Steve Jobs (as far as I know) was never a Freemason but the address given at Stanford University in 2005 resonates with me.

His three short life stories have no connection at all with Freemasonry. They are just three unrelated incidences in his life, which tells of a man seeking knowledge, adapting a life-changing event and facing death.

Seeking knowledge – you have to trust in the future – at some time, the knowledge learned now will have value to you later – the Entered Apprentice is taught a lot of new concepts during their initiation. They need to have courage that one day this knowledge will all fit into place in their Masonic learning.

Life is a journey of loves and rejections – turn a knock-down to an advantage – as one door closes another opens – Freemasonry teaches a set of life skills, it is a self-development course, building character, instructions to develop those life skills to understand how to deal with people. The Fellow Craft is directed to the liberal arts and sciences, learning life skills.

Are you doing what you love every day? If the answer is no after too many days, change what you are doing – value what you have – when you are so close to death, time is limited; don’t waste it living someone else’s life. The Master Mason is invited to reflect on his own mortality and not to fear it.