This 1947 photo by Philippe Halsman was a favorite of Einstein's.
An
article in Sunday’s paper about the possible evolutionary advantages of curiosity
introduced me to a “famed quote” from Albert Einstein that was nonetheless new
to me. He told a college student “never lose a holy curiosity.”
Of
course, my “holy curiosity” got the better of me and I clicked on the link to that quote and found an intriguing conversation Einstein had with an
interviewer, William Miller of Life magazine, and his “nihilistic” college-age
son about religious beliefs.
Granting
that we are free to name any power we believe in “God,” Einstein explains, “I
do not believe in the God of theology who rewards good and punishes evil. … The
presence of a superior reasoning power…revealed in the incomprehensible
universe forms my idea of God.”
“I
cannot accept any concept of God based on the fear of life or the fear of
death, or blind faith. I cannot prove to you that there is no personal God, but
if I were to speak of him I would be a liar. … I am an honest man.”
“Certainly
there are things worth believing. I believe in the brotherhood of man and the
uniqueness of the individual. But if you ask me to prove what I believe, I
can’t. You know them to be true but you could spend a whole lifetime without
being able to prove them. The mind can proceed only so far upon what it knows
and can prove. There comes a point where the mind takes a leap—call it
intuition or what you will—and comes out upon a higher plane of knowledge, but
can never prove how it got there. All great discoveries have involved such a
leap.”
When
asked if he believes in a soul, Einstein responds, “Yes, if by this you mean
the living spirit that makes us long to do worthy things for humanity.”
He
suggests to the student that he (and by inference, we) find something “to
occupy your curiosity for a lifetime.”
“Then
do not stop to think about the reasons for what you are doing, about why you
are questioning. The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has
its own reason for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he
contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of
reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this
mystery each day. Never lose a holy curiosity. Try not to become a man of
success but rather try to become a man of value. He is considered successful in
our day who gets more out of life than he puts in. But a man of value will give
more than he receives.”
As
the interviewer and son are leaving, the son points to a tree “and asked
whether one could truthfully say it was a tree.” “This could all be a dream,”
Einstein replies. “You may not be seeing it all.”
“If
I assume that I can see it, how do I know exactly that the tree exists and
where it is?” the student asks.
“You
have to assume something. Be glad that you have some little knowledge of
something that you cannot penetrate. Don’t stop to marvel.”
Reading
this exchange, I couldn’t help but think of my and your “little knowledge” of
God and the spiritual life. Einstein’s counsel never to stop marveling rings in
my ears and rings true in my heart.
“It
is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day.
Never lose a holy curiosity. Try not to become a person of success but rather
try to become a person of value. One is considered successful in our day who
gets more out of life than one puts in. But a person of value will give more
than he/she/they receives.”
Related
post: What Is Truth?
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