Steve Jobs for Sainthood?
I don't want to make light of the death of Steve Jobs. I am, after all, a pastor and I am charged with helping people deal with grief, and we all grieve differently and for different reasons. Still, I've been a bit bemused by the outpouring of
grief for Steve Jobs, much of it coming from progressive/liberal types, and
shared on Facebook. Many of these folks
are close friends of mine. Although I expect that none of my friends knew Jobs personally, they seem to be taken by his passing in ways that might seem unexpected. Indeed, some of the
responses have seemed akin to raising Jobs for sainthood, suggesting perhaps that
the waiting period be waved so he can join John Paul II on the fast track, or at the very least a moral/spiritual exemplar.
Part of my puzzlement probably
stems from the fact that I’m a “PC” guy.
I’ve never owned an Apple product, and the ones I’ve used have been
those at my wife’s former school. Using
the Mac I never saw why it was so great.
I confess this not to dis Apple, just to note that whatever ways Steve
Jobs touched my life, it likely occurred indirectly.
But what is it about Jobs that has
gotten so many people’s attention, especially at a time when folks are either
Occupying Wall Street or celebrating those who have. At least some of the protesters are
protesting corporate greed. So, how is
Jobs different from other corporate folks, including Gates and Microsoft?
From what I’ve read, Jobs wasn’t a
philanthropist like Bill Gates. There
are no foundations being set up to cure cancer or solve the ongoing problem of
poverty. When invited by Gates and
Buffett to join them in giving 50% of their earnings to philanthropy he
apparently declined. Now, he could have
given anonymously, but that rarely happens.
So, what we do know is that he poured his energies into his
company. Indeed, he apparently was a creative genius,
and Richard Kauffman of the Christian Century may be correct in suggesting that
Jobs may be the last of the great creative geniuses. Jobs, like Gates, is a Baby Boomer – he was
just a few years older than me, a reminder of my own creeping mortality. Richard
may also be correct that the future of inventiveness may be determined by steps
taken now to create an environment where such genius can flow. But is this grief more a part of our own addiction to technology, something many bemoan even as they celebrate the benefits.
So, for a PC guy like me, the
question then is – how is Jobs different?
Why does he deserve such lionization at his death? If, as Richard suggests, Jobs devoted his
attention to the common good, how does a better I-Pad or I-Phone make the world
a better place? And would this not have
happened with a Google or some other similar company? I eagerly await your responses!
Comments
He is not the last exemplar, just the most recent.
And not sainthood, he was not nearly so benevolent, but in the American enterprise hall of fame, along with Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers,and Henry Ford.
It's also past time we put the whole myth of the self-made "great" man to rest as well. To quote Henry Ford:
"I invented nothing new. I simply assembled the discoveries of other men behind whom were centuries of work. Had I worked fifty or ten or even five years before, I would have failed. So it is with every new thing. Progress happens when all the factors that make for it are ready and then it is inevitable. To teach that a comparatively few men are responsible for the greatest forward steps of mankind is the worst sort of nonsense."
For more on the genesis of ideas, in particular how Apple borrowed and stole other people's ideas just like everyone else check out Everything is a Remix. All 3 episodes of that show are well worth a watch.
Love and admiration are not based on reason and evidence.
I think I'm reacting to this sentiment that folks have lost this dear intimate friend in Steve Jobs. But, the only way the interacted with him was through the devices that Apple created and sold.
I must also admit that I used the title to get people's attention, to see what they might say about him with a bit of thought.
Like I said, I'm a PC user and am satisfied with the ones I've used. Bill Gates isn't a saint, though he seems committed to using his money to attend to those in need. Will we grieve at his death at the loss of the founder of Microsoft -- probably not.
Not saints, not even close. But it cannot be denied that many if not most Americans hare a myth about who we are, and these men approximate this mythic posture like few others.
I agree with Bob's puzzlement about how so many people could mourn his passing as if he were an intimate friend.
My take on Steve the man is, he was a bright guy with "things" but wasn't too considerate with people.
He's only a year older than I, so I can relate in that regard.
Bob, the very first computer you operated- was not a Macintosh?
I hope his family is not cursed by his horded wealth.
http://i.imgur.com/DjqMN.jpg
Bob, I'm not trying to be critical. I just don't see how this is different. He did touch many lives with his gifts to the world. Yes, there are bad things, but it would be ungentlemanly to discuss them at this time.
A public figure died. People express sorrow. I honestly do not see the issue.
No, the first computer I ever touched wasn't a Mac, but an IBM clone!
Brian, the point of the post was to ask why the fuss? I appreciate your take. Thanks!