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The private and public lives of Albert Einstein
- durpkingOP 6y agoshould private lives be made public post morteum?
- hyfgfh 6y agoHow else we could shatter the illusion that heroes exist?
- earthtourist 6y agoReal heros exist. But only children believe they are infallible. As the pretend hero, Malcolm Reynolds, said "It's my estimation that every man ever got a statue made of him was one kind of a son of a bitch or another."
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- keiferski 6y agoWhy is shattering this illusion a good thing? Especially if a 'false', heroic impression of someone inspires you to achieve great things, or act more virtuously, that you otherwise wouldn't have done. There's a difference between 'hero worship' and 'hero inspiration', IMO. The difficult part is getting rid of the former while not destroying the latter in the process.
- exergy 6y agoI think the parent may have been sarcastic. I certainly hope so. Life was much better before my idols had entirely mundane Instagram feeds.
- freeflight 6y agoImho it can be very misleading to think of Instagram feeds, or any social media for that matter, as "private life". Many social media users are very self-conscious and calculating with the "image" they are building with particular accounts. It's all feeding into this idea of perfect infallible human beings, as supposedly showcased on social media, but in reality, such humans simply don't exist. Particularly in the context that often it's our flaws that define us as humans, not being able to admit to having any does not strike me as a healthy and rational attitude.
- exergy 6y agoAh, no, I have the opposite problem! For instance, musicians one really likes, one projects them into images of saints. Then they're out their putting selfies on, sharing insipid quotes or just generally seeking validation, and the mirage crumbles a bit.
- andrewfromx 6y agoi read these rules he had for this 1st wife years ago "A. You will make sure: 1. that my clothes and laundry are kept in good order; 2. that I will receive my three meals regularly in my room; 3. that my bedroom and study are kept neat, and especially that my desk is left for my use only. B. You will renounce all personal relations with me insofar as they are not completely necessary for social reasons. Specifically, You will forego: 1. my sitting at home with you; 2. my going out or travelling with you. C. You will obey the following points in your relations with me: 1. you will not expect any intimacy from me, nor will you reproach me in any way; 2. you will stop talking to me if I request it; 3. you will leave my bedroom or study immediately without protest if I request it. D. You will undertake not to belittle me in front of our children, either through words or behavior." http://www.openculture.com/2013/12/albert-einstein-imposes-on-his-first-wife-a-cruel-list-of-marital-demands.html http://www.openculture.com/2013/12/albert-einstein-imposes-o... and I try and be nicer.
- darkerside 6y agoThis is pretty standard stay-together-for-the-kids stuff
- RcouF1uZ4gsC 6y agoThe truth is you would not want to be married to the vast majority of “great” people in history.
- xscott 6y agoThe fact he had to make a rule for her not to belittle him in front of the children makes me think I wouldn't want to be married to his wife either. We're only seeing one half of the picture here, but she doesn't sound like a saint.
- claudiawerner 6y agoThis is frankly one of the most absurd and saddest things I've read - and I'm surprised to see it attributed to Einstein.
- cafard 6y agoI'm not sure why we should care. The private lives of Freud, Jung, and perhaps Russell may be of interest because their work was bound up in telling others how to live. Einstein did a certain amount of that--though I think more in the large than in the small--but he did not achieve fame for his thoughts on peace, socialism, etc. Rather his thoughts on matters of conduct became interesting because of the fame earned through physics.
- gdubs 6y agoFor what it’s worth, I thought Andy Serkis really captured some of the complexity of Einstein’s character in the movie “Einstein and Eddington” — contrasts with the typical characterization of Einstein as the cuddly goofball of pop culture, and paints him as a human with flaws.
- roundabout4ce 6y agoBut...the real (big) Question was: "Why is there no spaceship with 'front-drive'?", and speaking in terms of "Reisegefühl" (um in other words, something like the feeling you have during traveling) heck - damned Einstein - Why does it need mass for acceleration #=!*%?? (-: