Apple CEO Tim Cook invokes the 1918 epidemic in a virtual graduation speech

Apple CEO Tim Cook delivered a virtual graduation speech Sunday at Ohio State’s 2020 graduation class, saying he regretted that they couldn’t all be together for the special event, but expressed optimism that they would overcome the challenges they face. after leaving school.

For him coronavirus Outbreak, Ohio state officials announced plans on April 3 to celebrate a virtual start to meet restrictions on large gatherings.

Cook’s speech dated back a century, discussing the achievements of future President Franklin D. Roosevelt, pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart, and the poet T.S. Eliot as they grappled with the challenges posed at the time by the 1918 flu epidemic.

It can be difficult to see the whole image when it’s still in the frame, but I hope you will use these rare circumstances as a badge of honor.

Those who face times of historical challenge with open eyes and hearts, always restless and fighting forever, are also the ones who leave the greatest impact on the lives of others.

In every age, life has a frustrating way of reminding us that we are not the only authors of our history. We must share the credit, whether we like it or not, with a difficult and selfish collaborator called our circumstances.

And when our brilliant plans are scrambled, as they often will be, and our dearest hopes fade, as will sometimes happen, we are left with a choice. We can curse the loss of something that was never going to be … Or we can see reasons to be thankful for the tug at the neck as we lift our eyes from the story we were writing to ourselves and instead turn to One World. redone.

Cook went on to describe how lucky he felt when he was hired to work at Apple in 1998 with Steve Jobs, as well as the anguish when Jobs died.

“But fate comes like a thief in the night. The loneliness I felt when we lost Steve was proof that there is nothing more eternal or more powerful than the impact we have on others,” Cook told the graduates.

“Those of us who can look back on this moment and remember inconveniences and even boredom can consider ourselves lucky. Many more will know the difficulties and the real fear. Others will still be cut to the bone,” he said.

“And as we reach out to our loved ones and friends for comfort, think hard about those whose impact on your life is more distant, but no less significant.”