Only a Fool Will Fall in Love

Upon initially hearing that someone you know dropped out of college for one reason or another, one might undoubtedly be first to respond with something along the lines of, “What a fool, that person’s going nowhere in life!” But would the average human being associate one of the most successful businessmen of the 21^st century, Steve Jobs, as a fool?  The infamous last line of Steve Job’s Stanford 2005 commencement speech, “Stay hungry, stay foolish,” quote inspired by his love for the inquisitive Whole Earth Catalog while growing up as a kid, might indeed take some people by surprise. Why would someone want to be foolish? Foolishness, defined as absurd, ridiculous, lacking in sense, judgment, or discretion, would never be the first thing to come to my mind in order to inspire and motivate college graduate students themselves, as they venture off into the real world. But as a 21^st century college student myself, something Job’s said directly affected me and hit close to home when I heard his speech for the very first time. As college students, at a liberal arts school, being away from home for a substantial period of time away from our parents, grandparents, etc., more formally, those who were the sole guidance and decision makers in our lives, who directly influenced our every move, and protected us since we were born, we are suddenly faced with this new found freedom (a liberation for some) to have the power to control our own actions, risks, and each decision we are faced with on a daily basis. This can be quite frightening at times, as well as sometimes overwhelming. Every day, the Id, Ego, and Superego combat each other constantly as an angel and a devil follow us on each shoulder, wherever we go. Thoughts fill our minds consistently telling us what’s the right thing to do, as we simultaneously may be surrounded, and pressured by influences advocating to us the wrong thing to do. As individuals, each unique human being’s ourselves, it is in these very moments in which only we personally, can decide for ourselves, what’s the best decision to make and we must filter through the options presented before us, carefully deciding which path we want to choose on the journey that lies ahead. Job’s emphasized, “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."  Here, Job’s expressive individualistic perspective underlines the importance of each one of us college students to take advantage of the liberal arts education and overall experience posed before us. We must not live our lives in fear of making mistakes, but instead stay ambitious, knowing that at some point, as long as we follow our hearts, the “dots will eventually all be connected together.”  Even though we might not be able to see that right now, in this very moment of time, we must remain doing things that we, ourselves want to do in terms of cultivating the self to become a better person and fully develop. We must find the interests and passions that we truly adore, in hopes to allow us to one day, and for the continuation of the rest of our days, to be able to do “great work.” We must never settle for the materialistic goals pressured by those around us as they may seem to be great routes to take. Instead, we must build our own path for success that indeed makes us happy, and allows us to do what we individually love.  Ultimately, I found a great sense of pride and respect for this college dropout himself, as I would never describe an individual who pursues a lifelong goal of doing what he is most passionate about, and sincerely loves, at the end of each day making him happy, as a fool; but, if that’s the case, then Steve Jobs is proof that only fools, will fall in love.   

Works Cited:

Memmott, Mark. "Read And Watch: Steve Jobs' Stanford Commencement Address : The Two-Way : NPR." NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. N.p., 6 Oct. 2011. Web. 10 Jan. 2013. <http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/10/06/141120359/read-and-watch-steve-jobs-stanford-commencement-address>.