Steve Jobs can teach us more than just how to design cool stuff

I was sad when I heard about the death of Steve Jobs.  I was more surprised by how my grown 'twentysomething' adult children reacted.  Yes, they are Apple fans and into i-this and i-that.  But it was their perspective on how Jobs had changed 'everything' in their world that I found intriguing.  When I thought about it, however, I realized they were right.

You could say that he was responsible for mere gadgets and gizmos, but you would miss the point.  I am no expert on Jobs, no expert on all the influence he had in so many spheres of technology; I only have my own experiences and can only bear witness to what I myself have seen.  So these are the thoughts that come to my mind:

For me, the most profound gift he gave was "access".  Access to music - lots of music - music of all kinds, from all nations, all available at the click of a mouse. But not just music!

I think of my sister, an English and History teacher who used to love to read Shakespeare to her students, until her vision problems made it impossible to see well enough to read aloud.  Yes, she has a Kindle and she can amp up the font so that she herself can read more easily.  But to read Shakespeare, you need to see more than 6 words.  The iPad gave her back the ability to read to her students.  The first day she did so, everyone was in tears:  the kids and my sister.  What a precious gift.

And while I cannot know for sure that Jobs and Apple designed their iPad with any thought to allowing the visually impaired the gift of reading aloud, perhaps that is the brilliance of the man: to intuitively know what users need.

I truly lament the loss of this visionary.  And now, having read the eulogy his sister gave at his funeral, I am ever more saddened by his passing. Take the time to read Mona Simpson's eulogy for Steve Jobs.

I am awed by his joy in the simple things, in beauty, in family.  I am awed by his continual desire to improve upon everything around him.  And, I am awed by his final words: "Oh Wow. Oh Wow. Oh Wow".

If the 'other side' is wow-ing Steve Jobs, why would we ever fear passing?