In the depths of space and time, Stephen Hawking’s brilliance shone. However, there is a paradox in the natural world: the most brilliant people are frequently the ones who face the most difficult tests. As the insidious disease gradually drained Hawking of his motor and speech abilities, his fight with motor neurone disease became his personal voyage through a cosmic trial. He had discovered the secrets of the cosmos, but now his body was rebelling against him. As his illness progressed, he became increasingly immobile, unable to move an inch, or communicate in the ways that the majority of us take for granted.
I felt like the universe had played a cruel joke on him when the doctors gave him two years to live. Hawking, however, shocked medical professionals by surviving far beyond that bleak prediction—a staggering fifty-five years. Despite his physical limitations, his mind remained sharp. His most famous work, A Brief History of Time, went beyond science and became a beacon for inquisitive minds all over the globe; he also gave lectures and inspired millions through his writings and speeches.
Rather than merely chronicling the life of a brilliant mind, the film The Theory of Everything reveals the humanity that lies at the heart of that genius. It shows him overcoming an insurmountable obstacle on a path through life where he had to think on his feet the whole time. The book delves into his controversial theory of black holes and his dogged determination to disprove the idea that space and time were as inflexible as previously believed.
“Do you believe in God?” a reporter asks Hawking in a moving scene from the film. Do you have any sources of motivation? Both his scientific acumen and his deep human insight are on display in his response. Without a shadow of a doubt, we are all interconnected beings, living on this minuscule planet around a common star, some hundred billion light-years away. People have been curious about their role in the universe ever since they began to build cities and towns. The boundaries of the cosmos must be very remarkable. The fact that it knows no bounds, however, is the most remarkable thing about it. There should be no limits to human endeavour, just as there are no limits to the universe. Every one of us is special in our own way, and no matter how bad things get, we can always find a way to succeed. Hope will always be there with life.
His optimism, he says, is as vast as the stars themselves and goes beyond the limitations of the human body. His own words serve as a poignant reminder that every moment, no matter how short or challenging, is full of potential. In addition to his theories, Hawking embodies perseverance and optimism, which are important parts of his legacy.
Maybe this hope was more than just a human idea; maybe it reflects God in some heavenly way, according to his perspective. Indeed, hope is nothing more than the conviction that forces beyond our control keep the cosmos in place, that there is a higher power in which to place our trust, and that there is a meaning to life beyond the challenges and tragedies we encounter.
Despite overwhelming odds, Stephen Hawking’s life was about more than just science. It was all about showing that there is a power greater than ourselves that motivates us to keep going, to keep asking questions, and to keep hoping, even when things seem hopeless. We used to think the limits of the universe and our own lives were much more fluid than they actually are.