IN BRIEF: In this post we dissect the life and struggles of the present day Genius Professor Stephen Hawking. We look at this early life, pre and post ALS, his family, and his understanding of life and the universe.
Early life
Stephen Hawking was born on 8 Jan 1942, which was the 300th death anniversary of Galileo. Though he was born to a well-educated parents, the time he was born was quite difficult as his parents did not have money back then and also the Second World War was making livelihoods rather challenging, in search of a safer place his family returned to Oxford, Stephen had three siblings and therefore the family had scarcity of money.
His early school life was not outstanding, he was third from the bottom in his class but he enjoyed board games and like geniuses do, he with his friends created their own board games, he also made computers out of waste part to solve mathematical equations not only this, he loved to climb, dance and rowing.
He loved mathematics but as Oxford did not have the degree he had to take up Physics and later went in specifics of it, Cosmology.
Where he believes he was not able to spend time on studies and was paying much attention to school on the other hand he was exploring science.
Disability Is In The Mind
He was 21 years old when he was diagnosed with ALS, it all started in Oxford when he began to notice that he would trip and fall or slur his speech, till 1963 he ignored it but it was his father who took notice of this condition and took him to the doctor. A series of tests diagnosed that its Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), which is when the nerves that control muscles were failing. He was told that he wouldn’t survive more than two years.
When everyone had lost hope then Stephen had a dream that he was going to be executed and he believes this disease helped him to become the scientist he is today, as he says “Before my condition was diagnosed, I had been very bored with life, there had not seemed to be anything worth doing.” With the sudden realisation that he might not even live long enough to earn his PhD, Hawking dedicated all his energies to his work and research. In one of his interviews he also mentioned – “My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus.”
The Journey
It all began with his research on Black holes, to his first major publication The Grand Design -Hawking set out to challenge Sir Isaac Newton’s belief that the universe had to have been designed by God, simply because it could not have been born from chaos. “It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going” and till today he is in headlines for his new theories and work.
Lesson For Us
He did not recover from his disease and it made him physically weak in time, but what kept him going was his willingness to work from the mind as he says “Although I cannot move and I have to speak through a computer, in my mind I am free.”
He didn’t close his mind when his body failed and today at the age of 73 while he was just given hardly anytime he proved that it’s about the will to live and readiness to accept challenges. Death has to come but the life which we have between birth and death is up to us and it’s our will how we want to live. As he says – “I’m not afraid of death, but I’m in no hurry to die.” (Stephen Hawking)
When a man who can’t move, or talk, can make wonders and also lead a normal family life with kids, then why do some of us lose hope and accept failures? Is it right to flow in the river of sadness when the grave is not the goal?
“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. If you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don’t throw it away.” (Stephen Hawking)
References
Stephen Hawking Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved from Bio
Stephen Hawking>Quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved from Goodreads
Just last year, a biopic was released on the life of Stephen Hawking. Watch the trailer below.
