Thank you, Steve Jobs

When I first saw the blurb on the news last night, I didn't believe it at first. Steve Jobs gone? There was no way. Like most wired people, I went straight to the Mac, onto Safari to confirm the news with the Internet.

I found out it was true. I felt sad. I went to sleep.

This morning, the weight of the loss stuck with me. I searched the tributes and celebrations of his life and genius. I found myself crying, devastated over the loss of a person I have never met.

I cannot remember feeling so connected to a complete stranger.

The world has lost other celebrities in my lifetime. I've felt sadness and condolences to the family and friends left behind. But I've never mourned. Not like this.

I am saddened by the loss of the man. Touched by the loss at such a young age and empathetic to those that knew him. But I think my personal mourning is for the ideas that Mr. Jobs represented as much as the man himself. Our very first family computer was a Quaddra 660 AV. I have been a Mac user ever since. I've never owned a computer, laptop, or mp3 player that wasn't an Apple product. Mac's are quite simply my connection to technology.

But it's even more than that. Mr. Jobs took a fancy calculator and turned it into a fully customizable machine that would begin an era. He brought individuality back into technology. And his ideas benchmark the stages of my life. The iPod with white earbuds, the Macbook in the lap of a college student, the much-speculated and long-awaited iPhone. These are definitive attributes of an almost undefinable generation.

I think that Steve Jobs the Legend embodies the hopes and struggles of our ambiguous generation. We strive to be creative but are pushed to be productive. We are challenged and must rely on our courage and resolve to come out on top. Mr. Jobs lived with us during the dawn of the information age, and his success is a dream we can collectively strive towards.

So thank you, Steve, for being a role model for the kids that grew up alongside Apple. Please look down over all of us as we try to carry on your legacy. But take some time for yourself and relax, too. After all, while you were here, you were very, very busy.

:-)

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