He is IDead,I am ISad

Last night I was thinking about Shakespeare's famous quote in the 'Twelf Night';"Be not afraid of greatness:Some are born great,others achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust unto them".
I had one person in mind who have achieved greatness,and was looking for the other two.I asked my best friend whom he would recommend(in my Country).I am not sure we even got the conversation going!But as usual,death has answered another of life's query!
Let us apply this quote to some of the world's greatest who have left us in 2011.

Born Great- Steve Jobs  1955-2011
On Monday 3'rd October 2011,Thomas Cook,the new Apple CEO launched the new IPhone 4S,the first since his appointment. Many Investors were disappointed since they were expecting radical changes on the new IPhone.Some did not even approve of Cook's public appearance(or is it his name ,'Cook',that sounds ridiculous compared to 'Jobs'!!)This saw Apple loose more than 3% of its shares.Whether this is an indicator of things to come,i really can't tell;but one thing i know for sure is that Steve was a natural,consummate salesman who would make people buy a product that even served no great purpose.I am sure were he the one one who launched the IPhone 4S,we could be talking of something else here.
One great lesson that i have learnt from the Visionary leader from the Silicon Valley can only be told in this 14min Speech:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA&feature=player_embedded
The Pioneer of Innovation,the lover of technology,the mover and shaker,....... ad infinitum the list cannot be exhausted.That is why Steve takes this first part of quote,100%. RIP Steve.

Achieved Greatness-Prof.Wangari Muta Maathai  1940-2011


This great daughter of Africa may not have met Steve Jobs,but i do see some connecting  dots in their lives.The dots are in their lives;Jobs was betrayed by a confidante,one that he started Apple with,and the Board Of Governors showed him the door;getting fired from a Company you started?Unbelievable, no?Wangari on the other hand was battered and rejected by the same people,the same Nation that she fought so hard to liberate,a country that she brought to lime light for creative minds,other than 'running'.Can you see this?One was for technology,the other for environment;what do i get here?Come on! help me say it.
These two also had one thing in common;they both kept a low  profile on their private life/families and both sacrificed for the sake of their families.Steve dropped out of Reed College since he felt that his parents would exhaust their lifetime earnings for school fees;Wangari refused to undergo an expensive cancer treatment since she did not want  her family to suffer.
What about their deaths?Ten days difference. The cause?Cancer.
How cruel cancer can be to rob us of the world's greatest and finest!As the world continues to flourish and enjoy the technological and environmental(Green) waves,lets us not forget how these two worked tireless to their graves to make this world a better place.
STOP PIRACY and CONSERVE THE ENVIRONMENT.

Greatness thrust unto him-Osama Bin Laden  1957-2011


This is one man that the world loved to hate;one who sends shivers down the spines just at a look of his image!Even as i  write this i am shaking!But allow me to also connect some dots here...Bin Laden was born of a Syrian Mother;Jobs to a Syrian father. Bin Laden's father was so strict,and imposed religious codes and social codes unto him.So would i blame Bin Laden for being who he was?No because that is the way he was structured to be.But just to see how different people can be just because of how they were brought up.


I do not know what to say as for now,perhaps i should get moving like today is my last day on earth;i am going to do something today;something that can change the world.

Comments

The Nomad said…
You are right Tracy. Some people are born great, others have greatness thrown to them but the best of them are the ones that toil from very humble beginnings and unimmaginable background to become something and someone in the eyes and hearts of humanity. Inspiring these people are apart from the dudes that use their blessing of greatness to execute the innocent and the lowly. No wonder the ocean floor was a good idea. Hail Njenga Karume while still alive. From a water boy, charcoal burner, hawker, business man and now a Billionaire. Why not me? Lets take a step and do something positive. Plant trees, conserve water, innovate and prosper.
October 7, 2011 at 5:43 AM
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