Ding Enough

Ah well he did put. To do what you say you want to do is a feat by itself, an ode to this man for that. Not many of us own a life that can inspire another few. Steve Jobs, mostly known for his exceptional contributions which have changed the world and more so for this Commencement Address at Stanford in 2005 has left us with a firm belief that Apple is more than a fruit.

The part of his speech which has dinged my mind and always stayed with me is this:

"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, 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. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary"

The life and words of Steve Jobs have taught me:

• Where you come from is not what that matters, it is where you go that does
• Be open to learning new things because you never know what, when and how anything can come to use
• Work is a large part of our lives, DO NOT settle. If you do not like it do not do it. Love what you do
• Look into the mirror, question yourself, find your own answers
• Look backwards, connect your past to your future
• Accept success, embrace failure
• Most importantly live your dream, inspire the others to dream about your living.

Greatness is not in being famous, it is in making a positive difference in the lives of the people who matter and who do not as well. Most of us shall leave this world with memories for our kith and kin, but this man has left us with a life full of ideas and inspiration.Ding enough. 

R.I.P.

-R. 

The Sunrise

The world is cloaked in darkness when I wake up in the mornings. The curtains draping the windows of my room seem like giant stage screens before an opera begins, I pull them everyday because I always wish for something new out there. The winds from the sea which smell of salt have quietened themselves. The crickets who have hummed throughout the night are mellowing down. I look at the book which kept me busy before I fell asleep. It is lying open next to the pillow on the page I was reading, the story had paused. It is then when I notice that everything has.

What is the point in getting up from bed if you are too tired doing the same dreary thing again and if you do not know what else to do with the next twenty four hours that you have? What if you have had enough or are hungry for more? Being busy is sometimes enough to make you feel dull and dead. Believe me it is possible. Sometimes a pause or a change is the need of the moment. Well, what it shall be and how it shall come is the question. The answer to which not many  of us can predict or know. That is what life is all about. Maybe that is why we believe in hope, and we wait for the sunrise. I daily do.

-R.

Specialization

Picture courtesy

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.

-Robert Heinlein-

Agree? I am a fanatic when it comes to lengthy quotes, more so when they make the most sense.Sharing this one with you here:-) Specialization is not every human's forte, but when we do something we should be giving it our best. Every activity that we want to do is worth a try, every effort is worth a result. There is no room for inertia if we are on the move. Stand saying "Oh some other time!" and watch the jumbos tramp over you, you see specialization is really for the insects;-)

Good Sunday

-R.