Steve Jobs died yesterday. And surprisingly, even though I am very anti-Apple and have never ever met the guy, it made me stop and be sad for a while. That sounds strange doesn't it, being sad.
But I was sad--the man, or at least the picture that Apple had posted on every Mac (and their various other product) screen(s), looked frail and very human. Something I didn't really connect with this messiah of the tech community. A design guru who to me, seemed more like a marketing genius who had tapped into the hearts of his audience.
But enough to say, that yes Steve Jobs, I am sad that you, like all other mortals, just disappeared. It's always surprising when mortality hits you in the face, kind of forces you to stumble back.
And then someone mentioned that Jobs' death was definitely the most important news item of the day. Yes, that man was a tech guru. Yes, he had managed to make some crazy number of people i-Crazy. But the most important news item in the world?
Harping on my favourite bone of contention yet again. But a starving child in India or Somalia or any of the other houses of most of the world's population does not give a damn. Because to her/him, Jobs and the magical world of Apple doesn't mean a thing. I am always surprised at how insulated people can be. A lot of us, irrespective of wherever in the world we are from, get sucked into this almost make-believe world where only the digital world either reigns or will soon reign supreme. Forgetting that there is a completely different reality. Or maybe multiple realities that the digital world doesn't even touch.
Realities that should be the 'important' items of news that jar people. Realities that are people, people who will die while you and I keep buying the next i-Item.
A rant but an expression nonetheless. Maybe it is time to rant about wealth distribution and inequality. And while I am at it, the Anna Hazare movement, Stop the Machine or Occupy Wall Street protests. Multiple Arab Springs that need to be analyzed and understood. And connected. Because, whatever it may not be, globalization is a reality. A very harsh non-i-Reality at that.
True.. How many people all across the world will be able to directly identify with Apple or Jobs... Very few. Much less in India...
ReplyDeleteBut not just for Apple or Jobs, take any facet in our world... nothing applies to the entire humanity, except perhaps hunger or thirst or anger or love... Everything segmented... Some have a wider appeal, that is all..
A starving child can't relate to -- leave alone Jobs -- not even a car or even good piece of clothing..
But perhaps if one takes a broader perspective, may be Apple and Jobs were able to bring in some change (esp in the US) at the way people looked at computing devices, and made use of them.
In this world and life, all impacts aren't direct... often the effects and results are very indirect, often the impact is -- instead of being at the first stage -- is at the second stage or third or fourth stage.
The impact percolates through various levels..
And regarding inequality, there's no point in ranting.. because that's a reality... it simply can't be removed... Nothing in this world is equal.. everything is disproportionate and different.
What needs to be avoided is to become draw conclusions based on inequality or differences... Like for example, "a man with more money is more refined than one with less money". Or, "A woman who doesn't go out to work is less competent to handle the world than a career woman."
For all that you know, a poor Somali boy may be more gifted than a rich kid in a developed world.
Anyway, a good read...