Steve Job's Perspectives on Dying

The world truly lost a genius today whose brief time on this planet made a real difference to a generation...

I ran across a few passages attributed to former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, commenting about his own battle with pancreatic cancer...some of you may find these words of interest.

“The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is   incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six   months,” he told his shocked audience.

“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.”

Although a biopsy later showed the cancer was treatable, Jobs said it had made him think seriously about dying for the first time.

“No one wants to die,” he said. “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.

“Our 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 then these comments too...

 “When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: ‘If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.’ It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — 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. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."
 
- Steve Jobs

Interesting, huh?