Eistein’s Genuis was in his Creativity and Freedom
Today I had an NPR moment. I had so much to do but I still couldn’t miss any of this amazing interview. It’s with the author of the book: Einstein: His Life and Universe. Author Walter Isaacson talks about how Einstein’s genius was in his creative, open-mindedness and refusal to follow convention. The payoff for his courage did not come fast or easily but he was dogged in his persistence.
Einstein couldn’t get a job in academia because he was too unconventional and no one would recommend him. The only job he could get was working as a patent clerk. His friend got him the job. He was constantly reading other people’s ideas and discussing them with his good friend as they walked to work. She was even given credit in one of his papers (on special relativity?). Our jobs shape who we become, sometimes even seemingly insignificant ones, like my part-time job selling handmade paper.
His personal life was full of intrigue (he had an affair with a Russian spy among other things). He mellowed out about age 40 when he became an authority figure — he went from fighting them to joining them. He stood for freedom. It made me feel patriotic listening to the letters he wrote and how he defended the US for its freedoms (patriotism is not a feeling I feel often lately. Perfect timing. Tomorrow I’m going to hear a politician I don’t particularly like speak in an experimental meeting that I’ll be blogging about later).
Einstein was cremated but someone saved his brain – of course someone did, it would be a tragedy not to! I wonder where Einstein’s brain is now…anyone know?
One Response to “Eistein’s Genuis was in his Creativity and Freedom”
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April 11th, 2007 at 7:42 am
I couldn’t resist doing a search for Einstein’s brain. I found two sources that indicate Einstein’s brain is currently at Princeton Hospital — http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4602913 and http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=207.