Three decades back “You know Albert Einstein is like Paulo Rosie,” said a veteran lecturer delivering a course on modern physics at Arat Kilo campus’ stadium-like lecture room packed by physics and mathematics students.
“How come?”
Fikru, a semi-bald classmate of mine, tried to read the answer from my face. He posed a raised brow on his long face by way of challenging the flaw of likening a physicist and a footballer. As I outright figured the analogy I got closer to his ear and said “Both lent a finishing touch to the entire process that tasked the dabble of many.”
“Once I heard the famous Ethiopian footballer who later became CAF’s President, Yidnekachew Tesema acerbically commenting ‘I do not that much likes Paulo Rose. You don’t see him playing but he surely scores. I rather like Conti the flanker.’ Yidenekachew made this remark asked about his favorite player in 1982 FIFA World’s cup,” said my picky classmate Fikru with whom I mostly attended classes as we liked discussing concepts of such courses and at times chitchatting with a muffled voice. I recollect for this reason we favored the back benches.
With warm smile I nodded YES and said
“I too remember that interview with Yidenekachew!”
“While Italy beat Brazil 3 to 2 Rosi surprisingly made a Hattric,” he reminisced and added “I heard on ETV’s Sport news a famous newspaper editor in Roam preferred the title ‘Rosi,Rosi,Rosi’ to garnish his paper.”
“I do not forget one of Rosi’s goals. With a flying tackle he kicked the ball eastwards that was rocketed westwards by his teammate. Flying westwards the Brazilian goalkeeper was on air to catch it. Diverting the direction and duping the goal keeper he scored a goal,” I turned wistful.
“Making a paradigm shift pays off,” Fikru seconded me thumbs up.
“Yes. That was what Ernestine did. His predecessors in the study of Quantum Physics were amiss on the nature light travels. Adding this concept he gave the finishing touch to the sought-for formula,” His face became sunny by way of saying I unraveled the analogy.
As other classmates joined us the conversation continued long after class was dismissed.
“ “Einstein said what I got from Dostoevsky exceeds what I acquired from predecessor Scientists.’ I think he was alluding to Dostoyevsky’s saying there are two types of people in this world those that preserve things that were there and those that create new things— things worth to crow about. The former are gate keepers that help preserve old trends, while the latter are trendsetters that transform the world,” a tomboyish classmate Tseday who never missed novels from her hands and who liked to read fictions even in the afternoon sitting on campus’s garden benches cut in.
“I see conservatives and mavericks. There is a need to balance things .Not to lose past gains and to add new off shots,” Fikru giggled.
“Special attention should be given to creative youngsters. Abroad, checking children’s IQ, such individuals are allowed to join special schools furnished with the necessary facilities to tap the maximum potential out of them for nation’s benefit,” she added.
Lately I recollected this conversation when I heard news about Ethiopian creative youths that came up with a drone, a rocket and airplane without much support. As most of them are from universities I reflected, unlike the past, our researches are turning target-oriented that troubleshoot nation’s problem.
Not encouraging such individuals is an outmoded trend. All creative individuals deserve a proper hearing.
Once in my journalistic engagement I saw a scientist who practically demonstrated a crop that bountifully grows for 3 to 4 years on end without another round of sowing. To my chagrin the trendsetters and the gatekeepers could not come to terms.
As for me, both should be given due attention but the mavericks should enjoy more latitude as the history of creativity amply substantiates this fact.
I also recalled what Tseday said “WolfGang Pauli didn’t like Albert Einstein. Pauli said there is no need to exaggerate things,fort other individuals were sure to get what Einstein got. But others told Pauli what matters is taking the lead.
We could have forgotten Pauli’s remark had he not disproved Einstein about the uncertainty theory. Max Born thought that Pauli was, perhaps, an even greater scientist than Einstein. “But he was a completely different type of man,” wrote Born, “who, in my eyes, did not attain Einstein’s greatness.” When Pauli received a noble prize in 1945 .’I will never forget the speech about me, and for me, that he gave at Princeton in 1945 after I got the Nobel Prize. It was like the abdication of a king, installing me as a kind of elected son, as his successor,’ ” Wolfgang Pauli reminisced in a 1955 letter to Max Born. Of course the king here referred to is Einstein”
Thinking about this when I was trying different Utube news I became delighted learning about a young gifted- Ethiopian -mathematician who do arithmetic beyond the digits computer accommodate was taken up by INSA. I also learnt the PM had once gifted him. Happily, the PM has facilitated the establishment of a center that embraces such youngsters with a creative knack. A ministry to such effect is established. A lot is required from it.
Something from inside compelled me to search for the phone numbers of Fikru and Tseday to once more discuss the issue.
BY ALEM HAILU G/K
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 27 APRIL 2022
