"Everything else is secondary..."

In Bellah et al.'s Habits of the Heart, he discusses two types of individualistic cultures, that of the utilitarian type and that of the expressive type:

Utilitarian individualism: basic human appetites and fears - sees human life as an effort by individuals to maximize their self-interest relative to these given ends. Utilitarian individualism views society as arising from a contract that individuals enter into only in order to advance their self-interest - an affinity to an economic understanding of existence.

Expressive individualism: opposition to utilitarian individualism Expressive individualism holds that each person has a unique core of feeling and intuition that should unfold or be expressed if individuality is to be realized - the expressive individualist may find it possible through intuitive feeling to "merge" with other persons, with nature, or with the cosmos as a whole.

Before reading any of the biography Steve Jobs, or watching this commencement speech, I would have thought Jobs would most definitely be considered to fit into the category of utilitarian individualism. From what I have seen on the television about Jobs and read in the newspaper, he seemed arrogant, self-centered, and acting purely out of his own self-interest/pocket book. However, I am beginning to see him in a new light. Steve Jobs was arrogant, self-centered and acting out of his pocket book, but he loved what he did. This man was full of passion and energy for his creations and life; he did not blame others for being fired from Apple or for getting into trouble throughout his childhood. In his commencement speech, Jobs clearly pushed for the graduating students to understand that each one of us has an intuition that will show us where to go with our lives, and we should listen to it and follow it. It is only after what makes the self happy that the self can find happiness within the company of others. Individuality encompasses Jobs' entire being - he is the ultimate individual. He has gone by the beat of his own drum and was willing to ask for and push his way into what he wanted in the end.

Jobs happened to be good at profiting from what he enjoyed doing most. In some regards, his character flaws of being arrogant and self-centered are what made him so exquisite at what he did. As a genius, why wouldn't he think that he was better than the rest of us? Technically, in terms of IQ, he was. He had the ideas, he had the knowledge, and he made the products happen - with employees and friends of course, but it was still ultimately his vision. As a senior this year, filling out graduate school applications, I cannot help but be delighted by his speech. I have found what I am truly passionate about it in life, and it is comforting to know that someone as successful and happy as Steve Jobs is able to explain to students that yes, everything does happen for a reason, but in the end, all the dots will be connected and your goals will be achieved.