As the world mourns the loss of one of the most pioneering men, Stephen Hawking, in the tech and science world, we take a moment to remember all the great things he has done. Diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, also called Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS,) a rare health condition which promised to cut his life short, Professor Hawking offered more to this world than just an Oscar winning movie. While we mourn the loss of perhaps one of the greatest scientists, creators and thinkers of this world, here are a few things we could learn from this man.
1. Curiosity does not kill the cat
Why did Hawking reach such great heights, you ask? Because he never stopped asking questions. “I am just a child who has never grown up. I still keep asking these ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions. Occasionally, I find an answer.” Not everything is impossible and once you realise that, the world is your oyster.
2. Knowledge is best used when shared
Information, when kept inside, is of no use to anyone. Why else would Stephen Hawking’s book, A Brief History of Time, be so popular despite its extremely complicated premise? Funny fact, Hawking’s publisher told him readership would be cut in half for every equation in the book, so Hawking included only one: E = mc².
3, Time is the most precious thing
For someone whose life expectancy was supposed to be only 24 years, Hawking worked hard to make sure every minute of his life was used to create something great. Despite being impaired in more ways than one, Professor Hawking proved time and again that life can give us great things if one is brave enough dream and believe.
4. Never be idle.
There is always something that needs to be completed. Find what you like and make it your driving force, your passion. When you enjoy doing something, it is no longer work. Don’t just keep the hands busy, keep the mind active as well. An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. An active mind also helps to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. So stay busy and the world never ceases to be amazing.
5. Principles make a person strong
Your principles are your driving force in life. Without them, you are an empty shell rather than being a complete person. Stick by them and your life will always be meaningful.
6. Always think of the future
The doctors concluded he had only 2 years to live after diagnosing with ALS, however, Professor Hawking believed in the future and never gave up on his dreams. Regardless of being confined to a wheelchair, he is still considered to be one of the brightest minds in the field of science and technology who broke through many barriers and conducted ground breaking research.
7. Aggression is our worst enemy
Professor Hawking has said aggression is a person’s worst enemy. “The human failing I would most like to correct is aggression.” He noted that the act of aggression may have had its advantages in surviving the “caveman days,” but it now poses a threat to humanity. According to Hawking, empathy works a long way in establishing lasting relationships.
8. Humour is important
Despite being plagued with so many disorders through his life, Hawking never gave up on humour. In fact, he has made jokes on his appearances in various television shows such as The Simpsons, Futurama, Stargate Atlantis and The Fairly Oddparents and Star Trek.
9. Have superheroes as idols
Everyone has real life idols. Professor Hawking taught us that real life idols are boring and that you should have superheroes as your role models. Hawking’s idol is none other than Superman, because, as he puts it, “Superman is my hero because he can do whatever I cannot do.”
10. Never give up
If there is one last take away from Stephen Hawking’s illustrious life, it is to never, ever stop trying. Give up and nothing seems possible in life. If he had given up right when he was diagnosed, then the world would have truly lost one of the greatest revolutionaries.
Gone but never forgotten, Stephen Hawking’s demise will leave a vacuum in the field of science. But his research throughout the years has given physicists and cosmologists of today a path forward.
