Life And Death In Steve Jobs's 2005 Commencement Address At Stanford University

Life is very valuable, but is also extremely limited. Just think about it, we are only around for such a microscopic portion of the world’s existence. Therefore, one must live every day as if it was our last since our life has tremendous value. Steve Jobs discusses the idea of life and death in his brilliant 2005 Commencement Address at Stanford University, in which he presents these ideas in a clear, organized way by sharing three personal stories. The first story is about connecting the dots. The dots story concludes by saying that the dots in life will connect looking backwards, or in other words, everything happens for a reason, therefore trust in “your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.” Steve Jobs then tells us that we must find

He is essentially telling us to find what we love to do and to not settle. As Jobs explains “You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle”(Jobs). Steve Jobs means that we can’t live a life that is monotonous and that does not make us happy in our work. He continues by saying that “As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle” (Jobs). As soon as we find what we love, it will only get better with age, meaning that as time goes on, life gets better and more valuable. I currently coach soccer teams and I could not be happier doing so. I get so much joy and self-confidence knowing that I make a major impact on the lives of these kids and that I am the one in charge. I can truly say that I love what I do and that this can lead to greater things that will make me even happier and truly appreciate the value of

Jobs exclaims that death is “the single best invention of life”, since it clears way for the new. At the time of the speech, Jobs had already faced a near death experience when he was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer , which gave him a unique perspective on what it feels to almost be dead. Jobs describes this experience “My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor’s code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes” (Jobs). By telling the audience this, Jobs is claiming what it is like to know that you are almost down to your last breath. He elaborates further on why we must appreciate life when he says that “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking” (Jobs). This is essentially the mic drop in his speech since it highlights his main points. I have not had any near death experience but I do recognize that life is too short to be living someone else 's life and be brought down by other people’s