Recently I saw a brief clip of Stephen Hawkins on television : he communicates from his largely impassive face through imperceptible movements in his cheek which somehow translate into computer speech. Literally he is an old man trapped in a wheel chair who can hardly smile and certainly cannot move a limb but he is rather more than that I suspect we might agree.
His is a powerful and original mind, but most of all he is a man of curiosity and a wonder which has transported him from the everyday, to look at things beyond his circumstances, and not within them. He still seems alive with an awe and insight, and even youth. Yes I’m sure he’d like to run and skip and dance as badly as I do, but his interest in the world around him, leaves him little time for a comparison of circumstances. It is easy to admire such a man
I read an article by an individual who began his address with the words, “I always wanted to be a winner” and that sounds fine in its own way, but judging myself by comparisons with my fellow-man has never held much attraction to me. I want to know what everything is, and what nothing is; the beauty of a note and the silence which surrounds it . I like to know and understand myself, and those whom I meet, or nearly meet. I am conscious that I will not always be conscious. That my curiosity is unlimited but my time is finite, and I cannot waste a moment of it in acquiring things which will not make me richer in a way I understand.
The amusing thing is many would consider me as living in la la land, where poetry is a secret form of currency, and music a mode of transport which might carry me to lands and vistas invisible to the naked eye. To where angels might dwell and we might begin to forgive and truly understand the love which passes all understanding. I can live with their opinion, but I cannot live without my imagination.
countingducks 
To look beyond one’s inner self and circumstances and to be curious about all that is around us and beyond is the route to discovering more than one can imagine.
To become curious about why people think the way they do and their interpretation of what goes on around them.
So few people do. They become limited by their belief structure and so miss out on so much.
Many people know what to do – few do what they know.
xxx
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“I always wanted to be a winner” – This is the sort of trite bs that people spout from confidence seminars to business and sport. I am competitive and like winning, who the hell doesn’t? But it doesn’t eat at me, there’s this modern thing whereby you have to be a ‘winner’ whatever that or think like a ‘winner’. This means you should be thinking like somebody else and forgetting about thinking like you.
Being inquisitive and questioning is a truly respectable trait.
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“he beauty of a note and the silence which surrounds it ” – oh yes! You always hit the nail on the head – if that’s lalaland, I’ll happily buy a ticket. Thank you again, Ducks.
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I feel I know you much more after reading this one piece Peter. Thank you. 🙂
To look at things beyond his circumstances, and not within them” – wonderful words to which I aspire.
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Loved this post. What really encourages me is that each day I see more and more people subscribing to their inner calling rather than run after that eternal utopia, if one might call it that.
Have you read the Indian philosopher, J. Krishnamurthi? Yu may find his thoughts on education inspiring
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Ahh, such a rich image! It is the world I live in, the world that let me “do what I do.”
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I once heard a minister tell the congregation, “live so that when you are gone, it will have mattered.” He had recently undergone surgery for a brain tumor and died about two years later. He definitely mattered to me.
I think he would have liked this post.
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“poetry is a secret form of currency, and music a mode of transport which might carry me to lands and vistas invisible to the naked eye. To where angels might dwell”
That’s it exactly.
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Awesome.
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I am in awe of Stephen Hawkins and his mind. And then I read words from fellow bloggers such as “. To where angels might dwell and we might begin to forgive and truly understand the love which passes all understanding. ” and know I am in the right company of like minded people who are striving for the same things. Thanks Peter for sharing. 🙂
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I love your words in this piece Peter. Too often today the emphasis is on winning, often at the expense of others. In life what we learn about ourselves and the world and others around us, is surely more important, not just about whether we are perceived as coming first or being the best. The increasing emphasis on education being solely about preparing young people for the world of work, for example worries me as many of the disciplines which encourage inner growth, introspection and love of our fellow men and women and the environment may suffer in the long term.
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Stephen Hawking is truly a treasure. We can all learn more about what really matters in life from him. And YOU are a treasure, too.
b
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Imaginative people are the engine to our world. Who else would come up with the Startrek widgets that are now part of our lives?
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Well said!
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To go through life without frequently pausing to ask “why” and “why not” is to exist, not live. Give me imagination and curiosity over competition any day.
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–If Mr. L. wasn’t around, I think I’d marry you!
Love this beautiful piece, Peter. xxx
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Oh, my, gosh, that is a beautiful piece. * wide-eyed*
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I relate to this post in entirety (save for the Stephen Hawkings part ). I did admire him until he backed out of an event he was supposed to speak it in Israel last year.
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I want to know what everything is, and what nothing is; the beauty of a note and the silence which surrounds it ….What a say !!!!….just speechless…He is incomparable living legend
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Hawking, who lives so rich a life while so confined.
And you, Peter, who looks at ordinary and observes what is transcendent.
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Reblogged this on tvhookedfigures and commented:
After a very long time i found something really inspiring….Kudos to this article…A perfect blend and flow with thought provoking snippet …Thanks to countingducks for sharing such a beautiful post 🙂
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How mundane life is without an imagination to expand our horizons. Stephen is an apt example, for I’m pretty sure the wonders out there beyond us are far more wondrous, intricate, beautiful,and inspiring than anything we yet know.
I was reading some on a newer theory as an alternative to the big bang, one involving a four dimensional star, a membrane around its collapse that would actually be our universe. By all accounts it is outlandish, yet some are taking it as a possibility. If that is the level at which we now look for our answers, just imagine what it actually is.
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Love this. Imagination and curiosity are so important. These help make for a well-lived life.
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“I can live with their opinion, but I cannot live without my imagination.”
Well said. It takes a special kind of courage, that has to be pulled out every day, to live with their opinion.
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I’ve been horrible about commenting on blogs lately, but I always do read yours and this post got me out of my rut to tell you how much I enjoyed it. We share such similar views on so many things, and you so eloquently put your thoughts into words.
Anyway, years ago I read that one of the lead creators at Nickelodeon was actually blind. This meant that he worked his butt off and never actually got to physically see the results of all his hard work. He said he just wanted and needed to create, and I’ve never forgotten that. I would hate to be without imagination.
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You ask a compelling question: who inspires you? I admire so many people for so many reasons, but when I need inspiration, I, like you, turn inward. My curiosity, my peculiar perspective when I view the world around me, my memories, my dreams, my fantasies…these are my inspirations.
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I love the last paragraph. I can’t live without my imagination too.
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Amen to the conscious. Wishing you as much inspiration as you share with all of us. Always a warm feeling visiting here 😀
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Hawkings is certainly a wonder, at least to me. Many thanks for visiting my blog again. I invite you to come back on Friday to see the next free Friday Flash fiction.
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As a person who lives in her “twisted noodle” I understand! Read “A Brief History of Time” years ago … inspiring …
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I keep popping into your Blog to see if you’ve said anything, because your ‘twisted noodle’ is one of the most interesting and original I’ve come across
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Aww…. thank you so much! You know “they” broke the mold when I was made … the powers that be realized one of me on Earth was enough for mankind. 🙂
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This was very inspiring and insightful. Glad i found this article. You’re good.
Best wishes and good luck 🙂
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I could read this post over and over again, Peter; especially the third paragraph. It is an anthem to the imagination, the creative, to being what one must be.
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The last line is my favorite line: “I can live with their opinion, but I cannot live without my imagination.” Probably true of Hawkins, too.
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But poetry is a kind of currency, music can transport you, and imagination is the only key you need.
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I love your work, full stop. But this particularly spoke to me x
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I’m glad it did. It came from the heart
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I heart your heart 🙂
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