Rest in Peace, Stephen

[Blythe]

There is a lot about Hawking I admired so much; his death leaves a massive intellectual void in his wake. He was one of the more prominent atheists I looked up to for one quote in particular:

“I believe the simplest explanation is, there is no God. No one created the universe and no one directs our fate. This leads me to a profound realization that there probably is no heaven and no afterlife either. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe and for that, I am extremely grateful.”

Regardless of one's own religious stance, I always felt that this quote was meaningful and important. This quote always reminds me to appreciate the life I have and to make it count. And Hawking made his count, pushed himself well beyond his limits while saddled with crippling setbacks, and still he was a leader, a titan, and in many ways, incredibly wise.

He will be dearly missed.

[Haibane]

News, Wednesday, 21st March:

Stephen Hawking's funeral is to be held on Sunday, 1st April in the city of Cambridge where he lived and worked for 50 years.

His ashes are to be interred in Westminster Abbey, London, alongside other great scientists including Sir Isaac Newton (1727) and Sir Charles Darwin (1882).

To me, this is a very fitting resting place for the remains of one of the greatest thinkers of our, or any age.