Speak Out! A Time When One Person’s Voice Had a Lasting Impact

What are the 3 apples that changed the world? They are Adam's apple, Newton's apple, and Steve Jobs' apple, and all 3 of these people made a lasting impact on the world.

The world is full of great personalities such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and many others. However, living in modern times and in Silicon Valley, I couldn't resist but choose a man who has completely revolutionized the way we listen to music, make calls, check emails, and browse the internet. I'm going to talk about a man who used his voice and vision to change the course of history and has altered the path of the future. You guessed it folks, it’s Steve Jobs!

At age 17, Steve joined Reed College, only to drop out within half a year. During his 2005 Stanford Commencement address, Jobs recalled “If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on the calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do.” His inner voice of following one’s passion and creative learning not only changed his life, but also made a lasting impact on the way we interact with computers.

As a teenager, Steve had visited India for spiritual enlightenment. Even though the visit didn’t go as expected, it was a major turning point in his life. He was able to very clearly articulate the strengths of eastern and western cultures. Steve summed up his experience in these words, "Western rational thought is not an innate human characteristic; it is learned. The people in the Indian countryside don’t use their intellect like we do, they use their intuition instead. Intuition is a very powerful thing, more powerful than intellect." He blended technological advancements of the western world with this intuitive spirit and Zen Buddhism philosophy of "Less is More" to create aesthetically minimal products. This had set the precedence and now the pinch-in, pinch-out, and finger-scrolling are standard features on all mobile devices across the globe. It is hard to imagine that there ever were or ever will be devices that are not as intuitive and easy to use as iProducts. His message has changed the technology landscape for good.

In his 1985 interview with a fashion magazine, Jobs stated that computers need not be dull. His words, "If we can inject that liberal-arts spirit into the very serious realm of business, I think it will be a worthwhile contribution. We can't even conceive of how far it will go," greatly influenced Apple designs. His long-held philosophy about the marriage of technology and liberal arts took Apple to great heights. These creative iDevices not only made Apple the most valuable and admired company in the world, but changed the way every other technology company designs and markets their products. Now, whoever has the latest iProduct is considered cool, and if it wasn’t for Mr. Jobs, you would be stuck at the bottom of the popularity chart. Apple is so creative that a fashion icon, Burberry CEO Mrs. Ahrendts, is a senior executive at Apple and could very well be the next CEO of this technology company.

For many years now, I've been performing Bollywood dance, which is a creative fusion of traditional Indian dance form and western styles of Hip-Hop and Jazz. I'm also an active member of a Model United Nations league, where I'm learning about policies, diplomacy, and world politics. Just like Steve Jobs, I am using my voice to create awareness and minimize the gap between various cultures. Recently, I've written a letter to Campbell Mayor Evan Low, suggesting that we celebrate all religions and cultures through a "Unity in Diversity" festival.

I'm doing my bit, in my own way, to follow Steve's vision and spread his words of creative learning and blending the eastern and western values.

If you are using an iPod, iPhone, iPad, or for that matter, any smart phone or a tablet, then, my friend, you are the agent of change, the testimony of the lasting impact that Jobs envisioned and spoke up for.

Quoting Steve Jobs, “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?"

If I were Campbell's Mayor, I would...

As first generation immigrants, my parents came to the USA from India in 2000. After evaluating many cities like Cupertino, San Jose, and Saratoga they found a perfect balance of small city coziness and a big city feel in Campbell and decided to call it their home. From the humble beginning as the Orchard City to the current home to sprawling Pruneyard Shopping Center, and original home to eBay, it is the perfect place to live. I was born in our South Bascom Avenue apartment, spent most of my early childhood playing at John D. Morgan Park, across from our then home, and have since been in the same neighborhood. I am Amisha Wadhwa, a 7th grader, attending Moreland Middle School. I am involved in many extracurricular activities including Model United Nations, where I’m learning about social policies, politics, history and ethics to solve real-world problems diplomatically. It would be a dream come true if I could become the mayor of the glorious city of Campbell one day.

If I were the mayor, here are some of my proposals to make this best city even better.

One thing I love about Campbell is its diversity. It is a melting pot of many different cultures, with over 45% residents being Hispanics, Asians or Indians. I propose to have a “Unity-in-Diversity” festival, where we celebrate everyone's heritage and tradition. The festival could have multicultural exhibits such as lectures, performances, dancing, music, theatre, and food! This will be a great outlet for people to explore different cultures while being right in their own Campbell! This inclusion will make everybody feel more appreciated and bring awareness and acceptance to diverse cultures.

I am very big on keeping our environment clean and eco-friendly. I regularly volunteer through my school’s Greenkeepers club. I’ve participated in the “Save the Bay” event and most recently cleaned up the San Tomas Aquino Creek as part of California Coastal Cleanup Day. I’m proud that Campbell already has adopted the Bring Your Own Bag Policy, and I would like to take this a notch higher. I'd like to propose Stamp Out Styrofoam (SOS) program. We all know that Styrofoam is very bad for the environment as it never decomposes. We should ask all Campbell shops and restaurants to stop using Styrofoam and replace it with eco-friendly biodegradable or corn-based compostable packaging. This ban will reduce litter and the amount of garbage going into city landfills. It will help to meet state requirements and avoid increased costs in the future. We can and should make Campbell an even cleaner city!

My last proposal is to have a big-box retailer such as Wal-Mart or a Target store in the city. Since many Campbell residents head out to such stores in San Jose or Cupertino anyhow, it would be much better to have one in Campbell itself. This would create additional jobs and generate new revenue streams for the city, both of which will boost local economy. We could use some of this additional revenue for the city schools. An improved economy and better schools will attract more people, increase the value of the home prices and city will benefit from higher property taxes. Truly a win-win situation. An ideal place for this store could be near South Bascom Ave., where there are a lot of empty lots and sparingly visited shops.

Campbell is a fantastic city, with many social and eco-friendly events and activities. Implementing my proposals will set the bar even higher. I truly hope that my city of Campbell continues to evolve with the times and set the example - environmentally, culturally, and technologically.

 

http://www.campbellexpress.net/online/20131127.pdf