Stephen Hawking
Renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, 74, was diagnosed with a rare and slowly progressing form of motor neuron disease at the age of 21. Hawking has spent much of his adult life in a wheelchair, communicating with the aid of a voice synthesizer. When he was recently asked what kept his spirits up, here is part of Hawking’s reply—“It’s also important not to become angry, no matter how difficult life is, because you can lose all hope if you can’t laugh at yourself and life in general.”
Maybe laughter really is the best medicine.
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”—Proverbs 17:22.
Hawking’s upbeat attitude is both amazing and admirable. I have become a fan of those who spend life in a wheelchair. I wish Hawking had not declared himself an atheist in 2014 because a future with both an eternal and a restored body would have provided hope and security. If he only realized there is a heaven, and that he could go there, his perspective would be off the chart, and his witness would speak so loudly to the scientific community with which he is so highly respected.