Steve Jobs' eye-opening email to himself a year before his death is incredibly moving
The co-founder of Apple penned a poignant email to himself just one year before he died.
Steve Jobs started what would become a giant in the tech industry in 1976 and was known throughout his life for his philosophical outlook.
What seems to be his final inspirational message has been made available to read by the Steve Jobs Archive.
Advert
In the email, which Jobs wrote to himself on September 3, 2010, he reflected on how much he relies on other people to survive.
He said: “I grow little of the food I eat, and of the little I do grow, I did not breed or perfect the seeds.
“I do not make any of my own clothing. I speak a language I did not invent or refine. I did not discover the mathematics I used.”
He goes on to state that: “I am protected by freedoms and laws I did not conceive of or legislate and do not enforce or adjudicate. I am moved by music I did not create myself. When I needed medical attention, I was helpless to help myself survive.
“I did not invent the transistor, the microprocessor, object-oriented programming, or most of the technology I work with. I love and admire my species, living and dead, and am totally dependent on them for my life and well-being.”
The introspective letter appears to have been characteristic of Jobs’ mindset as this was not the first time he talked about how we depend on others for survival.
Talking at the 1983 International Design Conference in Aspen, Jobs said: “We're constantly taking, and the ability to put something back into that pool of human experiences is extremely neat.”
Another example is a talk he gave during an internal meeting at Apple, which has also been made public through the Archive, where Jobs said: “One of the ways that I believe people express their appreciation to the rest of humanity is to make something wonderful and put it out there.”
Taking to Reddit to share their thoughts, one user wrote: “Despite anything people say about Apple and its overpriced products, you have to give it to Steve; He changed the way the world sees electronics and he revolutionized computer engineering.”
Talking about Jobs’ death, another added: “I don't feel sad. I feel overwhelming gratitude. This is a man who assembled a team of great people to create great technology, and for that I say thank you Steve.”