Back to: Maharashtra Board Class 10th English Guide & Notes
Table of Contents
Introduction
“Connecting the Dots “by Steve Jobs, is one of his works, in which he shares his own personal experience regarding his life changing decisions. He says, “You cannot connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards”. Through these comments, he wants to convey the message that one needs to trust that the dots will somehow connect in our future and whatever happens, actually happens for a reason.
Whether for the good or bad, life will eventually work itself for us. We all should be grateful of what we have done and have received in our lives because it is all from God, so that we can be guided to the correct path. Thus, by connecting the dots, that is by connecting our experiences, we gradually learn to accept our lives.
By learning from the past and hopeful for our future, we should live our lives to the fullest and do what we love. Connecting the dots is to understand ourselves better, to begin a new journey and to be overall be grateful. Through “Connecting the dots”, Steve Jobs intention is to convince the students to look for such career options and jobs, whatever they like and have passion for the same.
The lesson is divided into three sub- stories, in which Steve had shared his own experience regarding his choices and career decisions, which he made by taking a huge risk but later he was really satisfied on seeing the results of his efforts and passion.
The First Story
The first story is about his college life, where he dropped out after the first six months and then stayed as a drop-in for another eighteen months. Steve says that when he looks back, he is really glad that he made the decision to take a break from college. He further tells that his college (Reed
College), had given him the best calligraphy classes, though he had no idea if this was ever going to be practical in his life. But after ten years, he used his knowledge in calligraphy to create great text styles on the Macintosh. He used his knowledge about serif and San serif typefaces to make typography great. Steve was happy that the dots has somehow connected in his future. He says that his belief in his Destiny, Life, Karma and courage has never let him down and has made all the difference in his life.
The Second Story
His second story, is about his love and loss. At the age of twenty, he started Apple and within ten years Apple had grown from the two of them in a garage into a $2 billion company. It was then, he lost his job, which was a severe shock to him. However, this stress could not stay for too long, because being creative was his passion, not compulsion.
During the next five years he started a new company named Pixar, which is now the world’s most successful animation studio. He even met Laurene, his wife and started a wonderful family together.
Through his second story, he wants to convey the message, that sometimes life hits us in the head with a brick, but we should not settle and not loose faith. Instead, we should continue doing what we love.
The Third Story
His third story describes how he was diagnosed with cancer and lived with diagnosis all day. Later he developed a very rare form of pancreatic cancer. However, by God’s grace he was saved with the help of a surgery. Through his third story, he wants to convey the message that we should not let the noise of other’s opinions drown out our own inner voice, because you never know when is your last moment.
He then shares one of his childhood memory, that there was am amazing publication called The Earth Catalogue and in the final tissue on the back cover ,a photo of a morning country road was printed. Beneath it were the words “Stay hungry, Stay Foolish”.
He ends his lecture by instructing that as we graduate to begin anew, we should stay hungry, and stay foolish.