THE FANTASTIC MR. FEYNMAN

Richard Phillips Feynman was one of the most extraordinary (and my personal favorite) physicists to have ever lived. He was a man whose curiosity knew no bounds and was driven by the sheer enthusiasm of learning new things. His groundbreaking work as a physicist lead to the discoveries of many unknowns and his famous Feynman diagrams are still used in the field of quantum mechanics.

Ever since he was a little kid, he was always experimenting in his personal research lab with magnets, circuits, spark caps, etc. This urge to always learn something new proved to be his greatest asset. He was awarded with the Nobel prize for his work in quantum electrodynamics. When asked if it was worth it, he said, "I don't know anything about the Nobel Prize. I don't understand whats it about or whats worth what. And if the people in the Swedish Academy decide that X, Y, or Z wins the Nobel prize then so be it... I don't see that it makes any point, that someone in the Swedish Academy decides that this work is Nobel enough to receive a prize. I've already got the prize. The prize is, the pleasure of finding the thing out, the kick in the discovery..."
Till date, Feynman's masterpiece, "The Feynman lectures in Physics", are considered by many to be the greatest way of teaching yourself this wonderful subject. And owning these books and being able to read them, are facts that I have always been proud of. 



But all wasn't good for this amazing man. During his younger days he fell in love with a girl named Arline Greenbaum. But sadly when Feynman was accepted in MIT, she was diagnosed with Tuberculosis, and this was during a time when there was no cure for it. Despite the sad fate that waited the lovers, Feynman decided to marry her, because he wanted to take care of her. Also during 1945, this time Feynman was recruited as a scientist to work on the Atom Bomb. So they were separated. Then she passed away. Feynman was totally heart broken. During the time he was recovering from this severe loss, he got to witness the harsh truth of reality. America decided to drop the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Feynman was devastated by the thought of the situation there. So many lives lost. He felt guilty for having contributed to something that brought about such destruction. He felt that he never did anything useful. He always thought physics and mathematics were fun. So he decided to do things for the fun of it.

His take on live, his curiosity, his passion, all lead him to do what he wanted to do most. He wasn't bound by any rules. From bongo playing to biology, from poetry to painting, from computing to cracking safes, he always followed his heart. When asked by a mother about how to get his son interested in science, he replied, "Tell your son to stop trying to fill your head with science - for to fill your heart with Love is enough."

In 1978, Feynman was diagnosed with liposarcoma. He had to go through operations several times throughout the years. He was slowly but surely dying. On January 26, 1986, a fatal incident shook everyone. The Challenger Shuttle Disaster claimed the lives of all seven of its crew members. The reasons for the explosion of the shuttle after 73 seconds into flight was unknown. Feynman was added to the investigation team, and he confronted the Washington establishment to reveal the truth of what went wrong.

Once, Feynman was taking a walk with his friend Danny Hills telling him funny stories; Feynman noticed the sad look on his companions face and asked, "What's wrong?"

Danny said, "I'm sad because I'm realizing that you are about to die..."

And Feynman replied, "Yeah, that bugs me sometimes too, but not as much as you think. Because you realize that at some point in your life you've told a lot of stories and those.. those stories are gonna stay around even after you are gone...".

Doctors say that in someone's final moments their fingers move a little and that it is natural, they are not trying to communicate. Feynman raised his arms, pretended to roll his sleeves (like a magician does before a trick) and rolled out his tongue (like someone does while playing dead). He proved that he could still hear and communicate, if you try hard enough. And those were his final moments. Feynman passed away on 15th of February, 1988 at the age of just 69.

Feynman's life is an example of how curiosity drives us humans. An example of how you can be great and still be a good human. An example of how you are not just bound to do what you are always told. To question things, to seek answers, to look at the most common things in a different way. Because in his words, "I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned."




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