Everyone is tweeting and writing their thoughts as a legend has now passed. I just re-watched Jobs’s Stanford Commencement speech (embedded below) and was as inspired as ever.  As I read more of the tributes like Walt Mossberg’s personal recollection, it got me thinking about 3 heavy questions around all of this:

1) Steve says to “have the courage to follow your heart and intuition,” but why do so few actually have it?

I know so many people that somehow got into a rut at one point and are just on a heartless journey, living paycheck to paycheck at a job they care little about.  I wish for a world with more passionate and inspired people.

2) Would you rather live 56 years in the life of Steve Jobs or 85 years of average American life?

If the cost of changing the world is 1/3rd of your life, that’s actually a pretty high price; there is no commodity more priceless than time.

3) What if Steve’s mother had an abortion instead of putting him up for adoption?

As Steve mentions in his speech, his mother had him out of wedlock and put him up for adoption.  There are few decisions harder in life than the one Steve’s mother faced. The world is fortunate for her decision.

As Walt Mossberg said in his opening, “He was a historical figure on the scale of a Thomas Edison or Henry Ford and set the mold for many other corporate leaders in many other industries.” Only a man as great as Steve could bring about so many great thoughts and so many deep things to think about.