Thursday, October 6, 2011

Sudden Death

Did you know that Steve Jobs was half Syrian? I also found out that he had an estranged daughter, that he denied even swearing in court that he was impotent. It's funny how it takes a person to die for the world to find out everything possible about them. I found 330 "R.I.P Steve Jobs" Facebook pages in several languages just this morning. I'm sure it's probably up to at least 500 now.  It's obvious that his innovation and the company that he co founded have impacted technology and the way we live. I'm just curious why this translates to an emotional outpouring. I'm pretty sure if Bill gates died tomorrow, I would'nt be sad. It's strange how we react to sad news.


If I died tomorrow, I don't even think my Facebook friends would start a group to honor my death. A handful of them would write some heart felt sentiment on my wall. Some will send their condolences to my wife through a message. Some of the things I read about Steve Jobs on status updates made me wonder if my friends were related to him. Don't get me wrong, I'm nobody to criticize the way people cope with death. There have been public deaths that have affected me over the years. For instance, it's not a secret that I honor Notorious B.I.G. every year for the anniversary of his death and birth. When John Gotti died in prison, I felt for his family. On the other hand when Michael Jackson died, I felt the impact he had on the world, but I didn't cry about it. I remember they interviewed a lady that sold all her furniture, and electric appliances to fly out to L.A. to stand on a corner and see Michael Jackson's funeral proccesion pass by.

I can understand if you lost someone near and dear to you like a sibling, parent or close friend. I have friends that continue to occasionally honor their departed loved ones on Facebook. I think that is great and noble. It's when I see stuff like "Rest in peace Billy Mays, you will always be in our hearts" Really? The Oxyclean guy. Why do we feel the need to let everyone know that we know someone in the public eye has died. I never see anyone comment on local deaths in the news. Recently a lady threw her 2 year old granddaughter over the railing of a 6 story parking structure. Those are the types of deaths that make me feel sorrow. Even though I didn't know the victim or the family I can relate better to them then a TV pitchman. How about all the soldiers that are risking their lives and dying everyday in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I'm pretty sure Steve Jobs was great guy. His death should not be taken for granted but I don't think that we should make October 5th a national holiday either. When I die I don't wanna be remembered for what I did. I wanna be remembered for the kind of person I was. I will be perfectly fine if some random person in Saginaw, Michigan doesn't tell his Facebook friends how I changed their lives with my inventions. I would rather my friends get together and talk about the good times. The funny shit I used to say, and how much I loved my family and friends.

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