• Bio
  • Music
  • Stage & Screen
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Voice & Acting Lessons
  • Advocacy & Activism
  • Blog
Michael Bihovsky | Official Website
  • Bio
  • Music
  • Stage & Screen
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Voice & Acting Lessons
  • Advocacy & Activism
  • Blog
Menu
  • Bio
  • Music
  • Stage & Screen
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Voice & Acting Lessons
  • Advocacy & Activism
  • Blog
Home  /  Advocacy • Science  /  Thank You, Stephen Hawking – Mind of the Century, and Hero to the Disabled
14 March 2018

Thank You, Stephen Hawking – Mind of the Century, and Hero to the Disabled

Written by Michael Bihovsky
Advocacy, Science Comments are off
Share On
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Google+
Share on Reddit
Share on Tumblr
Share on Pinterest
Today we lost not just one of the greats: we lost one of the greatEST, in all human history.
 
I’ve spoken to many people who dislike praising Stephen Hawking because of certain political positions he held, some of which I disagreed with myself. But I ask you to put that aside for a moment, and recognize that a person is not defined by particular idiosyncrasies, but rather by the sum of their parts. And Stephen Hawking was a man whose physical parts were broken by ALS in ways that even I and most chronically ill people can barely comprehend. What he did within the confines of those limitations is beyond extraordinary – and today, I hope you will celebrate the life of a uniquely powerful and determined mind trapped in the physical destruction of a vicious and unrelenting disease.
 
Hawking’s contributions to the fields of cosmology and quantum mechanics are essentially unparalleled. His book “A Brief History of Time” is a wonderful window into these contributions as expressed by one of the deepest of thinkers and most powerful of educators. As Hawking’s muscle control continued to decay, he wrote entire books using just the muscle of his cheek to get the right letter, sometimes only faring as well as one or two words per minute. To anyone who has used an Apple TV remote, you know how wildly infuriating it is to even type out an entire YouTube title by scrolling through individual letters – now imagine writing an entire original book about astrophysics. Using your cheek. It honestly puts me to shame, as I struggle to challenge my old ways of writing music to find new ways to create. But Hawking showed that it is possible, through the heroic task of staring disability and obscurity in the face and typing out a loud and stunningly clear: “No.”
 
Stephen Hawking showed people like me, and the entire world, that even the most profoundly disabled can change the world in unimaginable ways – even if it’s done one cheek muscle twitch at a time. I am more grateful than I can express for his many lessons, in science and in life, and will always strive to follow his example.

Share On
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Google+
Share on Reddit
Share on Tumblr
Share on Pinterest
Michael Bihovsky
Connect on Facebook Connect on Twitter

 Previous Article The War on the War on Christmas
Next Article   Dear Fellow Liberals: Knock it Off. You’re Embarrassing Us.

Related Posts

  • Gun Law Issue, Or Mental Health Issue? (It’s Both.)

    May 26, 2022
  • If You Are Pro-Gun Control, Then You Can’t Be Anti-Vaccine.

    August 7, 2021
  • RIP Major Van Winkle – The Master of Freestyle

    September 16, 2020
  • The (Entirely Unnecessary) Cost of “Herd Immunity”

    August 31, 2020

Mailing List Sign-Up

Michael’s Favorite Posts

  • HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY, “ONE GRAIN MORE”!!! July 19, 2022HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY, “ONE GRAIN MORE”!!!
  • When Your Heroes Surpass Expectations (Amy Lee of Evanescence) November 6, 2017
  • Composition Premiere at the Kimmel Center! March 22, 2017
  • Rare Disease Day 2017: Reaction to EDS Video by AJ+ February 28, 2017
  • 5 Acting Tips to Nail Your College Musical Theater Audition (or any other audition) December 27, 2016
  • An Open Letter to My Beard August 6, 2015

Recent Posts

  • HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY, “ONE GRAIN MORE”!!! July 19, 2022
  • Gun Law Issue, Or Mental Health Issue? (It’s Both.) May 26, 2022
  • “Hadestown” Review (AKA I went to a show! I remember shows!) February 17, 2022
  • In Memory of Stephen Sondheim – The Guru of Musical Theater November 27, 2021
  • If You Are Pro-Gun Control, Then You Can’t Be Anti-Vaccine. August 7, 2021
  • RIP Herbert Kretzmer – You Dreamed a Dream, and Shared it With All of Us October 17, 2020

Categories

  • Adventures
  • Advocacy
  • Comedy
  • Creations
  • Entertainment
  • Favorites
  • Healthcare
  • New Creations
  • Politics
  • Recent
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Voice & Acting Studio

Michael On Twitter

Tweets by @MichaelBihovsky
© Michael Bihovsky 2021. All rights reserved.