Throughout Albert Einstein’s life he swam upstream, against the current of opinion and standards of normal behavior. He was independent in his thinking and the way he went about looking at the world around him.
Einstein was encouraged to find his own way from the time he was a toddler. His parents allowed him to cross the street on his own when he was four, despite the danger (in those days from horse and carriage as opposed to cars). He had a wonderment about him that endured throughout his life. It was this curiosity that allowed Einstein to question everything, and a determination to find the answers. He asked so many questions in class the teachers found him to be intolerable to teach, and so he stopped attending and set out to find answers on his own. Albert Einstein’s thirst for knowledge was what led him to the most important discoveries of our time, and will be the basis for many new discoveries from here on.
He was a simplistic man, who did not have much money and found little need for it except for basic comfort. He was so anxious to find new things he didn’t take time for mundane tasks like cooking or washing. It is often joked about that he washed his socks in the egg water to save time, and he cooked all his meals in one pan.
Einstein was a pacifist, and hated war and all that went with it. Unfortunately, he found himself immersed in it despite his feeling – through his help in developing the atomic bomb, but more importantly through his humane efforts to get as many Jews out of Germany and their occupied countries as possible, especially scientists. His covert activities were revealed after World War II was over.
He was a scientist who actually believed in God. Although the existence of God was one puzzle he was not able to prove the way science wants proof, he was acutely aware there was a higher power that was directing the universe.
Einstein never traded upon his notoriety, except when it could benefit others. Although he was aware that he was famous, it did not change him. He led a simple life, enjoyed playing chess with those he thought could learn from him – or would be a challenge. He was intensely loyal to his friends, although seemed to be, at times, more immersed in his work than his family.
He understood that all of life is a balance, and that no one can work 100% of the time and be productive. He took breaks, often as a way to take his mind away from what may be troubling him in order to get a different perspective. It was often during these breaks he came up with his best solutions.
At his death, Einstein’s brain was examined, cut up and re-examined. It was found it did not weigh any more than the normal brain. Unfortunately there wasn’t the neuroscience and technology we have today to do the proper tests to find out what made his brain so outstanding. What can only be concluded is he didn’t have a brain any different than any of us, but his questioning and curiosity led to many more neural connections than most of us will ever have, and these connections are what set him apart.
This is Ron White, two-time USA Memory Champion , memory training expert, and memory keynote speaker. I am fascinated with Albert Einstein, not only for his great mind but for his qualities as a man. If you want to know more about Albert Einstein you can check out my “How To Develop The Mind of Einstein” CD set.