fency的令狐小筑

(This is the text of Stanford University Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005.)

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5 cent; deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it.

And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on.

Let me give you one example: Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it’s likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do.

Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life. During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurence and I have a wonderful family together. I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it’s the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept: No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

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 important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions. Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

非常感谢你们！

祈祷所有的噩耗都是幻影。

伊人真的离开了吗？

从此，MSN上的她将永远显示为灰色的脱机；

标志性的俏眼弯弯、从容微笑也永远留在了记忆中……

痛惜中，作联一副送给天堂里的她，愿美丽的凤凰浴火重生！！！

英才惊世 人羡凤飞九天外

多情绝俗 天妒凰舞三寰内

凤

凰

涅

盘 

发现这段好美的文字，愿与大家一起感动。

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当莫扎特老去

作者：田艺苗

　　最近一次听到弥撒曲，是在音乐学院。沉闷午后，到走廊尽头倒咖啡的时候，发现窗外下起了细雨。听见一支久违的合唱曲，在空荡荡的走廊上游荡，是莫扎特的《安魂弥撒》。

       坐在走廊的红色消防箱上，一边喝咖啡，一边把这支曲听完。

       乐曲是从三楼的一间教室中传来，人声嘈杂，衬得这支合唱愈见纯洁空旷。年轻的孩子们容易着迷肖邦的伤感与拉赫玛尼诺夫的狂热，却不能忍受一支弥撒曲漫长的祈祷。这种典雅的仪式感，属于行将老去的人们。当莫扎特老去，才开始谱写弥撒曲。

       有时候，音乐只是在模拟人的感情，所以有些旋律会在感动你之前预先令你落泪。如果音乐真的能够教化众生，那它也会反过来重新教会我们感情。古典的音乐，诠释了古典的情意。那是一种成年的、朴素的，饱满而持重的感情。深沉却不乏激情。看过了雁去潭空，梨花开又落，才更知晓世间的情重酒浓。

       喜欢这张卡拉扬晚年时录制的《安魂曲》版本。这样孤独伟岸的大师，也会老去，当独唱的女声，从乐队中如月色浮现，他冰蓝色的眼神也不禁恍惚迷离。

       即使安魂曲，即使是告别之作，莫扎特的轻盈如故。《安魂曲》包含了14支分曲，其中只有前两首《垂怜经、进台咏》和《求主垂怜》全部出自莫扎特手笔，其余的大部份他只来得及写下缩谱，由助手完成配器。第8曲《落泪之日》的旋律最美，他只写下8小节，就绝笔而去。

       所有的乐段都遵循传统的安魂曲模式，依照唱词组织音乐结构，合唱简洁清澈，织体疾速更换，他的速度感几乎已经接近现代。第3曲《震怒之日》，虽然有着宗教合唱的外型，但曲调流动并色彩缤纷。在很多乐段中他开始写下对位曲，这种古老晦涩的音乐语言，被他写得春意盎然。一支二重赋格曲，穿插在混声合唱中，犹如春日融雪的溪流，浪花沸腾着冲开了修道院森严的大门。作为宗教音乐，这样的安魂曲似乎过于活泼艳丽，但它一定曾被神的光芒点亮，才能够击败时间，跨越历史，穿过了尘埃与冰雪，依然鲜艳鲜活。

       童年时就开始弹奏莫扎特的奏鸣曲，但是在成年之后，听懂了贝多芬的炽烈与巴赫的浩瀚之后，才开始懂得莫扎特独特的纯真，他的浑然天成，他的苦难奔波与轻快的音乐风格之间的高贵差异。

       神童惊世，丧失了童年，他把童年奉献给了所有人。此时32岁的莫扎特，已经很老了。他疾病缠身，见到来委约《安魂曲》的黑衣人，误以为自己撞见了死神。上帝急着见他，大约也是爱慕他的才华。在普希金的诗剧中，那个委约临终前的莫扎特谱写《安魂曲》的神秘黑衣人是宫廷乐师萨列里，就是电影《莫扎特传》中那个疯狂嫉妒莫扎特的音乐家。这当然是杜撰的。对于莫扎特来说，唯有他人的疯狂嫉妒才足以说明他的天才。这个不幸与莫扎特同时代的音乐家萨列里，其实是那个年代唯一真正懂得与热爱莫扎特的人。当莫扎特死后，他的人生不再有参照，他也活不下去了。

       当天使回归天堂，留下的人，只好做了大地上孤独的兽，在旅途的终点，不耐地等待黄昏来临。如同《吉尔伽美什》史诗中写道：“欢喜的人将因哀伤而佝偻。当你复归尘土，我将为你披发，我将披上狮皮漂泊在旷野。”

2008年，不怎么顺利的一年。末了，却给我两个大大的惊喜。

一个是我家掌门大人的成婚大事。还有一个就是好友磬磬的婚礼（恭喜恭喜哦）。

婚礼布置在别具特色的场景中，宛如置身老上海的旖旎，风情万种，惟美得仿佛今生只在电影中才见得到。

看着美伦美奂的新娘，披着婚纱，搀着父亲的手，娉娉婷婷，缓缓踏上红色的地毯；

看着落落大方的新娘，当众表达对双方父母诚挚的感恩，声音一度哽咽；

看着惠质兰心的新娘，将一份别出心裁的礼物展示给新郎，将那么多两人世界中最珍贵的“第一次”与在场的每一位分享；

看着收到特别花束的好姐妹与新娘激动拥抱，交换着对未来美好幸福的祝愿；

我想，在那些时刻，受到感动的应该不止我一个人吧！

谢谢磬磬，让我们感受到了2008少有的浪漫。

原来，这个冬天不太冷。

博文上的字是越来越少了。

用越来越少的文字，来承载越来越多的意义，已经成为我努力的方向。

在这样一个“眼球经济”的时代，似乎谁的行为怪诞到弹眼落睛，谁的出言乍舌到骇人听闻，谁就能迅速出位走红。

人往往是这样的：麻辣吃多了，就会巴望着有一杯白水清清口。

大量歪曲夸张的描述，已经把人的味蕾宠坏，再也品不出人间珍馐的鲜美与甘甜。

事实上，让文字恢复其本来的涵义，读者才有可能真正获得内心的震撼与感动。

寿楼春

作于外婆大殓头七

斯人独仙游。想当年抖擞，神朗清眸。几度更霜残梦，扰了白头。年与共，邀重九。去路冥，孑然形瘦。徒枉唤伊回，风流纵使，何奈土一抔。

悲零涕，思幽幽。恨时光苦短，生死不由。怎把红尘翻遍，怖忧抛丢？亲幸在，恩难酬。悟醒迟，须臾春秋。廿载逝如梭，承欢趁早添永寿。