Moonlings site launch OR How the passing of Steve Jobs lit a fire in my soul

Announcing a new website for Moonlings! Yes, moonlings.com is here!

How did this happen? I’m about to tell you. At length.

When Steve Jobs passed away a month ago today, I was shaken. Despite my prediction that his death would be imminent at the time he stepped down from his role at Apple as CEO, I was unprepared. Here’s the guy that gave us personal computers. Gave us MP3 players that were usable. Gave me the only phone I ever wanted to use. The list goes on but others have doen it better justice.

The point is, I felt lost. In a world without your hero, what do you do next? What do you believe now? Who should you follow now? I was without direction. Jobs wanted “to make a ding in the universe.” I think he did. He was a big deal, but after enough time, even he won’t be remembered. So of course neither will I or my work. So what’s the point in it all? I’ve recently found answers in Ecclesiastes.

A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God.

Ecclesiastes 2:24

And again:

I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

Orientation. You are mine.

My work seeks after greatness; I want to find satisfaction in my toil. When I’m not working I’m being happy– eating and drinking– the way that all the living ought to each day. And in all of this I’m trying to do good. I’ve taken as my personal mantra the family motto of my mother’s maiden surname. The Sinclair family motto: COMMIT THY WORK TO GOD.

Thankfully, this new orientation gave context to words he spoke at the June 12, 2005 Stanford commencement that I treasured yet struggled with. Here’s an excerpt:

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

Full text and video

All of these reflections caused me to decide to follow God and follow my heart. This is the first step in what I hope will be a life-long journey, the principles of which are simple enough to remember always, yet they emphasize being present in the moment.

To begin with, I made a list of everything I needed to do to create the greatest Moonlings site I could. Then, to make sure the site got online before my “Moonlings Presents: Thirteen Days of Halloween” project launched, I drew a line somewhere fairly high in the list. I set out to accomplish everything above the line before that project’s launch date, so that I wouldn’t put off my dreams any longer.

When your hero dies, you have to remember that as you honor and celebrate their spirit in a part of your heart; they’re still with you. There is no replacement for Steve and there never will be, but that’s okay. What we loved about our hero, we own a part of in our own souls and we live it out in our lives.

He told his colleagues at Apple not to ask “What would Steve do?” after he was gone. He said to just do what’s right.