For me it’s amazing how my perspective on death has changed over the years. The older I become, every loss of a family member, a friend or even someone I’ve only known from the media feels more severe. Today it occured to me that it’s not as much how close you were with a person as it is about how this person’s actions have affected you and your life, which is a different dimension of being close. And the older I become the deeper my understanding and appreciation of someone’s contribution and achievement becomes, because I realize ever more how little of what we take for granted really is, and how hard you need to push to get things done, how hard it has been for them.
I think Steve Jobs himself passed away at peace. For what I know from media coverage, I think he did achieve what he wanted to. He did show us that it is possible to turn your vision into reality, not only once, but many times. He proved time and time again that you can build success against many odds, over decades. At his company, he has established a culture that will allow their success for many years to come. Even outside Apple, everyone has enjoyed the opportunity to witness this transformation and learn from it. The incorrigible naysayers won’t admit it’s not been just luck, sure, even if he had done it a hundred times again.
On the other hand, my heart goes out to his family, his wife, his children, his close friends. It’s a terrible loss. I am sorry.