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The Theory of Everything

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The Theory of Everything

At some point in life people might feel that they are in a place where they have lost all the hopes for a better life. This may lead them towards depression, this may break their souls apart. But in the movie, “The Theory of Everything” something else is shown. No matter how petty the chances of survival are, there is always a reason to live. The movie postulates that the entire universe could be reduced to two basic energy particles (BEP). The formulation provides answers to many of the current conundrums in physics. It reconciles many of the current theories. Stephen Hawking, the main character of the movie, was of the view that life would be catastrophic, had there been no fun and excitement in life. The view of Hawking was also depicted in a very subtle manner in the movie. The movie was a bit too focused on the romantic – rather than scientific – side of Hawking’s life. The career Stephen hawking was fascinating and people would have loved to see more of it portrayed in the film.

Undoubtedly, Hawking’s relationship with her wife Jane was quite unique and tentative. One of the true partnerships, which everyone enjoyed watching more than, say, John and Alicia Nash's in “A beautiful Mind”. Jane was the girl next door anyone would have a crush on. Anyone could relate to that character, and such relatable characters contributed to the success of this movie. Hawking's awkward charm and witty sense of humor were depicted quite nicely in the film. The overall atmosphere of the movie was magical and serene. It was also wonderful to see the part where he wrote "A Brief History of Time". This is exactly what most of the people have imagined while reading the book, with all the charm and light-heartedness it emits.

Relationships in Later Life and Chronic Disease

Chronic illness affects every member of the family in different ways depending on the age of the family member. Younger children may feel emotionally distraught that a parent or sibling is ill and they are well. Teenagers can sometimes rebel because more attention is given to the sick person during a time when they need reassurance and guidance ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"H99FSbzR","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Lyons, Sullivan, Ritvo, & Coyne, 1995)","plainCitation":"(Lyons, Sullivan, Ritvo, & Coyne, 1995)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":884,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/jsvqEXt1/items/6A8NSMLN"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/jsvqEXt1/items/6A8NSMLN"],"itemData":{"id":884,"type":"book","title":"Relationships in chronic illness and disability.","publisher":"Sage Publications, Inc","source":"Google Scholar","author":[{"family":"Lyons","given":"Renee F."},{"family":"Sullivan","given":"Michael JL"},{"family":"Ritvo","given":"Paul G."},{"family":"Coyne","given":"James C."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["1995"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Lyons, Sullivan, Ritvo, & Coyne, 1995). Adults can be even less forgiving if the sick person is also an adult, because caring for someone with a chronic condition means having an additional daily responsibility. Such additional daily responsibility takes away time from adults to do what they wish. And, some people take it all in stride and are able to support and help the chronically ill person and are happy to do so. It depends on the person and the dynamics of the family structure.There is no doubt about it - having a family member with chronic illness leads to an adjustment period for all people involved.  However, once guidelines and responsibilities are made, the family can actually grow and become closer. A family with a chronically ill person has to be more empathetic and caring. They have to put their needs aside (at times) to help the person who isn't well. In essence, they learn more patience and empathy ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"ZFLHlJXO","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Bury, 1982)","plainCitation":"(Bury, 1982)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":885,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/jsvqEXt1/items/NQXQGRYK"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/jsvqEXt1/items/NQXQGRYK"],"itemData":{"id":885,"type":"article-journal","title":"Chronic illness as biographical disruption","container-title":"Sociology of health & illness","page":"167–182","volume":"4","issue":"2","source":"Google Scholar","author":[{"family":"Bury","given":"Michael"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["1982"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Bury, 1982). Of course, there will always be moments of stress and rebelliousness but at the end of the day, each member of the family learns to come to terms with the situation and becomes a better person for living this kind of life.

Life Trajectories

Jane Hawking called her husband Stephen Hawking, in Switzerland, where he had been discussing quantum theories with particle physicists. The secretary of Stephen Hawking conveyed to her wife, Jane Hawking, that Stephen Hawking is in coma. The next sentence his secretary spoke to her wife was “we don’t know how long he’ll live”. Jane Hawking, who had been in Northern Europe, raced overland, and found Stephen in ICU. The medical staff enquired from jane Hawking that how many years is it since they both saw each other. Medical staff asked this question as they assumed that they both live separately. The medical staff was baffled when Jane Hawking told them that he traveled here just a week before to call on particle physicists, and they had been living together for years. The next question medical staff asked was; why he, Stephen Hawking, was traveling in such a state of health.

The question asked by medical staff spoke volumes about the kind of life ought to be led by someone in Stephen Hawking’s condition. He had been diagnosed with motor neuron disease twenty-three years ago, and doctors said he wouldn’t be able to live more than two years following the diagnosis.

Stephen Hawking, owing to such a chronic illness, was restricted to a wheelchair. He was inept of, dressing, washing or, feeding himself. As far as speaking skill was concerned, he couldn’t speak even, however, through an interpreter. No one could assume that he would be travelling to Switzerland in such a condition. However, against all odds he became an incredible scientist, who led the world to the discovery of Blackholes. Notwithstanding the fact that Hawking was restricted to chair, he used to deliver lectures in United States’ prestigious universities. Stephen Hawking had so many feathers in his cap. He was the man who became Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, won a prestigious medal known as Albert Einstein Medal. Besides, he was the youngest person to become “Fellow” of Royal Society ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"NBBSSmhT","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Larsen, 2005)","plainCitation":"(Larsen, 2005)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":889,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/jsvqEXt1/items/6RASHZWT"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/jsvqEXt1/items/6RASHZWT"],"itemData":{"id":889,"type":"book","title":"Stephen Hawking: a biography","publisher":"Greenwood Publishing Group","source":"Google Scholar","title-short":"Stephen Hawking","author":[{"family":"Larsen","given":"Kristine"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2005"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Larsen, 2005).

He had very slim chances of survival following the diagnosis of motor-neuron disease, however he did, and was able to accomplish all the things mentioned above. Undoubtedly, he had been resilient to unimaginable adversity. His accomplishment not only owe his determination and resilience but also are testament to the courage of his wife. Had jane Hawking left him, Stephen’s resilience wouldn’t have lasted longer. The love and support of his wife rendered his determination and resilience. His wife didn’t give up on him rather she gave up on her own needs, and it was an unswerving devotion of Jane to Stephen Hawking.

References

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Bury, M. (1982). Chronic illness as biographical disruption. Sociology of Health & Illness, 4(2), 167–182.

Larsen, K. (2005). Stephen Hawking: A biography. Greenwood Publishing Group.

Lyons, R. F., Sullivan, M. J., Ritvo, P. G., & Coyne, J. C. (1995). Relationships in chronic illness and disability. Sage Publications, Inc.