Of course, there is much more to know, respect and like about the complex man chosen by
genius and profundity, his charm and humor. Over the decades, as I have come to know some
very smart people who take themselves far too seriously, I’ve come to appreciate greatly Einstein’s
playfulness in public and his willingness to let the world see him being silly. His biographer
Juergen Neffe recently said, “He was the first global pop star of science at a time when world
stars were first emerging.” And:
”He was always fun to be with, always joking. Sometimes when he was supposed
to give a speech he would just play his violin instead.” (keralanext.com, April 14, 2005)
I think Albert would shake his shaggy head at Rolf Sinclair, the stuffy physicist who is quoted in an AP article saying he despises the Einstein monument in D.C., because “It makes him
look like one of the Three Stooges reading his horoscope.” The 12-foot bronze depicts Einstein
gazing at his famous energy formula. Like myself, tourists of all ages climb on his lap for snapshots
and to peer at the map of the universe that is at his feet.
a cool breeze–
the katydid brims
with energy
Lately, as more and more “believers” assert that only “peope of faith” can have a strong moral
code and sense of social responsibility (see my post, e.g., on religious law schools), Einstein the
“Albert Einstein was an ardent humanist who believed that human power
and human responsibility were the foundations of the moral life. Einstein
maintained that ethical rules flowed from human experience and from the
requirements of human survival. While he stood in awe of the wonders of the
universe, he refused to worship them. He firmly believed that reality was no
more than the natural universe and that neither chance nor supernatural
intervention governed its events.”
Michael Dobkowski, professor of religious studies, Hobart and William Smith Colleges in
Geneva, NY. captured the feelings of myself and millions of others in America and around
Democrat & Chronicle, April 15, 2005):
“Einstein carried an unprecedented moral weight, and he took carefully
considered, courageous and even original stands on a host of issues. Great
social ideas and great science come from the ability to question the obvious,
and Einstein had an abiding incapacity for self-deception and evasion. So he
was willing to modify his positions to meet new realities.
“His face, with its unruly, white hair and soft dreamy eyes has become, in many
ways, the human face of humanity and a reminder of the limitless potential of the
human spirit and intellect to overcome ignorance, prejudice, parochialism and the
dogma of uncontested assumptions.”
The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.
We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.
One final quote suggests that Einstein and Kobayashi Issa — two wise, compassionate, and silly souls — would have enjoyed meeting over
a cup or two of tea or sake.
“A human being is a part of the whole, called by us Universe, a part
limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and
feelings as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical delusion
of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting
us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.
Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle
of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its
beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such
achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security.”
[quoted in H Eves Mathematical Circles Adieu (Boston 1977)]
frogs sing, roosters sing
the east
turns light
the mountain moon
gives the blossom thief
light
to a massive rock
grow quickly my pebble…
Ishitaro
the round patches
the square patches…
snow floats away!
Naturally, it’s absolutely improper for law schools to be using deceptive 
