Richard Feynman: ‘I, a universe of atoms, an atom in the universe’
How the eccentric genius was much more than a physicist
The eccentric 20th century showman was so much more than a physicist. Richard Feynman won millions of hearts through his iconic lectures in the 1960s and 70s, of those who want to wonder in the realm of science, those who see science, not just as an academic discipline but a way of thinking, a way to perceive the universe in a way that leaves you in awe and mystery and imagination. He taught us how to question things, and how doubt and skepticism are important for the discovery.
He hasn’t just been a source of inspiration for what he has done in field of physics, but has also set an example of how life has to be lived doing the things that you love to do. He was an amazing artist, a great writer, and a brilliant poet. In this article, I’m going to share with you some of the most beautiful words delivered by the genius, the words that describe what the world looks like from a physicist’s and an artist’s point of view, and that the two are not much distinctive from one another. He explains life, he explains wonder, and he explains existence. The brilliant physicist also describes how insignificant we are in this vast ever evolving cosmos.
I stand at the seashore, alone, and start to think.
There are the rushing waves
mountains of molecules
each stupidly minding its own business
trillions apart
yet forming white surf in unison.
Ages on ages
before any eyes could see
year after year
thunderously pounding the shore as now.
For whom, for what?
On a dead planet
with no life to entertain.
Never at rest
tortured by energy
wasted prodigiously by the sun
poured into space.
A mite makes the sea roar.
Deep in the sea
all molecules repeat
the patterns of one another
till complex new ones are formed.
They make others like themselves
and a new dance starts.
Growing in size and complexity
living things
masses of atoms
DNA, protein
dancing a pattern ever more intricate.
Out of the cradle
onto dry land
here it is
standing:
atoms with consciousness;
matter with curiosity.
Stands at the sea,
wonders at wondering: I
a universe of atoms
an atom in the universe.
Poem extracted from “The Value of Science,” public address at the NAS (1955).
Also published in Feynman’s book: The Pleasure of Finding Things Out, 1999.
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