Quora can be highly addicting. They send you random questions and answers. One that popped up on my feed on the anniversary of his death on October 5th roughly 10 years and a month ago. It talks about how the Apple Founder reached the pinnacle of entrepreneurship. Creating a company from idea to being one that impacts every part of the world and employs thousands of people. People talk about success in these trends but his was joyless in the end. Wealth was one thing but health he was without. Would Steve Jobs have given up his entire wealth and if a theoretical time machine existed would he go back in time and given the opportunity to be healthy, beat his rare form of pancreatic cancer, and be alive today but in exchange he could not be wealthy and would not have the joy of starting Apple Computers? Instead of dying at 56 he would be alive today as a healthy 66 year old...
The line he says about reading a "Book of a Healthy Living" yet. Whatever stage of life we are in now, we will eventually face the day when the curtain falls. Here is the quote below:
"I have reached the pinnacle of success in business. In the eyes of others, my life is the epitome of success. However, apart from work, I have little joy. In the end, wealth is just a fact of life. I'm used to.
At this moment, lying in my sick bed and remembering my whole life, I realize that all the accolades and wealth that I was so proud of, have paled and become insignificant in the face of impending death.
You can hire someone to drive the car for you, to make money for you, but you can't have someone to carry the disease for you. "
Lost material things can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when "Life" is lost.
When a person enters the operating room, they will discover that there is a book they have not finished reading "Book of a Healthy Living" yet. Whatever stage of life we are in now, we will eventually face the day when the curtain falls.
From the Steve Jobs quote another reader chimed in as I don't believe the below was said by Jobs but talks about money and life. A great book for anybody who resonates with this would be Peter Singer's The Most Good You Can Do. It discusses Effective Altruism a principle we should all consider.
"Honey Love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends are very important. Appreciate those around you.
As we grow and, therefore, the wiser we become, we slowly realize that wearing a $300 watch or a $30 watch both say the same time ...
If we own a Crypto wallet
from 3 ETH or 30 ETH, the amount of money inside does you no good at the grave
Whether you drive a $150,000 or $30,000 car, the road and distance are the same and you will arrive at the same destination.
Whether you drink a $300 or $10 bottle of wine, the hangover is the same; whether the house we live in is 900 square feet or 3,000 square feet, the solitude is the same.
You will realize that your true inner happiness does not come from the material things of this world.
Whether you fly first class or economy class, if the plane goes down, it goes down anyway. Isn't it Ironic don't you think?
Therefore ... I hope you realize, when you have companions, friends and old friends, brothers and sisters, with whom you chat, laugh, talk, sing songs, even talk about little things - Appreciate them because they are the most precious thing you have ."
