Steve Jobs and Religion

Jobs's speech contains many elements that fit well into the vein of religion and spirituality. Throughout his speech, Jobs has a strong focus on the concept of dying and dealing with impending death. He recalls his battle with pancreatic cancer, which ultimately led him to a new philosophy on life: To live life as if it were your last day on earth. Similarly, His earlier life findings led him to believe settling into life and being "comfortable" hurt the quality of life, leading to life's eventual decay. With these two tenants, Jobs gives both a model on how to live life correctly, and how to deal with one's own death. He clearly points out the "correct" way to live, with a correct outlook on death, while shaming other, less driven outlooks on life. In this way, Jobs's words share strong elements with the teachings in most religions. In most religions, a "correct" or "righteous" way of living is present that has dire consequences that follow, much like Jobs life advice. Additionally, religion also helps explain the mystery and fear surrounding death, promising paradise or reincarnation, while Jobs promises comfort in death as long as life was promising.