He Was Expelled From School

Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes, and adversity is not without comforts and hopes.

The ordinary circumstances of life-if we could but realize it-are the stepping stones to success. But before we launch ourselves on that path, we would do well to listen to Sir Francis Bacon’s final words of caution–and consolation: “Prosperity is not without many fears and dis­tastes, and Adversity is not without comforts and hopes.”

Although his beginnings were humble, Albert Einstein succeeded in revolutionizing 20^th century science. The ordinary son of an ordinary father, he could not speak until the age of three, and showed no signs of having even average abilities up to the age of nine. He was even expelled from school once because his teacher feared that his poor academic performance might have a bad influence on the other pupils.

On completion of his school studies, he failed to qualify for admission to the Zurich Technical College. It was only on his second at­tempt, after due preparation, that he met with success.

Up to the age of twenty, Einstein showed no exceptional poten­tial. In fact, ‘Albert was a lazy dog,’ was how a teacher once described him. Later, by dint of sheer hard work, he rose to such heights as no other modern scientist has been able to surpass. His biographer writes: “We may take heart that it is not necessary to be a good student to be­come Einstein.”

Einstein’s first scientific book was published when he was 26 years of age, after which his fame spread far and wide. He led a simple life, ate simple food, but often worked late into the night. At one stage, he was offered the presidentship of Israel, but he declined. He believed, in fact, that politics was the cancer of humanity. He left Hitler’s Germany with a price on his head-a reward of twenty thousand marks offered by Hitler’s government (at that time a great deal of money)-but Einstein’s standing was such in the scientific world that no one dared come forward to claim it.

Countless instances have been recorded in history which show that to achieve greatness, it is not necessary to be born great. A man can rise to greatness from the most obscure of beginnings-provided he is willing to strive for it. It is worth remembering that those who have to put up a struggle in the face of severe difficulties are more likely to develop in estimable ways, because adversity calls forth their hidden potential. It throws down a challenge which the aspirant to greatness must accept, failing which, he will sink into oblivion, if not actually perish. Where the comforts and convenience of prosperity will cause him to become sluggish and unenterprising, the whiplash of ad­versity will drive him into purposeful action. In short, it will bring out the best in him. As Sir Francis Bacon observes in his essay, ‘Of Adversity,’ “Prosperity doth best discover vice, but Adversity doth best discover Virtue.”

In the realm of God’s creation, there are no limits to the humanly possible. Having had an undistinguished start in life should never, therefore, be a cause for despair. The ordinary circumstances of life-if we could but realize it—are the stepping stones to success. But before we launch ourselves on that path, we would do well to listen to Sir Francis Bacon’s final words of caution-and consolation: “Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes, and Adversity is not without comforts and hopes.”