Column 86 for June 17, 2001
Albert Einstein has always been one of my heroes. The more I learn about him, the more impressed I am. Perhaps I have a special bond because I majored in Physics from my sophomore year until that point that graduation seemed so distant that I switched to business administration during my senior year. Perhaps it is because Einstein died on my eighth birthday in 1955.
In a book touting the 100 most influential persons in history, by Michael Hart, Einstein is ranked 10th, ahead of such notables as Aristotle, Moses, Marx, Hitler, and Edison, while some of those ahead of him in the list by contrast are Muhammad, Jesus, Buddha, Confucius, and St. Paul. Not bad company!
Einstein was born in 1879 and formulated (and mathematically proved) his special theory of relativity in 1905. Many of you probably remember the famous E=mc2. Almost 100 years ago. He seems so close and yet if we think about it, he would be 122 years old this year!
So many of Einstein’s quotes seems so relevant today. "How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here but for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people – first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependant, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy. A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving…"
Einstein came to the United States to stay in December of 1932, just one month before the Nazis came to power in Germany. He and his family, along with other Jews, scientists and members of the academic community, had felt the persecution of the right-wing elements. The United States meant freedom.
Einstein’s "freedom of thought" in this new land lasted but two decades. In 1953, the McCarthy commission, and the House Committee on Un-American Activities, began to decimate the scientific community and those in academics again, this time right here in our own "free" country. Einstein’s great friend Robert Oppenheimer was singled out, among several others. Many of them true heroes in our efforts during World War II. Anyone who thought differently from the far right was thought to be a "pinko commie." "Think and act like I do, or you are my enemy" seemed to be the catch phrase of the 50’s.
I see it all happening again in the 21st century. The Republicans (at least some of them) are in power in Washington. Long ago, I was a Republican too. But many years ago, I stopped. Like the Vermont Senator recently did. The current "Republicans" have become an even more exclusive party. "Think and act like I do, or you are my enemy" thinking has again returned. Jim Jeffords made the right decision. A party of intolerance is not a party to belong to. A visit to Senator Jeffords homepage, and his statement contained there would be educational to all. He has been true to his beliefs, as we all should be.
Einstein said (I think) that time and distance are much the same. I guess that’s why I’m always about 5 miles late for my meetings… Peace and love. tomiswho@mindspring.com (wasn’t me…)