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Albert Einstein

by Justin from Poway


"The devil has put a penalty on all things we enjoy in life. Either we suffer in health or we suffer in soul" (Einstein). Albert Einstein, born 14, March 1897, one of the world's greatest minds and the father of modern Physics, suffered in health and soul, and yet he powered on, proving his heroism. Albert Einstein is an extraordinary human being and a hero because of his tremendous intelligence, incredible determination, and endless dedication.

Albert Einstein was always determined to succeed and once said, "It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer" (Einstein). Even one of the most intelligent people to have of ever lived, Albert Einstein was thought to be retarded, was expelled from his elementary school, and was told he would never accomplish anything. Not only are those two incredibly judgmental statements, they are also extremely in accurate. Einstein went on to prove his determination by proving both those statements wrong by receiving a Nobel Prize, as well as pioneered the path of modern physics. Even though at his most impressionable age he was to he would amount to nothing in this world, he persevered and became one of the greatest minds of his era. "At first Einstein's 1905 papers were ignored by the physics community" ("Albert Einstein biography"). Even his most know accomplishment, his theory of e=mc2, was rejected and ignored at first, but he didn't give up and it gained traction when a more prestigious, at the time scientist, became aware of his ground breaking papers. Due to his determination Albert Einstein was offered many exalted positions at many well-known scientific and educational establishments.

Albert Einstein is hailed as one of the most intelligent men in history. "Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish" (Einstein). Throughout his life Albert Einstein displayed a remarkably large amount of intelligence. "In later years, Einstein would write about two events that had a marked effect on his childhood. One was an encounter with a compass at age five, where he marveled at the invisible forces that turned the needle. The other was at age 12, when he discovered a book of geometry which he read over and over" ("Albert Einstein Biography"). While his friends and other kids were playing pretend or messing around with sticks and rocks, he was off trying to figure out the inner workings of the universe and learn math far more advanced than thought comprehensible for some his age. Though most other people look at a compass and just accept that it works because someone else said so, Einstein refused to accept the surface appearance and had to delve deeper, this inspired his later career. "Talmud became an informal tutor to young Albert, introducing him to higher mathematics and philosophy... Einstein began to wonder what a light beam would look like if you could run alongside it at the same speed. If light were a wave, then the light beam should appear stationary, like a frozen wave. Yet, in reality, the light beam is moving. This paradox led him to write his first "scientific paper" at age 16" ("Albert Einstein Biography"). Even at age ten Albert Einstein was learning more than even a high school freshman and was writing papers to be submitted to the scientific community, while his peers were still learning basic math and sciences.


Another trait that marks Albert Einstein as a hero is his drive to succeed and his dedication. "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it" (Einstein). After having his home invaded by the Nazis, learning that he was an assassination target for the Nazi party and discovering that Jews were no longer allowed to hold official positions in Germany, he formally renounced his German citizenship and moved to America, where he would "spend the rest of his career trying to develop a unified field theory-an all-embracing theory that would unify the forces of the universe, and thereby the laws of physics, into one framework" ("Albert Einstein biography"). Rather than doing nothing about the Nazis trying to ruin his life and kill him, he proved to be a role model to other oppressed people in WWII and beyond. Not only did he just provide an example for others, he also chose to use it to his benefit and started some of his life's most important works. Despite hating violence in any form, Albert Einstein realized that if he did nothing, more innocent souls would die pointlessly. After that realization he contacted President Franklin D. Roosevelt to inform him about the possibility of a Nazi atom bomb ("Albert Einstein Biography").

Albert Einstein is a true hero not only because of his genius, but because of his less recognized determination and dedication. If the world had more people of his stature many problems, political, environmental, or otherwise may be solved.

Page created on 5/23/2013 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 5/23/2013 12:00:00 AM

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