Hey guys, here's the blog post I was talking about that I did for my Intro. to Political Science class last semester. I thought it was pertinent to what we were talking about in Psych. because Professor Shah mentioned a lot of the similar things in class the other day about viewing death as a tool to live a good life today! Hope you like it!

What Steve Jobs and Socrates Tell Us About Life

 September 25, 2013 

Jordan Davis

The Personal Is Political 39 Comments

Steve Jobs at Stanford’s commencement in 2005.

Everyone’s got their favorite YouTube video. Whether it’s Ray Lewis’ pre-game dance, Harry Styles twerking or Miley Cyrus’ video for “Wrecking Ball,” they’re all great. Personally, my favorite is Steve Job’s Stanford Commencement Speech from 2005. It’s iconic, simple, and jam-packed with lessons on how we all can succeed in everything we do. I have it bookmarked on my computer, and I find myself watching it at least a few times a month just because it’s just so applicable to everything I do. The first time I saw this, I said to myself, “Man, if I can apply what Steve Jobs is saying here to my own life, I’ll be set!” However, the real reason I love this speech so much is that, upon further reflection, I realized that I had already been living my life by many of the same principles Steve describes. Let me give you a few examples.

First, here’s a case of how I’ve “connected the dots.” Since I was a little kid, I’ve always loved talking with people. It’s part of my personality. And when I used to go to the grocery store, I always loved stopping to talk to all of the cashiers. Little did I know at that time, however, that I would want a job at that grocery store later when I turned 16. But, when the time came around, I got the job pretty quickly because the cashiers I had always been nice to told the manager that they had to hire me. I never knew when I was a kid that I’d eventually want to work at the grocery store, but I always thought saying hi to everyone was just a nice thing to do. Reflecting back on that experience taught me that doing the right thing today can really pay off in the long run. But, as Steve Jobs says, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.”

Next, this is a case of how I’ve been “hit in the head with a brick, but never lost faith.” When I was in high school, I had to take AP Calculus, and it was one of the hardest things I’ve had to overcome in my life. I poured my heart into reviewing and understanding the material, but it just didn’t make sense to me. And not only did my grade reflect it, but I thought AP Calc. may hold me back from getting into college! However, I believed in myself and by working through the concepts with my teacher, I eventually salvaged my grade. This situation in particular taught me to always have faith in myself and to never panic, because through a lot of hard work and determination anything is possible.

Finally, this is how I’ve remembered that “my time is limited.” When I was 5, I faced an early brush with death, as I suffered from a life-threatening illness. Thankfully, I’m fine now, but the experience taught my family and I the invaluable lesson Steve Jobs reiterates in his speech: “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.” So since I was 5, everyday of my life I try to put a smile on my face and just live each day to the fullest, because you never know what life will throw at you.

The fact that he said this is astounding.

Oddly enough, I think what Steve Jobs says above mirrors something that Socrates stated in “The Apology.” Back in Socrates’ day, the fear of death would make men on trial put on a big show crying and begging for clemency. Socrates, however, thought men should not fear death itself, but instead fear living their lives unvirtuously. So what does keeping death in mind do for us, and what are Socrates and Steve Jobs trying to tell us? I think Socrates is telling us to embrace death as a means to live virtuously today. We really have no control over death, so why fear dying when we should instead fear not living well right now. And Steve Jobs likewise embraces death by imploring us to remember we’re going to die, because it makes the fear of embarrassment much more manageable. The fear of death especially can stymie the good life, so why not turn it into something positive we can use to improve how we live today? You might as well live the way you want to, as if you weren’t worried about being embarrassed, because in the end, as Steve Jobs says in his speech, “all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.”

Now, if you haven’t already, go watch the speech! I think it has the potential to change your life like it changed mine, and it may even become your new favorite YouTube video. Although it’s seriously hard to top anything Miley Cyrus does these days.