An Einstein Story Showing What a Humble Man He Was
We are big fans of Einstein, no doubt. Perhaps you have read a previous Einstein story? If not, we suggest you read: Einstein on Learning… Albert Einstein Facts and Wisdom. There is probably more to Einstein and philosophy outside of science than in his world within science and many great stories. This story will give you a great background on Einstein’s wisdom. A man ahead of his time. This post will then have even more meaning.
As an example, Einstein’s views on life were most interesting. A focus on simplicity was one of his main tenets and though his skill in physics was renown, he believed everything that can be counted did not necessarily count and that everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted. He believed in being a giver … only a life lived for others was a life worthwhile.
What is most amazing to me is the fact that most of his wisdom is more applicable in today’s society than it was in his. He was always considered ahead of his time, wasn’t he?
We recently read a very interesting article from Brain Picking’s Weekly. Have you ever read from this weekly? Always chock full of interesting reads. Certainly the case here. It is an Einstein story showing how naïve and humble he was on occasion. A good one worth sharing.
Shortly after he moved to America, Albert was invited into giving an address before a group of mathematicians at Princeton University. It took some coaxing, for, with characteristic twisting and squirming, he claimed he had nothing to say that the audience wouldn’t already know.
At last, he agreed to talk on some aspects of tensor analysis, a tool essential to the mathematical treatment of relativity theory. A small card, announcing the speaker, time, and place, was put up on the notices board of Fine Hall, where the talk was to be given.
When the day for the address arrived, Princeton University campus was filled with automobiles, suggesting a Princeton-Yale football game, and great crowds of people were milling about Fine Hall, trying to get into the small auditorium there.
It turned out that the little card posted in Fine Hall, and intended only for the interested mathematicians, was read by some students. These informed other students. Students wrote home to parents, and the parents came, picking up friends on the way. The townspeople of Princeton also arrived. Everyone wanted to hear the great man speak.
Einstein was led through the shoving crowd and placed in a seat in the front row of the little auditorium, to await introduction at the proper moment. Swiveling his head and looking about in surprise at the excited and pushing crowd struggling to get into the hall he exclaimed: “I never realized that in America there was so much interest in tensor analysis.”
Remember, what we see depends on what we look for.
Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. You can find him and his writing on G+, Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
