Maybe, one day, you too can be in the same position. If so, I hope I've done something to help.
A great talk, a great writeup, with a sad end when you read it today after the sad news. With all my respect, this is not a sustainable way of living your life. Expectation of high stress every day makes anyone collapse.
I'm currently doing nearly the exact opposite, to reduce my stress levels and avoid a burn out. Saying yes to everything might work when you are young, full of energy, and without kids, but in my case, with two young kids, saying no to a lot of distractions makes much more sense.
At the same time, I can't help but feel like he's talking directly to me. This is the kind of person who impacts you just through the sheer fact that he -lived-. As for the people harping about the notion of stress that he mentions at the end, I think it's meant differently. I think he means he's happy to have achieved what he has.
I also just watched his talk "How we stopped SOPA", and his speaking style echoed this article.
There is a quote that I've always tried to live by, which I think sums up Aaron's spirit.
"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars."
I'm having a hard time reconciling this with the strong, happy young man I would see at conferences a decade ago. First Ilya, now Aaron.
Did this ever happen?
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:ViHqr5j...
What a fantastic insight, not to mention a real motivational boost.
