If a butterfly is stepped on in the present, it has the
ability to alter the future. The present impacts the future because every event
is set in place with respect to some consequence of that. This message, also
known as “the butterfly effect”, is in regards to Steve Jobs’ commencement speech
given to the graduating class of Stanford University on June 12th,
2005. Throughout the speech, Job shares stories of his past experiences, and
how they have played on a role on his present life. Here, he employs repetition
of the word “connect”, and an analogy in order to stress to the audience of future
leaders, that everything happens for a reason. Jobs, unlike his audience, did
not finish college, and recalls this decision as one of the most honorable of
his life. Jobs uses the repetition of the word “connect” when saying, “You can’t
connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards.
So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future” (Jobs).
The repetition of “connect” symbolizes that all of life’s decisions are strung
together, and impact each other; in other words, every event, good or bad,
happens with a purpose behind it. The future is all us humans have, which is
why trusting the future and its reasoning are vital. Jobs continues to speak of
his past experiences, specifically being fired from Apple Company, and how that
event led him to his present work and family. When describing this occurrence, Jobs
uses an analogy for comparison. He says, “It was awful tasting medicine, but I
guess the patient needed it” (Jobs). Jobs compares this experience to taking medicine
because at first, both events seem harsh and unwanted, but they end up having
pay off in the end. In Jobs’ case, he had to rely on his ambition and hope to connect
the dots of his future for him. He had to trust that everything in his life
happened for a reason.
Visual: http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-commencement-speech-2005-2011-8
Caption: "Connecting the dots"
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