claims how advertisement is killing the promotion of artists,
journalists, and musicians by the manipulation of advertisement robbing the
truth and beauty of these mentioned art forms.[2] As
a counter I would like to claim instead that is because of the advancement of
technology and mass globalization of information which is not actually killing
these forms of art, just adding more competition in the various fields.
As a matter of fact we have citizen journalists who
are able to report at anytime from anywhere, through new media devices,
targeting an extreme mass of people online. This is thanks to new technology
and I argue is not killing the art or beauty of journalism, instead mass
promoting it and making the market more competitive.
An online sensation such as Justin Bieber, is a contest
to the power of technology. Though controversial, Bieber is someone whom
through promoting his talent with the use of new technology was able to reach
success. The advancement of technology and “free culture” has allowed for the rise
of this pop star I believe.
If we finally take a look at where the money is
going as Lanier suggests, he is right, towards advertisement. However I do not
agree with the reason being because of the demise of truth and beauty through
the rise of manipulation. Once again I would cast my view on the mass
globalization of information. We are advertising on a much broader platform in
today’s world thanks to the advancement of technology. Therefore with the
increase in size of the markets demand there must also be an increase in
supply. Simple economics.
Is the Internet Killing Journalism?
There has been a definite shift in all news media in
past couple decades. Because of the way the internet is evolving and has
evolved, written news media and television news seems to be dying out. Not only
are these different types of media dying out, but also the professionals
involved are losing their jobs and their professions as a whole are dying out.
This all caused by so called “citizen journalists”, seemingly making the internet out
to be a “bad guy”. But is it really? Or is the internet just revolutionizing
media? Internet the way we see it today is definitely revolutionizing the
world of news media.
In the past the way we used to get our news was
through morning papers and/or through television. Even though the news might be
same no matter what paper you read or channel you watch you still only get one
news media outlet’s story. Now if you wanted more opinions or a different
telling of the story you would either have to subscribe to more papers or order
more news channels. What is revolutionary about the internet is that you have
it all with just one click of your mouse. Video, text, pictures it is all
available right on your computer screen. Not only do you have that but also you
can easily go from one telling of the story to the next, by just clicking on a
different site. This definitely puts any written or televised news to shame.
With the internet as well you get outside sources to
tell the story other than just the huge news corporations. “Citizen
Journalists” and other amateur writers who may have caught a different side of
a particular story share it through blogs, social networks etcetera. This is a
completely new way to get news and in this way we can read or hear about things
that aren’t greatly emphasized by the big news corporations. A great example of
this is in Clay Shirky’s book, Everyone is a Media Outlet. Senator
Trent Lott holds a speech at former senator and presidential candidate Storm
Thurman’s birthday celebration. Lott says, “When Strom Thurman ran for
president, we voted for him. We’re proud of it. And if the rest of the country
would have followed our lead, we wouldn’t have had all these problems over all
these years, either.” Because the major news corporations didn’t feel like this
was an important enough event to cover, they did not think it was important to
report anything from the event. What was said in this speech though was leaked
over the internet through blogs, and this ended up being pretty catastrophic
for Lott.
With this type of news sharing there is a lot of
doubt as to if the stuff we read can be accurate or not. It is, as Clay Shirky
describes it, “mass amateurization” instead of professional journalism. Is this
really a bad thing though? Even though professional journalists are checked and
edited on what they write and say, it is still edited upon the opinions of the
corporation. This may not always be accurate as well. The only difference
between a “citizen journalist” and a professional journalist is education. This
does not mean that people who tell us about a certain event, which do not have
an education, are inaccurate.
Internet, “Mass amateurization”, and “citizen
journalists” are what is revolutionizing the world of news media and will
continue to do so for many years to come. Just like there was a shift from news
media being delivered only through written newspapers and magazines to being
able to get it on television, there is now a shift of all the above to the
internet. Will the internet kill the profession of journalism? I do not believe
so, instead it will broaden the profession to make it more global and
intelligent
Friday, March 7, 2014
Friday, February 28, 2014
Does Friendship Have Limits?
This is a response to Friendship Has its
Limits by Erin Biba. The article is about how our social interactions
have changed and become more impersonal because of “friending” via Facebook and
the internet. The studies that were mentioned in the article said it was not
possible to maintain a relationship with more than 150 people at one time.[1]
These studies had probably been conducted and proven upon a median or average.
It is my belief this is wrong. I believe you can have over 150 close friends
and that your friend-count on Facebook can in fact be accurate.
The average person gets up in the morning, eats
breakfast, and goes to work. They will see their family, neighbors, and
possibly a clerk or someone at a coffee shop on the way. At work they see the
same co-workers, a lot of the time; same customers, and then leave for home. My
point being, the routine of an average person is one of the reasons people become
bored with their life or the continuity of things. If you were to now ask this
person if they had 150 close friends, the answer would most probably be no. Does
this person have a friend count of 150 or higher on Facebook? Probably, however
that is only one person in an average survey.
Let’s take a look at a pro soccer player. My friend
Emir Bajrami plays professional soccer in Europe and I’ve known him since I was
a kid. His friend count is currently 3,428. Does he have 3,428 close friends he
can call on a whim? I don’t think so. Does he however, have 150? I would most
definitely have to say yes. People that do a lot of things, go to a lot of
places tend to meet and start relationships with a lot more people, common
sense. I myself have played hockey on five different teams in the last two and
a half years. That alone is 125 teammates combined between the teams. Can I
call anyone of these 125 guys up and have a heart to heart, or ask for a place
to stay when I am in town? Absolutely yes! I spend every day for months with my
teammates and develop a very close relationship with each and every one of
them. That is an aspect that brings a team together. I would definitely
consider all of these guys close friends of mine.
It is definitely true that I have a closer
relationship with a few very close friends and do not talk to 150 friends
everyday day. If that is what constitutes having a close friend then I can’t
say I have any. There is a very large grey area as to what you can consider a
close friend though. In the text Erin Biba says, “Your real friend would call
you in tears to pick her up from a car accident”. Does this define who a close
friend is? If so I definitely have over 150 close friends, and I am pretty sure
there are more people out there that do as well.
To me a close friend is someone you feel very
comfortable with and you always have a good time with this person. You can tell
them anything without them judging you or ridiculing you, they are someone who
will always have your back, and they can take your mind of stuff, and relax
you. I would agree that not everyone has an accurate friend count on Facebook
but that kind of is what Facebook is about too though, connecting with people
from your past. It is possible to maintain a relationship with more than 150
people at once? Call me naive, but I believe one hundred percent yes! It is
possible, and it is equally possible that someone’s friend count is true to the
number.
[1] Erin Biba, Friendship Has its
Limits, http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/07/friendship_limits/,
2011
Generation Why!
After reading Zadie Smith’s, what seems to me,
attack on everything Facebook I was very intrigued by one point she makes. “Shouldn’t
we struggle against Facebook?”[1] is
a question she poses near the end of the article. Explaining how we are trapped in the world and
mind of its creator Zuckerberg, mindlessly shifting our lives towards a virtual
one by the hands of the puppet master. She
continues, “Yet what kind of living is this? Step back from your Facebook wall
for a moment: Doesn’t it, suddenly, look a little ridiculous? Your life in this format?”[2]
obviously I take a step back and consider it. However, what I find is not in
concurrence with what Smith is saying; quite the contrary actually.
I believe Facebook does connect people in a fun,
interesting, and self-gratifying way, yes, but more than just so. For those out
there with less charismatic traits or cunning linguistic skills in person, I feel
Facebook has created sort of an ice-breaker in the area of social interaction. Though
perhaps face-to-face interaction has suffered somewhat as an effect of that, I would
argue that Facebook is not solely to blame. As Smith argues her point of ways to
reach out to people a far can happen by using other platforms such as e-mail
and Skype,[3] I argue
they are just as much to blame for our lives transcending into a virtual world
as Facebook is. Also I would counter by saying, Facebook is more fun.
I could care less about a film such as The Social Network in the way they
portray Zuckerberg, accurately or inaccurately. If I wanted a more accurate
picture of the man and what he has accomplished I would use the greatness of
the internet. Be that as it may, I must say, that I am thoroughly impressed of
how big Facebook is. The way in which a 19 year old was able to create such a
massive online world, sustain it, and keep growing through entrepreneurial
ventures (ex. WhatsApp); is truly an awe inspiring feat, worthy of all possible
praise.
[1] Zadie Smith, Generation Why?, The New York Re, http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/nov/25/generation-why/?pagination=false,
Online.
[2] Zadie
Smith
[3] Zadie
Smith
Friday, February 21, 2014
Before and After Google - Google as a Medium
These are some of the things that come to mind when I
think about Google.
 |
| Journalism before Google |
 |
| Journalism after Google |
As a journalist there are countless times I need to
do research before I interview someone, write a story, or report on an event. Back
in the day, this used to happen through being there on the spot with various
equipment or rigorous man-hours. Nowadays, with the complexity of Google, this
is possible by sitting on my couch with a laptop in my lap or simply by
carrying some new media device (such as Google Glass seen above). Some may say
that happened when the internet and smart phones came around. I say it was when
Google became my primary source for information.
Let me give you another example: A couple arguing
about what the capital of Brazil perhaps?
 |
| Bickering about unknown fact before Google |
 |
| I told you so after Google |
This was an argument that was skipped in 0.24
seconds thanks to Google. They were also able to find out that she wasn’t so
far off in this case with her guess of Rio de Janeiro, considering it was the
capital until 1960.
How about that research paper?
 |
| Searching for something before Google |
 |
| Searching for something after Google |
 |
| Driving before Google Maps |
 |
| Driving after Google Maps |
Lastly, I love to travel. Since I was young I have
been privileged enough to travel around a lot due to my mother’s occupation. Many
times during these travels I have found myself lurking around foreign cities in
search of unique experiences. Though my sense of direction is typically
something I like to boast about, there have been times the city has taken me
places far from my ground zero. In those trivial times I have found Google Maps
to be my knight in shining armor, rescuing me from being consumed by the city.
That
is my Google.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Inside Google
One thing that struck me as very interesting in I’m Feeling Lucky, was the nonchalant
attitude you sense from all the employees and founders in the startup stages of
Google. When Douglas Edwards explains early on how Jay asks him to look at
something, “ …standing in the micro-kitchen eating from a cup of yoghurt,
barefoot and sporting pajama pants, a well-loved sweatshirt, and a graying
ponytail”[1] and it turns out to be a miniature roller coaster that he had made over two
sets of desks. It reminded me of this attitude that many of these Silicon
Valley, startup guys have going as far back to the master of tech guys, Claude
Shannon. Shannon, though revolutionary with creating coding, was always
interested in the comedy within technology. It seems this is a common theme for
many of these groundbreaking types.
Another interesting dynamic is how Google opposed to
Apple is all about the, “Change, change, change. Charge ahead. No back”[2] as
explained by Edwards. Though the Google products and software is not yet
completely developed, their products are available; they are ever changing in
different ways. Rarely is there a perfected Google product released on the
market that isn’t altered down the road. Opposite compared to a company
such as Apple.
The most characteristically interesting description I
found from Edwards is about systems administrator, Jim Reese. “Something about
him reminded me of Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man: the open and friendly attitude,
hair parted way over on one side, the whiff of geekiness I detected as he
crawled under my desk, whipped out a screwdriver and started adeptly fiddling
with one of the jacks … it wasn’t what Jim had trained to do at Harvard, at
Yale Medical School, or in his neurosurgery residency at Stanford, but
somewhere along the line he had developed an interest in computer networking …”[3] even
though this company is in the making, a general confidence that it will be successful
and life changing is prominent. Many of the employees no matter what position
have degrees from reputable institutions, and a sense of this “A-team” is
assembled. It is an interesting perspective we receive from inside Google
through Edwards’s eyes.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Friday, January 31, 2014
Community Within Instagram
Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger were just regular
Stanford graduates looking for success in the business world. Systrom majored
in management science and engineering, while Krieger majored in symbolic
systems with a concentration in human-computer interaction. Both had a passion
for photography, but also both had this passion for social technology that
connects people. Naturally they founded the company Instagram.
Instagram is one of the fastest growing social media
apps. It has over 75 million customers worldwide in almost every country of the
world. What is so special about Instagram? You are able to share your
experiences and interests instantly to the world; instant photos and telegrams
in one, hence the name Instagram. Photos are available for anyone (or those who
you approve only) to view. This way you can appreciate Instagram by sharing
your life’s endeavors, art, or passion for photography with the world by the
touch of your finger. One thing Kevin and Mike may not have known was how the
popularity of Instagram would create a sense of community between worldwide
users.
There are different ways in which Instagram promotes
community. People all around the world share common interests such as, a
celebrity they like, or a sports team they cheer for. In this sense Instagram
has managed to form communities by luring people to like and comment on users
in the app. For example NFL football team, the San Diego Chargers, have an
Instagram page. Fans that want to see cool photos of the team and their
whereabouts follow the account. Followers can then like photos, comment on
them, or just simply admire them. A community is formed by similar interest of
following the team. Thereafter many embark into “comment conversations”, that
is, conversations that occur through comments on the photo. This gives us a
sense of community through a shared interest.
 |
| Chargers Eric Weddle |
A second way is through hashtags. When any user
uploads a photo to Instagram they have the ability to add a caption giving a
brief explanation behind the photo. In these captions it has become a common
way of creating community by adding a hashtag. Thereafter clicking on the
hashtag in the caption you are able to see all other photos which had the same
hashtag. This draws a people together through a certain shared interest once
again.
Lastly, Instagram draws us together through art.
Photography is not just a way to freeze a moment in time for memory’s sake; it
is also a large form of art. Many users on Instagram are able to share their
art through the app. This is a very common way many artists have become
successful in our generation, through new media. Robert Bellah explains in his
book Habits of the Heart, that
community is a cultural theme, which calls us to wider and wider circles of
loyalty, ultimately embracing that universal community of all beings. [1] I
believe Instagram does this with artists. A community is created worldwide through
Instagram, which allows artists to form, share, and embrace art together in a
way that used to be limitedly impossible.
 |
| Graffiti art on Instagram |
[1] Robert Neelly Bellah and others, Habits of the Heart, (California:
University of California Press, 2008), xxxiv
The Hockey Community
Growing up with a father who was a professional
athlete meant that I was put into athletics as soon as I could walk. My father,
alumni of professional hockey, got me started in it pretty much from birth. When
I was too little to skate we would play mini stick games in the house with a
golf ball as puck, pillows belted to my legs as goalie pads, and a laundry
hampers as goals. Those mini stick games transferred into 5 am practices, late
nights in the driveway practicing my slap shot, and private skating lessons
from a crazy Russian figure skating coach. Hockey was my father’s passion,
passed on to me.
Fortunately hockey is still a sport I play today on
an NCAA D-III level. When you speak with other hockey players at almost any
level, they will probably have similar stories to tell about their childhood. Hockey
is a sport many were raised with because the fundamentals of the game are so
tough to learn, it almost requires being taught at a very young age. Therefore the
hockey community is very small. It is common to see players through the ranks
knowing and having played with individuals who have capitalized on the
opportunity to turn pro. This unique tiny community is one of the things that sets
aside hockey players from other athletes.
We are warriors on the ice, but gentlemen off of it.
We stand on a piece of steel 1/8 of an inch thick, moving at speeds five times
faster than running, whilst checking each other into the boards. We bleed,
sweat, and struggle together just to kiss a piece of metal and raise it above
our heads. We lose teeth, break bones, and put our face in front of a round 80
x 30 mm, piece of vulcanized rubber; going close to 100 mph.
 |
| Why? |
Why do we do this? We do it for the guy sitting next
to you in the locker room, who you know, will do the exact same for you; out of
love, passion, and simply, because we are hockey players.
Friday, January 24, 2014
LIfestyle Enclave and Junior Hockey
Back in 2009, I played junior hockey in Manitoba,
Canada. Once a week on Thursdays our team would have chapel. Chapel consisted
of a group of players getting together in the players’ lounge, eating pizza,
and listening to the priest preach some sermons he had prepared for the day. Post
preaching, all of us shared some stuff about ourselves and joined into
conversation together with our teammates. At first I was obviously just there for
my love of food, especially since it was pizza. As I attended chapel more regularly
though, I began to enjoy these times spent together with my fellow teammates
and our priest. I have never in my life been very faithful and religious,
though I do not condemn those who are religious. I have always approached these
belief systems with an open heart and mind. However, I have never bought into
one religion as a follower.
While reading Habits of the Heart and the section we
discussed in class about lifestyle enclave I realized the truth in these claims.
We were a group of people who shared some form of private life. We were
expressing our identity through shared patterns of appearance, consumption, and
leisure activities.[1]
I was picking up a “second language”, as Robert Bellah would perhaps claim. Although
I never believed in the stories told by preachers, I began to understand the
importance and impact they have on certain individuals. There I was in a group
of men who fight, sweat, and bleed together every day in the purpose of overcoming
a common enemy, in the search of glory and fame. At the same time there we were
as a group of individuals, all with our own pasts brought together into one
cohesive group, sharing a common lifestyle enclave.
[1] Robert Neelly Bellah and others, Habits of the Heart, (California: University
of California Press, 2008), 335
Success with Steve Jobs
Success can mean different things for different
individuals. For example, life success for a Muslim can be completing the
pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca; or for an athlete, being drafted in the first round
could mean the same. Individually we all measure success differently, this is one
of the most important messages we can get out of Robert Bellah’s, Habits of the Heart.
The American view on success typically means materialistic
gain. We are driven through capitalism and society to want millions of dollars,
fancy cars, and a comfortable exquisite home. These are all things we are
brought up to believe mean you are successful. Having the opportunity to grow
up in two different societies, I was able to witness the differences in how
success is measured between socialism and capitalism. In Sweden success is
typically measured by ones ability to provide for your family and give back to
society as a whole, in order to benefit the next generation. The fancy cars,
homes, and monetary superiority are seldom measures of success in contrast to
America.
Watching Steve Jobs video interview on the
rules for success, he speaks to us in the terms of gaining success through hard
work in an area that you love and are passionate about. For long term
sustainability, he explains, you must work hard and go through trivial times.
However, the key to success in his mind is that you need to be passionate and
love what you are doing. Bellah describes success between utilitarianism and
expressive individualism, as a difference between being successful in the
private or public arena. What I believe Jobs is trying to say is, if you are
individually successful (private) and you are passionate about that success,
you will ultimately be successful publicly.
The way in which Jobs pushes us to achieve the
things we personally desire, without taking no for an answer, is extremely
motivational.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
The Whole Earth Catalog Today
 |
| Snippet from the 1968 issue of Whole Earth Catalog |
Scrolling through the 1968 issue of the Whole Earth
Catalog I was stopped abruptly by page 13 as I saw the title The Year 2000. Holy hell am I interested
in examining what had to be said about the year 2000 in 1968. What were the
expectations back then? Will there be spaceships instead of cars? Will robots control
the world? Etcetera, some science fiction stuff you would indeed seem then, as farfetched
as science fiction is today. Then again, maybe it wasn’t/isn’t as farfetched as
we thought/think?
Closer examination into what description is given
from The Year 2000 some of their
points are accurate to the T, such as widespread “cybernation” and “small world”.
[1]
Others not so far off because of statistical predictions. The catalog reminded
me of a website that was introduced to me recently which I found extremely
interesting invoking my thoughts into future-theory.
 |
| Here's a screenshot from http://www.futuretimeline.net/ |
Tying these two works together would be an awesome
research paper I’d be willing to read. Just how accurate are predictions were
in the past, and possibly how truthful some of the theories on the website will
turn out to be. Trippy! Check it out!
http://www.futuretimeline.net/
[1] Stewart Brand, The Whole Earth Catalog, http://www.wholeearth.com/issue-electronic-edition.php?iss=1010
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Inspirational Jobs
First off is his” idgaf” attitude towards everything. The greatest example I think of from Jobs’ biography is when he leaves Reed College, moves back home to Palo Alto and goes to get a job. Looking like a hippie, smelling terrible yet so determined that he was best for the job. His soon to be employer, Al Alcorn, was so intrigued he had no choice but to hire Jobs. “The squeaky wheel gets oil first” mentality that Jobs personifies himself as, along with his faith in the self, cocky, yet great in the business world is awesome. Best of all, Jobs knew that.
Secondly Jobs was always convinced he knew what people needed in terms of a product they sought to have. This in my opinion is the art of innovation and entrepreneurship. The determination and persistence to take any bump in the road, any opportunity given, any idea or path crossed and make it better tenfold, is truly the greatest feat of any entrepreneur in my mind, once again reiterating that Jobs even fought off death at one point.
Concluding with the way in which Jobs attracts our attention. Speaking in public Jobs has a charisma and demeanor about him, which draws your attention no matter how you personally feel about the man. He presents products, ideas, and himself in such a powerful way it is hard to resist giving into his pitch. His gleaming confidence and persuasive abilities are some of his most admirable traits.
Disagree after this video?
Friday, January 10, 2014
Commencement Speech - Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs’ commencement speech is extremely
motivational in my mind. The trivial times he went through in order to get to
where he was on that day, were crazy accomplishments. Jobs is very adamant
about each individual finding themselves through trivial times and he makes it
sound as if self-worship will lead us down a path of success. He continues to
challenge us saying, ““Sometimes life's going to hit you in the head with a
brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going
was that I loved what I did” inspiring us to keep towards the path of our
dreams even in the adversity of physical hindrance.
On a
religious note, the speech feels as if Jobs is preaching to the graduates. For example
the way his faith in his own ability has carried him through life, reminds me
of this concept of the self. His determination in demanding more out ourselves
is what makes his story so interesting and motivational to me. Seemingly Jobs alludes
to the way people such as him (Wozniak, Gates, etc.) have made their own
success was through self-worship.
Example is how Jobs refers to The
Whole Earth Catalog as a bible to them at the time, as if they were
starting a new religion or a new insight into life.
Jobs continues to lure the crowd along the path of
self-enlightenment, with the death part of his speech. His near death
experience is life changing in a way he explains affects his everyday attitude.
He encourages us to pursue what we love in life without interference by
anything other than your mind. “To allow yourself, your heart, and your
intuition to guide you through moments of adversity, but to remain on course
with your passion”, for it is that passion he means that will ultimately bring
your life fulfillment.
Though there are many who claim Jobs was a real
“a**hole”, arrogant, and egotistical, there is no one who can claim he didn’t
change our world. I believe Jobs was just a realist, aware of his ability and
power to change the world for the better. With a life philosophy like his, as
well as the experiences and knowledge he gained throughout life. Jobs was able
to turn thought into reality with the advancement of technology. Though some
may argue he was in the right place at the right time and grew up with the rise
of technology, he was nonetheless the one who followed his passion and made his
success through hard work, innovation, and belief.
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