"I’ll remember how he chose to pursue ideas that inspired a man staring down death."<p>I've always been leery of people who are obsessed with work to this extent. If work is your only metric, then yeah, its great. I sure would love my employees to have a 'work till you die' attitude. But life != work. Or rather, life > work.<p>For me, Steve was an interesting curiosity. Not an example to emulate.<p>I live in the neighborhood. I love so many aspects of silicon valley culture. But when I hear that train late at night, I'm not thinking "alone on my journey, on the edge of chaos, exploding into the future". Hell no.<p>Steve authorized his biography so that his kids would know him. Inspirational? For me, it sounds like a nightmare.<p>Water is necessary for life, but if you drink too much water you will die. Positive traits like creativity/focus/passion are crucial, but unchecked they can become destructive.<p>Live in balance.
I had a similar experience upon moving to Palo Alto last June. Living, working, and walking in places where "the greats" work changes your perspective immensely. Yes, it humanizes them, but it also emphasizes that you could just as well create something yourself as tremendous, valuable, and worthwhile. You don't have to be a god. They weren't.