Last Wednesday, the world learned of the passing of Steve Jobs — entrepreneur, visionary and long-time CEO of Apple. Few in the history of mankind have dared to alter the way the entire world lives their daily lives, and even fewer have succeeded. In his 56 years, Jobs changed the way we interact with each other, the way we learn, the way we listen to music, the way we play and quite frankly, the way we think. As President Obama said on the evening of Jobs' death, "There may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented." I can only imagine what he would have accomplished had he lived even one more decade.
As an aspiring entrepreneur, I am deeply saddened by this loss. Jobs was a role model to me and to aspiring innovators across the world. He shook off the status quo time and time again, was bold enough to believe that his own vision for the world was the way it should be and was dedicated enough about his dreams to see them through to fruition. As I think about Jobs' position in global history and the legacy he will leave behind, names such as Gandhi, da Vinci, Einstein and Copernicus come to mind. These are individuals who fought against conventional wisdom, and we honor them because each ushered humanity into a new era. And I would argue that even these great individuals did not have a direct impact on as many people during their lifetimes as Jobs did during his. Travel to nearly any country in the world and there is an Apple product to be found.
I believe that Brown would have been a natural fit for a trailblazer like Jobs. He would have embraced the New Curriculum, and he would have found mentors and friends who would have encouraged him to pursue his dreams and to fear nothing, just as I have during my time here. Jobs dropped out of Reed College in Oregon after one semester, but used his newfound freedom to continue attending the classes that intrigued him, such as the legendary calligraphy class that led to the variety of typefaces available on the first Apple computers. Perhaps he could have also found a way to incorporate Ghanaian drumming into one of his many inventions. In fact, there is no doubt in my mind he would have.
Jobs would have challenged his Brown classmates to dare to change the world. I have often been told that schools like Brown look to accept students who demonstrate a commitment to learning and hard work and possess the immense passion and drive to do something with their natural abilities. Jobs would have urged us not to waste these natural gifts and to make full use of the unique opportunity that we have all been given as Brown students, just as he told the Stanford class of 2005 in a commencement address. He would have taken advantage of the resources to which we have all been granted temporary access, met as many students and professors as he could and taken classes far out of his comfort zone, as he did at Reed. He would have reminded us that four years is not a very long time.
Of all the wisdom Jobs imparted on those Stanford graduates, one point stood out to me above the rest: "You've got to find what you love." This is a message we are often told by alumni speakers and advisers, but I think it is one worth reiterating. We should pursue the ideas and activities about which we are most passionate or curious, not just those that our friends and relatives might persuade us to pursue due to their own experiences or perceptions. In the absence of a core curriculum, Brown leaves the responsibility for exploration in the hands of its students. This can sometimes feel like a heavy burden, but it demonstrates more faith in the maturity of the student body than the administrations at most other universities would even consider. Like many of you, I chose to attend Brown because I value this independence, so much so that I feel it has become ingrained in me. I hope to follow in Jobs' path after I graduate and do something about which I am deeply passionate while building upon the many lessons I have learned thus far at Brown.
For all Jobs has given us and all his incredible mind will continue to give us over the coming decades, we owe this to him. Jobs repeatedly challenged the world to "think different," and at Brown, perhaps more than at any other university in the world, we are encouraged to do so. We are Jobs' natural successors, but we will only succeed if we are not afraid to be bold and to take the road less traveled. We must begin our journeys now, as we do not know how much time we will have.
Gabe Paley ‘12 is an economics concentrator from New York. He is co-founder of the Brown Sports Business Club.
