I vividly remember the first chapter of my Mother Tongue textbook in one of the levels in Primary school. It was about Albert Einstein, 爱因斯坦。Though I enjoy the stories written in the textbook, I never had any deep interest in this man or his life story. However, when in Bern, I went to the Natural History Museum, especially for the exhibit of this "crazy scientist" who is loved and hated by people all over the world at the same time. I ended up spending 3 hours walking through his life story.
I cannot remember everything that I had read so I shall summarise the main points.
- Born a Jew but was never religious
- Had problems picking up languages at a young age but grew up to speak a few languages!
- Married twice, first to a female scientist then to his cousin (I think so)
- Had two sons - one had some kind of disability and the other got married and had a family but did not have any sons to continue the Einstein lineage (so unfortunate)
- Studied in Zurich and became a teaching staff at the university even though he had not completed his PhD.
- Was highly sought after by institutions all over the world but eventually decided to settle in America after WWII broke out.
- Wealthy and famous and was able to avoid the massacre of the Jews in Europe during WWII but constantly try to offer help to Jews who were seeking a better life outside of Europe
- His famous scientific research product, E=mc^2, was believed to have laid the foundation for the research of nuclear weapons
- Was remembered for writing a letter to then American president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, to consider developing their own nuclear weapons to fend off Germany's threat
- Had always been anti-War and was never involved in any research in nuclear programme in America (for fear that he was a spy - since he had German and Swiss citizenship)
The museum also has a lot of exhibits that explain Einstein's research, the most famous one being special relativity theory which revolutionise the way we see space and time. When I was in school, I kinda hate Science. I found it a laborious subject which I have to spend a lot of time memorising facts. Though I started to do better in the subject in Secondary school, I never had real interest in it. On hindsight, I find it pitiful. Science is such an interesting subject that explains the many phenomenons in our everyday life. I was so fascinated by Einstein's theories and research that I went through them over and over again just so I could fully understand everything. If only the Science teachers that I had in my 8 years of education had done a better job at delivering the subject.
I have immense curiosity in learning about my surroundings and I kinda like to ask questions. However, I remember having been brushed off so many times and told to pay attention to what they have to teach that I simply switched off. All that I can recall now is their constant scoldings about performances during tests and examinations. There was simply no attempt at stimulating interest in the subject by relating Science to our everyday life. So I studied for the subject because I needed the grades and not because I truly love it. Perhaps I hated learning about plants so I always felt that the syllabus had over-emphasised on that topic. I really find learning about which plants float and which submerge, how they transport food and water, how they reproduce not my cup of tea. [LOL] However, I do not blame my teachers for that. I could have been more sensible and explore the subject on my own free time through reading but I did not. Instead, I thank them for shaping my education philosophy and my teaching style and that is to always stimulate interest to motivate students to learn Economics better.
Back to the topic of Einstein, I admire his perseverance in pursuing what he loved and also his love for his family. Though his first marriage failed, he continued to show concern for his first wife during WWII to ensure her safety. His second son had some kind of disability but Einstein supported him throughout his entire life (not by being physically beside him but mentally and financially to pay for his medical bills), never giving up hopes on him. He also constantly wrote him letters to encourage him. When Israel was formed, he was invited to become the country's first president but he declined because he felt that he did not have the credentials to take on the job. Nevertheless, he would have been such an inspiration for the Jewish people for his life work in promoting peace and Scientific research.
He is a truly brilliant person. Maybe if he had not existed, there would have been someone else who would have taken his place but the fact that he was the one who changed our world, he deserves all my respect. Of course there are many other inspiring Scientists around as well and we shall not forget their contributions.
Now who in this lifetime or era of ours will have his name live on and be remembered and talked about by many others in the future? Prediction? Villains or Heroes?
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