I just had a somewhat heated conversation with some coworkers that started with the death of Steve Jobs. I work in IT, so it wasn't completely off the wall when one person admitted she'd teared up when she heard the news, but then she added, "He changed the way we live our lives!"
"He changed the way rich people live their lives, maybe," I responded. She asked, "Do you have an MP3 player?"
"Nope."
Our other coworker chimed in: "Are you saying I'm rich because I have an MP3 player?" Yes, I answered, and offered to show her where her yearly salary falls on the continuum of yearly salaries drawn by the planet's population. Anyone concerned with how to store their music collection is rich, I stated.
"I consider my iPod a mental health device," she laughed.
"Anyone who has the leisure time to worry about their mental health is rich," I countered. Am I being too extreme asking privileged people to recognize their privilege? How can anyone be a citizen of the world - forget the world; just this country, in the middle of this economic free-fall, and not understand just how rich we are? To be sitting on my butt in a climate-controlled building (horrific fluorescent lights and all), working on a computer, looking forward to driving my car to my home where I have food and furniture and clothing...sure, I wish I had more space for more stuff and there are plenty of big-ticket things I hope someday to be able to afford (including an iPad), but I am not confused about how wealthy I already am. I am grateful every day for what I have.
Steve Jobs did make personal computers ubiquitous in our culture, no matter what OS they happen to run, so yes, he did change my life. But I am a rich person. There are billions of people who will never touch a device Steve Jobs helped to create, and their lives are no less valuable than mine.
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