Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

最近我公司合夥人，對我說了一句話：「我沒有浪費時間，這一年來我學到許多」。

讓我想起當兵時，每逢老鳥退伍之際，總是會對長官（多半是輔導長、部隊主管）和同袍說的心得感言：「在過去的三年中（我當兵時還有三年、二年、一年10個月等不同義務兵種），我學會了“做人”，我學會如何與人相處」。這個十萬大軍的心得（或是說常見的解甲歸田感言）當時困擾著即將退伍的我，因為快該輪到我發表感言了。

不過，“做人”？從小到大有誰停止過學習“做人”了？有誰停止過學習“與人相處”了？這些事似乎不必當兵也學得到吧！

Apple Computer & Pixar Animation Studios的CEO Steve Jobs在今年Stanford University的畢業典禮上，說了三個有關他自己的故事。名校學生還是有特權的，有機會親身聽見Steve Jobs發人沈思的勉勵之詞。

Steve Jobs 沒唸完大學就中途退學了（說到這兒不禁懷疑，是否都要drop out from school才能be somebody? 例如Bill Gates和Michael Dell。不過別忘了，他們可都是被名貴的黃金右腳踢出來的－Reed College, Harvard University, University of Texas at Austin－可不是甚麼爛ㄎㄚ踢的），他可沒假裝沒事地說「此處不留爺、自有留爺處、處處不留爺、爺爺家中住」，或是說我學到了許多！他說It was pretty scary at the time, …。

現在，我的合夥公司要結束了，我會怕！我不想刻意告訴自己，我學到了經營管理之道。就算我要學習，這也不是我的學習計畫。誠如講演中所說的…No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there.

我希望能夠Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish。至於我學習到了什麼？等我有成之後再說吧！還是先滿足我的興趣與喜好吧！因為 “You’ve got to find what you love”

The Episode

I was proud of my tpts1.seed.net.tw account for quite some years. It tells the story that I was "connected" since the very early year when it's still called plan "SEED" in Taiwan. It tells the story that when 56Kbps modem (still available from U.S.Robotics for example) was the advanced machine in market what will cost you more than five thousands in NT.

The account does not exist anymore. Two reasons: I stopped paying for it three years ago; those somewhat chronologically provided email IP (such as tpts2, tpts3, tpts4...) now all under one same, single IP -- seed.net.tw.

And so has the pride gone away.

Now, I realize it was not a deal should be proud of. I was in a tide of time which will never stop. The starting line lies in a flash moment between two seconds that long gone. I had a good start, I guess. I ran, for sure. I took the lead or behind? I don't know. I stopped somewhere and took a break? Most of the people will do so, won't we? Then, I started running again? I think so... Yes, I did run. That makes who I am now, isn't?

Yet, where is the finish line? Do I have a finish line in front of me? Everyone has one, hasn't they? I am also entitled to have one, ain't I?

So where is my finish line? What does it look like? How far is it from where I stand now?