HE WAS EXPELLED FROM SCHOOL
Instances recorded in history show that to achieve greatness, it is not necessary to be born great. A man can rise to greatness from the most obscure of beginnings—provided he is willing to strive for it.
Although his beginnings were humble, Albert Einstein succeeded in revolutionizing 20th-century science. The ordinary son of an ordinary father, he could not speak until the age of three and showed no signs of having even average abilities up to the age of nine. He was even once expelled from school because his teacher feared his poor academic performance might negatively influence other pupils.
Upon completion of his school studies, he failed to qualify for admission to the Zurich Technical College. It was only on his second attempt, after due preparation, that he met with success.
Up to the age of twenty, Einstein showed no exceptional potential. In fact, ‘Albert was a lazy dog’ was how a teacher once described him. Later, through sheer hard work, he rose to heights that no other modern scientist has been able to surpass. His biographer writes, “We may take heart that it is not necessary to be a good student to become Einstein.”
Einstein’s first scientific book was published when he was 26, after which his fame spread far and wide. He led a simple life and ate simple food but often worked late into the night. At one stage, he was offered the presidency of Israel, but he declined. He believed that politics was the cancer of humanity. He left Hitler’s Germany with a price on his head—a reward of twenty thousand marks offered by Hitler’s government (at that time a great deal of money)—, but Einstein’s standing was such in the scientific world that no one dared come forward to claim it.
Countless instances have been recorded in history which show that to achieve greatness, it is not necessary to be born great. A man can rise to greatness from the most obscure of beginnings—provided he is willing to strive for it. Remembering that those struggling with severe difficulties are likelier to develop in estimable ways because adversity calls forth their hidden potential. It throws down a challenge that the aspirant to greatness must accept, failing which, he will sink into oblivion if not perish. Where the comforts and convenience of prosperity will cause him to become sluggish and unenterprising, the whiplash of adversity will drive him into purposeful action. In short, it will bring out the best in him. Sir Francis Bacon observes in his essay, ‘Of Adversity,’ “Prosperity doth best discover vice, but Adversity doth best discover Virtue.”
In God’s creation plan, there are no limits to the humanly possible. Having had an undistinguished start in life should never, therefore, be a cause for despair. The ordinary circumstances of life—if we could but realize it—are the stepping stones to success. But before we launch ourselves on that path, we would listen to Sir Francis Bacon’s final words of caution—and consolation: “Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes, and Adversity is not without comforts and hopes.”
