My Heroes: (4) Albert Einstein

1879 - 1955

Look at that fabulous photograph! It looks like an archetypical image of a genius who couldn't tie his own shoe laces; hairstyle courtesy of Van De Graaff Generator . A female aquaintance told me that I should not admire Albert Einstein because "he was unkind to the woman in his life". I don't know if that is true or not. It is certainly hinted at in various places but it poses an interesting question: Whom should we admire? Are there criteria?
I believe a person should be regarded on the quality of their merits because none of us are perfect. Should the acheivments of Churchill be negated because of his drinking habits? Or should Isaac Newton not be recognised for his 'genius' because of his caustic personality? Anyway, I digress. Back to Einstein.
The qualities that impress me most are twofold. Firstly he had the most amazing imagination ("Imagination is more important than knowledge" he once said). At the age of 16 he had tried to imagine what it would be like to ride on a beam of light. That was ten years before he published the Special Theory of Relativity.
Secondly I admire his humility. He thought of his work merely as a step toward the next big advance. He is quoted as saying: "When I am judging a theory, I ask myself whether, if I were God, I would have arranged the world in such a way."