© by Raymond Alexander Kukkee
To Be an Einstein is To Have an Open Mind
"I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false.The hundredth time I am right " Albert Einstein 1.
The answer may be simple. Perhaps there is no new Einstein because no one has thought seriously enough about taking on the challenge more than ninety-nine times. Maybe it is a simple matter that no one has chosen to be his successor or applied himself to that gargantuan task.
Let us hypothesize that one may actively choose to become a new Einstein. Perhaps not a perfect clone of Albert, the one and only, for he was unique among men, an exemplary philosopher, a scientist, and a neophyte violinist. He was a Nobel prize winner and admirable observer of the mechanisms of the universe. Let us, then, not try to "be Albert", but a reasonable, modest facsimile. A genuine, curious person with both imagination and curiosity. A person with an open mind. Einstein may be quoted as saying both " "Imagination is more important than knowledge" 2. and "I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious" 3. which suggests that he not only practiced thinking other than existing contemporary thought and knowledge, but he allowed himself to dream, imagine, and perhaps more importantly, not be limited by knowledge. It may be a revelation that his application of simple thought, merely putting his brain to better use, may have provided him with the stimulation required for significant development of his imagination, ideas, and theoretical advancement. May it be postulated that Albert came to know his own mind, and unlike most people, began to deploy the inherent, unlimited capabilities of the human brain? Upon first observation, it is a disappointing and contradictory fact that the expectations of genius in modern society are lower than might be expected under normal circumstance and development of a species. We are what we think; our expectations of ourselves specifically influence, contribute to, or even result in the outcomes we enjoy or suffer. Reflecting on the overall development of any society, the meaningful and genuine application of technological ideas and the serious application of knowledge garnered in the last few centuries might remain the best indication there is some hope for additional genius in any civilization. It does not, however, appear to be happening. Logically, we should be more advanced than we are. With the modern world stuck in a trend of exponentially increasing knowledge and technology, but unparalleled economic panic, unlimited foolishness, unmitigated greed, and eternal self-interest, it is hardly surprising that the majority of the population has no interest in advanced thinking and generally does not understand even to a minor degree, the technology it employs.If that distasteful dichotomy continues to ring true, it remains questionable that a new Einstein will be found any time soon.
Societal pressure applied, we are encouraged to be equal to, similar to our peers, and remain consumed daily by economic problems, the ever-present delusion of the importance of being busy, and influenced to be engulfed in today's average raison d'etre. Money, social interaction, artificial relationships and sex , fabricated crises and foolishness keep us believing the observable speed of life is more important than the speed of light, contemplation, advanced thinking, or the bending of time. Does modern society hold concentrated thought in esteem? How about knowledge itself? The answer today at times appears to be "no". Does anyone express interest in intuitive instinct in the search for knowledge? Very few people do that either. Giant minds are clearly the exception, rather than the rule, even within the virtual world of higher academia. Modern human beings seem to intentionally shun the innate, inborn wisdom and knowledge that is available to them from birth and the world around them. In spite of the concept of the Tabula Rasa, or blank slate' as proposed by Aristotle, examined and interpolated by other philosophers throughout the ages, there is evidence to show that human beings have access to amazing information and knowledge other than what they have been taught, or learned. Because of that blatant contradiction in reality, Einstein himself may have chosen to argue directly with Aristotle, had the two giants ever been given the opportunity to discuss the probabilities of life and inherited wisdom of babes. It might be hypothesized that Aristotle really had no better idea whether babies were born with blanked-out minds than anyone else did in those times; but as did Einstein centuries later, he came to be an exemplary thinker, grasped an idea, formed a theory, and was considered a genius because he was curious, decided to use his mind openly and chose to think in an extraordinary fashion about humanity. The process reduced common thought to it's simplest forms, examined the implications, interpolated the data, and his work resulted in the expression of his derivative thought, in the terminology of the day. Albert Einstein went even further with his imagination, applying the simplest, pure thought to the universe itself, in an attempt to discover the secrets of time, continuity, and the applications and limitations of quantum physics, space, energy and the speed of light itself, including the famous and currently and universally-accepted E = mc2 .Whether or not he was absolutely correct or not may be debated, but until a new Einstein is discovered and his equation is proven to be incorrect, paradoxically, Einstein's theoretical work will continue to impose limitations upon that prominent field of endeavor.
It may be an interesting experiment to imagine who might be stimulated by curiosity alone, into allowing his or her imagination to push the boundaries established by Einstein even further into the future. Therein lies the requirement for a new Einstein, and a significant influence for hope that a new Einstein will emerge from a technologically advanced, if otherwise featureless horizon. Einstein himself stated the requirement for imagination. Why is there no new Einstein today? The answer does seem to be simple. No one has given it enough thought. Open your mind and meet your own future. To be an Einstein is to have an open mind.Perhaps you can be an Einstein.
Is that Incoming I hear?##
1. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/albert_einstein.html 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 
