A Brief History of Time

Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with ALS at age 21. He was told he would not live past his 25th birthday.

Hawking died on March 14, 2018 at the age of 76.

As an atheist, Hawking didn't believe in an afterlife. The irony is that his words gave me my first true understanding of a higher power.

He was a scientist. He didn't believe in a god, but his books filled me with a sense of spirituality that I had been longing for.

As long as I can remember, I've looked up at the stars in wonder and confusion and excitement.

"What are we all doing here?"

When I read A Brief History of Time, I finally got some of the answers I was looking for. Granted, those answers only lead to more questions, but it was the beginning of a lifelong journey for me that has filled me with bewilderment.

Our universe is more amazing in reality than could ever be fantasied about through movies or fiction. It's magic. It's more fantastic than magic. It behaves in ways that we will never understand. Yet here it is, all around us, daring us to discover its truth.

Hawking was an incredible human. It was his life long quest to uncover the "grand unification theory." In short, it would be the greatest scientific discovery to ever be made. It's the greatest mystery in science.

How did all this come to be?

It wasn't until reading Hawking's work that I was able to conceptualize just how miraculous our lives are. It's difficult to comprehend how unique our planet is and how perfectly the circumstances had to be in order for us to be possible.

None of us should be here. Nothing in the universe should be here. It's all supposed to be nothing. But somehow, we are something.

I start thinking about this stuff and I makes my head feel like it will explode. I will never know everything I want to know.

He has an impact on my life that I am not able to describe. When I read his words, I feel like anything is possible for me. It makes me feel big. I am made of stars. So are you.

Until I meet my end, I will continue to search for my own grand design.