Reflecting on Steve Jobs, Karma Yogi, and Philanthropy

The loss of Steve Jobs today marks the end of the first (and perhaps second and third generations) of the development of personal computers and portable multi-media devices. But, did you know that this university drop-out turned computer visionary had roots in yoga? In a popular blog called the Path to Yoga, the anonymous blogger writes that there are many Karma Yoga lessons we can learn from Jobs. Karma yoga, the blogger writes, is "...reaching a state of union with the Self through right action." The blogger said this could be interpreted as both selfless service, or doing something that has to be done. Did Jobs act in selfless service, or perform some kind of right action or some kind of duty? According to an article online in the Huffington Post on October 9, 2011, Apple indirectly raised a tremendous amount of money through product sales for AIDS in Africa, but Jobs never donated any of his own money - at least not publicly - to charity. At this point there is not much evidence that he himself was a philanthropist even if Apple itself engaged in philanthropy (albeit paid by the consumers!). When we think of the concept of selflessly serving, you think about doing something that puts others' interests ahead of your own. Without philanthropy, I don't see Steve Jobs as having ever engaged in "personal sacrifice" beyond efforts to create "revolutionarty" multimedia devices for the consumer. So, back to the article in the Path to Yoga blog, the blogger concludes from quotes in the press and his speeches that Jobs did what he did because he loved what he did, wanted people to like his products, and the money was not really important or why he did what he did. In other words, we might go as far as to say that he did what he did without expecting (much) in return. But, I tend to look at small business owners who barely scrape by as acting more out of personal self-sacrifice for their family or at the very least working hard because what they do is a labor of love to keep their businesses from going under. Please remember how rich Mr. Jobs was, and correctly position him in history. He may have engaged in some level of self-sacrifice in committing himself 24/7 to providing jobs for many people and moving and shaking the wired world's techno-culture, but I believe philanthropy is about something far more generous and for the greater public good. Apart from neat cutting edge multi-media products, I will remember Jobs best for his life lesson that if you dedicate yourself fully to a personal dream, you will receive good karma in return. To this end, he connected well with people by helping people connect better with other people technogically, and making a very successful company. Namaste!