A man born in England in 1942 is a good example. He was born into a family in which the mother and father were both supremely educated. Thus, they put an emphasis on education. But, the young man didn't do well in school, later commenting that he nearly didn't learn how to read. The family moved, so fortunately, the young man learned to read at a different school. His father was an eccentric, medical researcher and traveled often to Africa, so he shared some characteristics with the fabled "absentee father." One biographer says that at the dinner table (especially when the father was at home) each person at the table had a book to read, making the meals a really quiet time of day.
Backgrounds make us what we are, right? Well... when the young man went to college he was a social misfit, but soon learned how to correct that. And, for many, at this point in life there is that magical moment that supersedes any shape background has given us. It is that meeting with the one who tickles our senses and wins our heart. The young man listened to his sister and met the one who would "give him a reason to live" (his own words).
Debilitating illness can be a major influence for sure and set aside any influence that has affected our lives to that point. Such was the case for our young man. Debilitation can end an academic career, end a marriage, and end any immediate family connections. It is hard to overcome and is all-pervasive. Initially, all three possibilities seemed to have its way with this man, but other influences helped him overcome what usually happens.
Because the young man grew up to have so much notoriety, one naturally who the greatest influence in this man's life was? His father, who provided stability even though he was absent? His mother, who had studied politics, economics, and philosophy? His sister who earned enough respect from him that he listened to her when she recommended a woman he might like? His wife, who stuck by him even after he developed a crippling medical condition. His parents as a team, who provided a better than average base for him to grow up in? His teachers at all the levels of his education, who recognized that this quirky, aggravating young man actually had much to offer. A committee of professors who denied him the track to Cambridge that sprung his career because he failed an exit test. He had to convince them in a subsequent oral exam that he was worthy of being in an honors program before he was allowed to continue.
It could be none of the above. It could have been a thought developed from seeing something happen or a book that he read to help him develop a radical theory. It could have been the treatment of students at his high school or his first year at college. Maybe it was the snub by the mentor that he had wanted to study under. Maybe it was his doctor's attitude when the doctor told him that he would die in two years from the time of the diagnosis of his disease.
Who knows?! But, Stephen Hawking had something to influence him, or many things, that would propel him to the forefront of the physics cosmos and make him the most imminent scientist in the modern world. I'm glad for him and for us who live in the world of a better understanding because of him.
But, we nearly didn't have him. He nearly couldn't read during his early school years. He nearly didn't make it to Cambridge to follow his dreams with world renowned faculty. He nearly gave up on his education after learning of his disease. He nearly lost all hope before he submitted his dissertation finding a theory everything that exists... Nearly... but something influenced him... It's just hard to know what exactly... Maybe everything!
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