So I honestly wasn’t sure if I was going to write on this blog anymore… but I’ve just been inspired so here it goes.

If you haven’t heard of The Theory of Everything yet – it’s a biography about the famous physicist Stephen Hawking and his rise to prominence in the world of science and specifically – cosmology. The movie spans just about two hours and shows how Stephen met Jane (his first wife), began to have kids, as well as how he coped with ALS which he was diagnosed with very early on in his life. Let’s just say that I have been excited to watch this movie since it debuted at TIFF (and I missed my chance to see it due to work obligations) and have anxiously waited for its release. In an obviously biased review – the movie was excellent. Biographies can often suffer from a slow-moving storyline or character development (as not every human being can be an action hero). This movie did not fail in taking advantage of every minute to show the relationship between Stephen, Jane, his family and most importantly – ALS. What I really wanted to talk about though was how inspiring this man is.

This man has achieved a great deal in the realm of science and our universe; but what makes it even more compelling is the fact that he has done it with the limitation of being unable to physically move any muscle in his entire body (and later speech was also taken away from him). His research on the topics of black holes, Hawking radiation, and the Big Bang (to name a few) have greatly advanced what we have been able to understand about our Universe, our beginnings, and our future. I have personally read “A Brief History of Time” and “The Grand Design” and can’t claim to fully comprehend the theories presented. Although, I definitely appreciate the fact that Hawking has attempted to dumb it down for those of us who may not be as adaptable to understanding the full intricacies of the Cosmos but still yearn to try. If there is one thing I can say that I took away from watching this film, it’s to keep your spirit strong even when your body may not be. Near the end of the film, Hawking is presenting in a lecture room to a group of student’s when one of them drops her pen near his wheelchair. Hawking then remembers back to his days when he would have been able to pick the pen up and gets disheartened. Although, he is quickly reminded of his accomplishments despite his lack of motor ability and delivers the following line:

However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special. – Stephen Hawking

I have googled Hawking quotes and it looks like the movie did use exact wording from the lecture which leaves me very happy this was not just a Hollywood script writer’s fantasy (although I felt inspired either way). All in all – the film was great in both educating me on the personal life of Stephen Hawking as well as giving me a subtle reminder that we all can be successful no matter what our limitations or roadblocks.

As a bonus for reading this – here is an obligatory cute photo of Cosmos learning about one of the inspirations for his name!

UPDATE! Eddie won the Oscar for Best Actor last night. Congratulations!!!

http://mashable.com/2015/02/23/stephen-hawking-congratulates-eddie-redmayne/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-main-link