Thursday, October 6, 2011

Steve Jobs

I'll have another post coming up a little later in the day. I've been promising to write up my thoughts on Blood Meridian for awhile, and check back for that in about three hours.

But as I write it, I've just been hit in the gut by the news that, by the time you read this, will be everywhere.

Steve Jobs has passed away. He's been clearly and visibly ill for awhile. First it was denied, then it was talked around, then it was admitted. And, you know what? That's fair enough. A person's health shouldn't automatically be everyone else's business.

I'm a mac user. Have been for over a decade now. In fact, the first computers I really used were macs, because the factory my dad worked in when I was little had them in the office. I don't go on preachy rants about why Mac products suit the way I think, though I have to put up with people feeling the need to tell me what's wrong with using a mac. A lot. Whenever they see or hear that I do. Whatever, that's fine. Find something that works for you, and use it.

But I really just wanted to take a moment to praise the guy.

He's one of the finest examples of what happens if a Dyslexic is given the room to run at an idea. So many people have "learning difficulties" or "disabilities" or "special needs." But you know what? Use your brain to the best of you abilities, and it doesn't matter how anybody else want's to define you.

We should have more people like Steve Jobs. We should have a world full of people like Steve Jobs. And we could. We could encourage every marginalised or struggling mind. We could tell all of these kids and adults that it's a good thing that they see the world differently, and encourage them to run with it.

So I'll be back later on with today's scheduled broadcast. But I wanted to say thanks to Steve Jobs, for showing what can be done if we let kids ask questions. If we let them break a few rules, and question the way things are done.

You can turn the world on it's head. Or you can be the person who encourages someone else to do it.

1 comment:

seana graham said...

That is a great post and tribute to Jobs, Jay. I hadn't thought about Jobs in this way and I hope his example opens a lot of doors for people who might not have had a chance before.

I'm a lefty and I think lefties and dyslexics may be somewhat kindred spirits.