If a committee was formed to search everyone alive in the world today and everyone who has lived throughout recorded history, to identify the smartest person in the world, they would first have to define terms. Smart can be connected with intelligence, wisdom, success, or simply the ability to accumulate facts. I personally believe that no one can be deemed smart simply because they know something. They must be able to apply what they know or help others apply that knowledge in order to truly be smart.
Facts without results have little or no impact in the world where you and I live.
In any discussion of the world’s smartest person, the name Albert Einstein would have to be on the short list. Einstein made so many breakthroughs in the understanding of the universe in which we live that it is hard to create a concise summary of his achievements.
Einstein broke down many of the barriers between mathematics and the other arenas of science. He helped us all to understand how we affect the universe and how the universe affects us. I believe one of Einstein’s most significant areas of thought and study is summarized by his statement, “We are all forced to answer one question, which is, ‘Do we live in a hostile or friendly universe?’”
In this single statement, Albert Einstein summarized the essence of our potential. He realized, as an eminent mathematician and scientist, that we all live in a world of hard facts. He also realized that these facts impact us differently, depending upon our attitudes and expectations.
If we believe outer space to be a hostile, forbidding environment, we might never venture beyond this tiny blue speck in the universe where we all live. One the other hand, if we view outer space as a set of challenges to be overcome, with untold and incalculable resources and opportunities, we approach the universe differently.
Einstein realized that facts do not establish conclusions. Facts illuminate questions. We are not limited by the world around us. We are limited by our own perception and willingness to grow.
Einstein also realized every discovery creates additional areas to be studied. Every answer is followed by a question, and every solution is followed by a new challenge. This may be good or bad. Fortunately, you and I get to decide.
As you go through your day today, take some advice from the smartest person in the world and look for the prize beyond the facts.
Today’s the day!
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