The Steve Jobs...did we truely know him?

I recently read about Steve Jobs and his comments on Bill Gates, philanthropy and other emerging facts....i am wondering if majority of us actually knew him or they are just words to tarnish his memory? Steve Jobs is a genius, no doubt....we cannot forget that but reading this article about this man just leaves me with one question...did we actually know Steve Jobs? or maybe perhaps we are so used marrying him with Apple....the place we know him most and the genius we relate with. Was he really that bitter?  Bill Gates and Jobs were said to be good friends and Gates has continually said good things about Jobs. In private, Jobs felt little but contempt for Bill.
The 630 page book by Walter Isaacson gives a different view to the man we call a genius...an inventor. Isaacson is said to have interviewed Jobs 40 times....so why did Steve Jobs say of Bill Gates :
"Bill is basically unimaginative and has never invented anything, which is why i think he is more comfortable now in philanthropy than technology".

What do know?  if the author enjoyed unpreceedented access to the Late Apple creator, it will be hard to doubt his credibility....it seems when people die, a whole new chapter of secret opens. It is obviouslya two-sided view of the Arab-American.....the part we know and the side most of us don't; the petty tyrant who sacked people for crossing his path when he was in a bad mood. A man who dimisses those given to philanthropy or those who give away thier fortune as seeking "false respectability".

It is very revealing and i am tempted to think that other things will come up later. Steve Jobs is a dead man now and it is easy for things to come out now.
Isaacson is a former Managing Editor of the world famous TIME magazine and Steve Jobs chose him to write his biography. That alone gives the information credibility.
Besides, the writer cannot been seen in a bad light, he is obviously giving us facts, figures and his experience with Steve Jobs. His an acclaimed autobiographer.....
The dead man tell no tales and Right now....it is clear that this is life and when you die, it ends there. The rest of us in the world can make whatever we like from it..but that is it. Whatever the controversy, the dead man will not wake up. Whether they did not allow each other's products in thier household....that does not matter now. Life is more than that.
Bill Gates has remained honourable and it is best he stays cool. I respect the man and he has made a mark in history and continues to.
Steve jobs is a genius and whatever this is all about .Like other man,he has his ideologies and judging it is no longer important....he made history regardless of his shortcomings!

THE BLACKMAN FACTOR; Nigerian Factor! part 2

 
We are no longer slaves and even though there are cases of human trafficking, things are different now. A lot of things are just own doing, our thinking. Rise above suffering and smiling….

 We continually conform to what the others say we are. We submit to their conditions, their stereotyping and truly, the slave-driving methods is what many of us still answer to. They still use fear, distrust and envy to control the Blackman. Even in the modelling industry, sports and entertainment, these things are evident. In fact, a lot of black CEOs use it to drive their subordinates to get results, they make it and jump in the band wagon of the white man….but the point is, they can never be white. To look down on your fellow African, no matter their colour, to put a fellow black man down will not make you any better. You are a black man and that you will always be…..it does not matter what phonetics you speak, where you live or how educated you are. Chances of a black man selling another black man short are higher than another race will. It is the reason when some white man wants to penetrate the black community he looks for a loophole…he looks for someone greedy and uses money to buy him over. While the black man buy liabilities in a bid to get the status quo that he thinks will give him power and respect, the white man takes over. There is no point getting bitter about a white man, they are working with common sense. It only should open our eyes to the reality and make us better. The white man is not our problem especially now.

You have to be proud of your heritage, love who you are and celebrate it. Value who you are. If you value yourself, you will not sell yourself short and because you will not do that, it is easy to respect others. We must understand what is important in this life and rise above the slave mentality. Get over the being black factor and stop thinking it is always about your race. Never use racism for your weakness, your shortcomings or as an excuse to stay at the bottom. While certain things are hard to deal with and can really hurt, we can still rise above it and be it. Don’t be in a hurry to give in because of something so small, something with no value to your life. There are still issue of white supremacy still lingering all over the world; it does not mean we cannot become somebody.  

Do not let yourself be used by other people to bring others down. Check your belief systems and the traditions that hold you down and rise above it. Know that envy, jealousy does not do any good.  You have the responsibility to rise above it. You do not have to talk like them, behave like them to be civilized. If you are good at what you do, you can rise above prejudice, racism and all manner of things that hover around being black.

Understanding your values and who you are in God is critical. Some white people may still have that ideology that blacks are corrupt especially Africans but you do not let that limit you. It is a tall order to beat some things off but it is possible. When God created man he blessed them all and to God, race does not count. The blessings of God are without repentance. We are the ones sabotaging our efforts, we double cross each others and at the end of the day, we still suffer of. Don’t be in a hurry to sit up there, all made and all righteous, boasting of international connections while your next door neighbour needs your help.

The blame game is easy but it will not take us anywhere. You must understand the basics of humans success, of what leadership is….the issue of eating alone; me, my family, my friend and relatives is only counter productive. You must be willing to groom people, not use them and dump them….let your principles drive others to greatness. There is nothing wrong with being a black man and whatever your limitations your can rise above it. In the words of Pastor Sam Adeyemi “success is who you are”.

I am black and proud….proudly Nigerian!

THE BLACKMAN FACTOR; Nigerian Factor! part 1

Do you ever wonder why you should be black or just ask why we just never seem to have it right for the most part? It is annoying but true. You can resist it; talk yourself out of it but the truth so remains. You may have asked what is wrong with the black man, where exactly did we miss it that we all seem to be experiencing similar backdrop the world over. The truth remains that there is nothing wrong being a black man; you just have to know who you are, where you are coming from and how to rise above every limitation. Understanding it has changed a lot of things for me and believe me, it works. I am no longer angry being black, I most love it because I know my roots, who I am and how to be different. I write with reference to Nigeria.

The issue of race is very serious even though we have our drops of prejudice, every man, black or white, mulatto or where ever you are from. The only difference is in knowing when not to submit to that prejudice. The challenges of the Blackman all over the world are peculiar and the feeling comes with the questions that we ourselves alone can answer. The secret of rising above the stereotype is in knowing where you come from, your roots and being honest with the shortcomings of your colour. You must not be given to excuses, you must stop finding every reason to blame the white man, no matter what he has done or is still doing….it is your life; you must be determined to make it work.

It breaks my heart that even the educated “elites” as they call them, have yet to rise above nepotism, tribalism, traditions that holds us back, self-limiting believes, superstitions, corruption and defeat. For the most part mediocrity is still very much, a part of our system. While those in the western world have experienced some light, those of us in Africa still deal with issues, a lot of it. Our problems do not just end in physical dilapidation; it goes far into our mentality. Our way of thinking, relating with others and how we do our things….our system. The system must be progressive and productive for it to work.

The feeling that if it is imported, then it is the best. We so much believe in the superiority of the white man (thanks to the black slave-brain washing, which has been passed down generations and still going) that we have lost self-believe, it is one  reason why china made products are taking over the Nigerian market. It is easy for us to import rice or any food stuff than to make it happen here. We want to speak like them; they are the standards for what we do here, even in recruitment, auditions, fashion shows, relationships, television etcetera. There are policies that perpetuates red-tapeism, unproductive bureaucracy that frustrates many who want to make things happen here and even those in the Diaspora wanting to come home. From registering a company, to starting a university or a school, opening a business, building a house or owning a house etc. Methods that does not add value to life of the common man. You waste time, resources to achieve and you find these procedures that are unnecessary, practically frustrating. We are played by our leaders and plagued by indecisions of our leaders. As I have discovered, they really cannot lead when they do not understand what it entails. It is easier for a sate Governor to get a private jet than repair roads, renovate school or provide drinking water. Leadership is not part of our school curriculum…..you really should not blame them.

The things we worry about and the things that drive us for the most part are things that are for the now.  We want to get the best grades to get the best jobs so that we can live the luxurious lifestyles. Delayed gratification makes zero sense and excellence is rarely celebrated. We rarely implement originality; we prefer to copy and make the fake version. Even when it comes to using our talents, it is hugely for personal gains, there is little space for how we can touch lives. Impacting someone goes beyond giving them money. We often deceive ourselves with huge supposed “philanthropists” on the page of newspapers and on our TV screens. It is not about what you have and that is the part we miss it. We enjoy being at the top and the rest staying down below. Even those who claim to help the under privileged, at the back of their minds there is something to gain. For us, everything must have personal gain. Whenever there is a promo, it has to do with you buying first, to get the chance to win. It is okay to be profit driven but you must be careful who you step on and how you use people to get it. Many of us are complaining about our leaders but deep down, it is because we are not experiencing part of the national cake, when we do, a lot of us are prone to compromise even the human rights activist, we have seen them and it happens. In Nigeria, we know everyman, no matter his profession, religion, has a price tag. No matter the plan, the strategy, someone is likely to compromise. Chances are that when if someone becomes a millionaire from the slums, he is more eager to set myself up and be the star, than help someone up to be better than him or her, there is fear of succession. They often want to be like the master enjoying the homage and respect people pay them for what they have….not so much for who they are because when those things vanish, it is back to square one. When you see the kind of Freebies Corporation gives people around here, you will understand the type of people we have become. Getting a salary raise or a Blackberry® or something with no effectual value is likely to happen than getting a day off or getting vacation for your family. Just as long as they have control over you. We are so material driven that we see others in the light of what they have at the moment. For the small beginners, you are on your own. Things like this, is the reason why entrepreneurship never thrives here. It is easier for the Government, CEOs to employ your than teach you how to be an employer. We are taken over by the consumer mentality, we have little preference for seed sowing, we believe in the harvest. That is where you see us, which is where we are.

The lifestyles on TV and soft sell magazines even newspapers promote vain human pursuits. We prefer to rollover the same people, the supposed elites than take the story of a nobody and write about their success. Why? It will not sell. We rarely celebrate values and when young people grow up with all those stuffs, the get rich schemes thrives on that…it grows into networks.

Photos: Google Images
 To be continued...