Heroes ought to reflect what we value most in ourselves. In the deep past we favored momentously strong heroes like Hercules and Samson. Later heroes embodied virtues like honesty and loyalty, particularly in the face of great danger.
If the obituaries of Steves Jobs and Appleton (of Apple and Micron, respectively) tell us anything, it's that today's heroes are market forces––men who seemed to commune with the invisible hand of the marketplace.
Just look: Jobs "was seen as inseparable from his company's success." Appleton was "a self-made man, very competitive, incredible integrity" who "chose to keep his family and company in Boise––and did it without fanfare."
Jobs was the patron saint of innovation and relevance, and Appleton was a paragon of community-mindedness. What they have in common is that they're both popularly understood through the lens of their business accomplishments.
This makes a lot of sense––at a glance. Why shouldn't the media zero in on their most significant contributions, especially if the deceased is a person of widespread interest? Steve Jobs brought us the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad. Appleton was one of Boise's most powerful and energetic business leaders.
That said, I for one wouldn't want to be remembered the way Stephen W. will remember Appleton:
"RIP Steve Appleton. One of the true great Idaho business leaders. Not only helped Boise State, but the rest of the state through job creation and philanthropy."
The Steves are everything political conservatives can dream of: Here are heroes who embody success through intelligence, innovation, and business acumen––and are nice guys who give their money away.
It isn't enough that the obituary is about a person of interest, providing a sketch biography and list of significant accomplishments. When it comes to great entrepreneurs, a man is measured on how good he made it look to be a business man.
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