Good-bye Steve Jobs

It’s hard to imagine life before iTunes, before an iMac, before an iPhone. It’s hard to imagine not recording or writing any of my music without having my hands on a product made by Apple.

 

My mind and imagination has been bubbling over the last few days. I don’t know if it’s the clear fall air in Los Angeles, the fact that I’m back to recording and writing a lot of new songs again. It could be that but I’m pretty sure more than anything, my mind and soul is racing because of the passing of Steve Jobs. And how he died so damn young.

 

I think what was so mind-blowing is seeing how many people had a response to his passing. I mean the opinion flood gates crashed open on FB and Twitter this past week. Everyone had something to say and I think so many people realize the impact he had on so many of our lives. He truly touched so many people on a creative level, on a design and mechanical level and on a spiritual level. To be honest, I’m a bit surprised how sad I have been since he passed. I’m surprised how much it has affected me. It’s not like we were friends or family. It’s not like I’ve even met the man.

 

I guess maybe because I have my hands on one of Apple’s products basically every single day. All of my music is recorded or written on an Apple product. I guess I’ve been able to see much like most of you, how our culture has changed so drastically the last ten years because of Apple. He seems like a humble man, he seems incredibly driven, motivated, creative and a one of a kind talent. But strangely, he also doesn’t seem so different from you or me. He seems like a pretty normal guy who happened to create devices that changed the world.

 

I think when someone of his magnitude passes away, I also find myself questioning my own life. My own mortality. Could I be doing more? Could I be living a more fulfilled life. Could I be wasting too much of my time on the drivel and “fridge-buzz” of life. Am I “living someone else’s life?” I think we often waste so much time on nonsense, we waste so much energy and we take life for granted. To me, Mr. Jobs symbolizes that pursuit of living your own life, of creating your own unique path and ignoring the critics. The thing I can’t stop thinking about is how young Mr. Jobs was. I remember him saying the reason why he was able to make the decisions he made and create the devices he made is because he knew he was going to die soon. He was only 56.

 

I can’t get this quote of his out of my head, “No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true. Your time is limited. Don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

 

So true, ya know? Good-bye Steve. Thank you for changing the world for the better. For changing my world for the better. For inspiring me and for reminding me to keep following the path of art. You will be missed but you will never be forgotten.