Religion final project

The Death of Steve JobsKarmen Yoder

IntroductionSteve Jobs was an extremely influential mind of our era. The

majority of people and media focus solely on the success and history of Apple Corporation. There are many archived reports on the change in Apple stock, list of products in circulation, and breakthroughs in technology. It is hard to enter any school or workplace without seeing an IPod, Mac, or IPhone. Nevertheless, much less was known about his personal life. Jobs was adopted at a young age, fired from Apple, and devoutly practiced Zen Buddhism. He even proceeded to travel to Tibet in search of enlightenment. Even the Apple model of simplicity is said to be derived from Buddhist beliefs. My presentation will cover blogs, articles, and other media that explore different parts of this technological icon’s life and death.

ABC News

Jsaguiar’s blog covered the ABC news article.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/steve-jobs-buddhism-guided-life-mantra-focus-simplicity/story?id=14682458

Image from: wordonfire.com

AnalysisABC news did a fantastic job covering the basic spiritual side and

influence of Steve Jobs. The article was written by Susan Doyle James and focused mostly on how Buddhism ideas were incorporated into Apple Corporation. The title and first paragraph positively emphasize how simplicity was used to build Jobs’s successful career. Reliable sources are used, including Robert Thurman (Professor of Buddhism Studies at Columbia University) and Gary Li (Secretary of the Buddhist Association of the U.S.). The general attitude is that of religion positively correlating with economic success, seeing that Apple is one of the most successful companies in the entire world. ABC news is prevalent and this story was very easy to find.

Washington PostC1oneill’s blog covered the Washington Post’s article.

Image from: http://www.horowitzfreedomcenter.org/2011/10/05/the-washington-post-and-double-standards/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/under-god/post/steve-jobss-journey-for-enlightenment/2011/11/16/gIQAkx2BSN_blog.html

AnalysisSally Quinn of the Washington Post interviewed Walter Isaacson, the

author of “Steve Jobs”. He has also written books about Franklin and Einstein, neither of which were religious, simply spiritual. The interview centered around how Jobs disregarded God at the age of thirteen and began his search for new enlightenment. He believed there was many paths, a high power, and a “great mystery”. The title and first paragraph positively focus on how Jobs’s personal religious beliefs gave him passion that drew people to his ideas. Isaacson refers to Jobs’s belief in “a great mystery” quite frequently. Even upon his death, Steve Jobs lives on in a semi-secretive manner. Isaacson is a reliable source. He’s president and CEO of Aspen Institute, former manager of TIME magazine, and CNN broadcasting. Steve Jobs and Buddhism are promoted in a positive fashion. Searching for enlightenment is portrayed as searching for passion and success. The Washington Post is extremely prevalent and the beginning picture really caught my attention. (next slide)

Washington Post Interview

Wall Street Journal Blog

http://www.editorsweblog.org/multimedia/2011/09/wall_street_journal_live.php

Joelhartzlerworld religion’s blog covered this Wall Street Journal article.

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/10/06/the-zen-of-steve-jobs/?KEYWORDS=buddhism

AnalysisThe next source was a little bit different. Jeff Yang is a columnist for

the Wall Street Journal but his blog focuses solely on Asian culture. His column is superior to mainstream media because Buddhism is his religion. Therefore he dives deeper into Jobs’s religious practices and integrations. Examples include Apple’s use of miyabi (high refinement) shibui (unobtrusive beauty) iki (audacious style) yugen (enigmatic quality) and ma (how things are defined by what they are and what they are not). My first impression of the article was good. The title and picture used were very impactful (next slide). Yang does a phenomenal job of providing specific examples of Steve Jobs’s use of Buddhism in his life and company. He draws on personal experience and research. Jobs is promoted as a visionary, revolutionary, innovator, self- involved egoist, and a ruthless manipulator. This article was a bit less prominent than the first few; its title is “Speakeasy blog”. It has the most complete coverage, addressing both the positive and negative… a great example of ying and yang.

The Zen of Steve Jobs

This picture illustrates consumer admiration of Steve Jobs and his products. IPhone 3 is used to photograph the memorial.

Tricycle.comEennis’s blog covered this article from tricycle, a Buddhist review magazine.

Image from: http://wisdomquarterly.blogspot.com/2008/07/tricycle-better-blogging.html

http://www.tricycle.com/blog/buddha-buzz-steve-jobss-death-and-dharma

AnalysisTricycle is a Buddhist review magazine. The report was written by

Emma Varvaloucas and serves as an unbiased well rounded example. She starts off by comparing Steve Jobs’s Stanford commencement speech with a passage from The Tibetan Book of the Dead. I thought this article was going to be one sided and boring because there were no opening pictures and the title was simply “Steve Jobs: Death and Dharma”. Tricycle addresses Jobs as a “Celebrity Buddhist” and links several articles I used earlier (ABC, CNN, and valleyzen.com). The main focus was shifted from Apple to acceptance of death and realization that there is an end. Varvaloucas’s placing of the “Celebrity Buddhist” label was harsh but necessary. No other media source considered this possibility. This media was not prominent; I had never heard of Tricycle before this project. Nevertheless, her overall approach is unbiased and honest.

CNNMlodge’s blog covered this article by CNN.

http://freestudents.blogspot.com/2011/02/crappy-network-news-cnn.html

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/06/the-zen-of-steve-jobs/

AnalysisCNN reporter Dan Gilgoff covered the death of Steve Jobs. It

focused mostly on Steve Jobs’s relationship with his “Buddhist monk guru” Kobun Chino Otogawa. That in itself is somewhat of a contradiction. Apple and enlightenment went unmentioned. There was no connection drawn between Buddhism and Apple’s economic and trend success. I felt more informed by the video at the beginning than the actual article. Generalizations were used in describing Buddhism. CNN’s Gilgoff states that Zen Buddhism is a fundamental practice of Japanese culture when in actuality there are other forms of Buddhism in Japan as well. This article was more of an opinion piece compared to the others I have read. CNN is prominent but I wasn’t interested or drawn into their story. Nevertheless, Otogawa remains a reliable source.

Comparison http://articles.cnn.com/2011-10-05/tech/tech_innovation_steve-jobs-philosophy_1_tim-cook-steve-jobs-apple-s-ceo/4?_s=PM:TECH

CNN tech ran a separate article, much better written. It’s titled “The Spiritual Side of Steve Jobs” and is nearly identical to the ABC News reporting and analysis. It’s slightly more lengthy and provides more specific detail about Jobs’s journey seeking enlightenment.

Youtube

Link to video: ABC’s coveragehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc4VYumDtfE

ConclusionSteve Jobs’s life was a media noteworthy event because it was filled

with so much mystery and great success. His death will affect Apple in every way imaginable, along with the many Apple users and consumers. A few articles briefly mentioned his childhood, adoption, and brief college stint. But the main focus was the integration of Buddhist ideas into the formation of the Apple empire and the perfect product. Nevertheless, it was clear that all sources had a slight doubt about Jobs actually being a legitimate practicing Buddhist. One article even referred to him as a “Celebrity Buddhist”. He’s been called a manipulator and a corporate tyrant, a visionary and an innovator. Now that he is gone, the spotlight will shift to his company. How will they react in his absence?

Works Cited James, Susan Donaldson., “Steve Jobs’s Mantra Rooted in Buddhism: Focus and Simplicity”, ABC NEWS,

October 6, 2011. (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/steve-jobs-buddhism-guided-life-mantra-focus-simplicity/story?id=14682458)

Quinn, Sally, “Steve Jobs’s journey for enlightenment”, Washington Post, Novemeber 16, 2011. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/under-god/post/steve-jobss-journey-for-enlightenment/2011/11/16/gIQAkx2BSN_blog.html)

Yang, Jeff, “The Zen of Steve Jobs,” Wall Street Journal Speakeasy, October 6, 2011. (http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/10/06/the-zen-of-steve-jobs/?KEYWORDS=buddhism)

Varvaloucous, Emma, “Buddha Buzz: Steve Jobs’s Death and Dharma”, Tricycle.com, October 6, 2011. (http://www.tricycle.com/blog/buddha-buzz-steve-jobss-death-and-dharma)

Gilgoff, Dan, “The Zen of Steve Jobs”, CNN NEWS, October 6, 2011. (http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/06/the-zen-of-steve-jobs/ )

CLS_AT, “Crappy Network News: CNN”, Blogspot.com, February 26, 2011. (http://freestudents.blogspot.com/2011/02/crappy-network-news-cnn.html)

Milian, Mark, “The Spiritual Side of Steve Jobs,” CNN.com, October 5, 2011. (http://articles.cnn.com/2011-10-05/tech/tech_innovation_steve-jobs-philosophy_1_tim-cook-steve-jobs-apple-s-ceo/4?_s=PM:TECH)

YouTube, “Steve Jobs Funeral,” YouTube, October 6, 2011. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc4VYumDtfE)