Harness the Einstein Within You

Most people think Einstein was a genius. Even though he did poorly in school, it's assumed that Einstein became a genius later on. It's also widely believed he used superior intellect and complex mathematical reasoning to finally arrive at E=MC2.

The truth about Einstein is altogether different. Even though he was pretty smart, his accomplishments didn't come from a wildly superior intellect. He didn't arrive at his famous equation by complex mathematical reasoning. In fact, he didn't use mathematical or scientific reasoning at all! If Einstein didn't arrive at E=MC2 by mathematical or scientific reasoning, how did he get there? The answer is very simple... He made it up!

That's right. He took a wild stab. He made it all up! Without any proof, evidence, or scientific reasoning, he woke up and said "It must be so." In 1905, he published his "discovery" in a 3-page article in an obscure scientific journal. The rest is history.

Here's what really happened. Einstein wasn't as big a genius as most people think. He did have a curious mind, however, and he wasn't afraid to think differently than other people around him believed. Around the time Einstein became interested in physics (1895), electricity, magnetism, and the phenomenon of light were all under intensive study. A number of scientific theories and mathematical equations had been worked out. There was even a type of relativity theory in existence, called the relativity principle, which had been formulated centuries earlier by Galileo.

Most scientists were satisfied with these prevailing theories. There were a few situations these theories couldn't satisfactorily explain, but these exceptions were considered insignificant and no one paid much attention to them. No one, except Einstein. One riddle he posed was: If a person was flying in space at the speed Of light (ala Superman) with his/her arm fully outstretched holding a facial mirror, what would they "see" in the mirror? Would they see their face? Would it be bigger or smaller than if they were stationary? Would it be distorted? Would light waves have time to bounce off their face, hit the mirror, and bounce back to their retina, which was also moving at the speed of light? And what if an observer was watching all this from the ground. What would he or she see?

This was the riddle that led Einstein to E=MC2. It's nothing exceptional. You or I could have easily wondered the same thing. What made Einstein different is that he refused to give up until he solved it. He didn't stay with this riddle for a week or two. He didn't give up after a month went by without an answer. He didn't even quit after a year of racking his brain. He stuck with the riddle until he figured it out. He stuck with it for...Ten full years! That's right...ten years, from 1895-1905! He pondered this riddle almost every day. No one could come up with the answer.

Einstein didn't give in like most people. He didn't say, "that's enough time spent on that one...let me go to bigger and better things." No, he stayed with the question. He resisted the temptation to accept an incomplete answer...any answer...just to bring the process to a close. He maintained his integrity and curiosity. And when the answer came, he knew it was correct.

How did Einstein finally solve this riddle? After years of struggling with this problem, he finally had an insight that changed the course of modern civilization. What was this insight? Actually, it wasn't complex. And it didn't take a genius to think of it. All Einstein did was to assume the speed of light was constant! He assumed nothing could go faster than light, and all light traveled at the same speed, regardless of the observer.

Up to this time, it wasn't established that the speed of light was constant. Everyone thought time and distance were constants, but that the speed of light, like the speed of everything else in the universe, was variable. But Einstein was willing to consider what everyone believed about light, time, and distance might be wrong!

Lo and behold....Out Popped E=MC2 !! Einstein was astounded! If the speed of light was a constant--then energy and matter must be one and the same. Not only must energy and matter be the same, but the amount of energy in the tiniest piece of matter, like the head of a pencil, is phenomenal--far exceeding any conventional bomb or explosive!

And if the speed of light were constant, Einstein reasoned time and distance must be relative! But this was contrary to what everyone, including the world's leading scientists, believed. In 1905, he published his argument, including his conclusion that E=MC2, in a three-page paper entitled "Does The Inertia Of A Body Depend On It's Energy Content?" The paper had no footnotes and not one single reference to support it. The scientific establishment went bonkers. "Who does this Einstein think he is? How dare he contradict the fundamental principles of Newtonian physics? Where is his scientific evidence? What are his credentials? Where is the proof? What was Einstein's response? His response was simple and direct. He told the scientific community... Check it out--you'll see that it's true!

Einstein was right. Twenty years later, when the technology became available to put Einstein's assumption to a rigorous scientific test, his theory was validated. The whole world had to agree Einstein's "hunch" was correct. The truth won out. Why am I telling you this story? Why should you care how Einstein arrived at E=MC2? I admire this story not because it relates to physics, but because it relates to you and me. It relates to who we are as human beings. It relates to our capacity to think, reason, and understand how life works. It even relates to how much stress we experience. Knowing how Einstein arrived at E=MC2 helps us appreciate that we are all capable of achieving breakthroughs. Each of us is capable of waking up one day and realizing that:

1. The truth about life may not be what we've been told;
2. The truth about life may be very different than what most learned people believe;
3. We don't always need proof, evidence, or the agreement of others to embrace a new "truth" if we have good reason to believe in it's utility. Look back over your own life.

Aren't there times when you saw a truth other people couldn't see or refused to acknowledge? Weren't there moments when everyone around you thought or felt the same, but you had the courage to see things differently...and you were eventually proven right? Bet you didn't know you had some Einstein in you! The amazing thing about Einstein wasn't his intellect--it was his COURAGE. He dares to question "gospel truths" everyone believed in very strongly. He also had the courage to stick to his guns when everyone around him started attacking him. He was confident. He stood firm in the face of criticism, because he was clear he was on to something "real" and important. And no matter how strongly people disagreed, he maintained his integrity. We too are capable of heroic discoveries. We too can wake up any day and say, "You know, everything I thought I knew about `X' could be wrong!" And then either on our own, or with the help of others, we could explore this possibility with the courage and conviction Einstein brought to his ten-year riddle.

In my own life, I've achieved many Einstein-like breakthroughs. I remember the moment when, as a therapy patient, I first discovered I actually HAD an unconscious mind! There it was...clear as day...a powerful presence inside capable of doing some pretty amazing things. I had never seen this part of me before. I had no idea anything other than my rational "mind" was operating. Then one day my understanding of myself--and other people--changed dramatically! And you know what?...I've never gone back to my old way of thinking!

It's been over 20 years since I made this discovery, thanks to the help of good therapist. Ever since then, I've been able to recognize my "unconscious mind" wherever I go. It's never gone away. That's because it is truly there. It's a "truth" about me, about reality, about people, and about how the world works. The only problem was I was never able to "see" this truth before. And most other people around me couldn't see it either. Yet it was there all along!

In order to succeed in human relationships--and in many other areas of life--you must be willing to question the wisdom of what everyone around you thinks and believes. You've got to be willing to reach down inside and pull out the Einstein within.

Remember, like Einstein, you don't need proof or evidence, before you change your personal thinking. Proof will come later, once you've fully embraced and tested out your new ideas. Well, there you have it--a not too technical account of how Einstein arrived at E=MC2. I hope you enjoyed this special report and that you take something useful away from it.

Wishing you good health, happiness, and much success, Mort Orman, M.D.

Copyright ©1995 M.C. Orman, M.D., FLP. All Rights Reserved.
Edited for size by ChangeForGood