Why the hell are my eyes filling with tears?, I asked myself this morning as I read John Gruber’s beautiful and poetic piece on Steve Jobs’ passing. Of course, like everyone else with an Internet connection, I heard the news yesterday. And like so many others, I found out on a device with his single-symbol signature on the back. Until now though, honestly, I didn’t feel much. Why should I? I didn’t know this man personally. A lot of people who I don’t know personally die every single day. Why should this guy be different? This morning it finally struck a chord. This man altered my life. He altered the lives of the last couple generations of humans. All of us. It’s not about products or “things” or iPods or Macs. It’s about the scope of the impact.

Think about it: personal computers.

Steve Jobs was one of the people largely responsible for the reason we all use them, work with them, carry them in our pockets, make art with them, explore the world with them. He wasn’t singularly responsible of course, but in the galaxy of technology that has seen supernovas of growth over the last 40 years, his star was very near the center, and just might have been the brightest. His passion and audacity and belief really did move things forward. He wasn’t always tidy, he wasn’t always nice and he wasn’t safe — people who actually change things seldom are — but he certainly did change things.

This morning I also saw the version of the “Here’s To The Crazy Ones” video which has Steve’s voice as the voiceover, a version I didn’t know existed. As I watched, it struck me: I think I’ve always heard his voice in that voiceover. It encapsulates the spirit he embodied. His face belongs in it now. He changed the world. He did indeed push the human race forward.