Surely, You’re Joking Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman

Surely, You’re Joking Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman

The focus of the Book

This book focuses on the life of a professor who retells his life story through funny pieces. The author intends to assure that, through creativity, we can achieve so much in our lives. The scope of the bot is not on his life as a scientist but rather his whole life by painting a picture of his real character. It exceptionally brings it out, and it enables him to meet a smart jokester. This book represents a classic tale of the daily life of a professor and also a Nobel Price winner. Many times, we are told of how professors go about their daily lives. However, this book allows us to interrogate not only their credentials as professors but also their real character.

What stands out from the boot is his dedication to his ambitions. He was always eager to learn many things. For instance, he wanted to learn math, the movement of ants, physics, lock picking, the art of music, among many others. The book reflects a professor of physics who faked foreign languages, played drums, sold his art drawings, cracked saves, and went on to will the coveted Nobel Prize. Told, through his eyes and those of his co-author, sheds light on his interests as well as achievements, which to many people are miraculous.

The message

The authors are trying to tell us that people can learn more specialties. Creativity is the drive-in everything as it gives us solutions to big problems that we face in our lives. In the book, Richard Feynman tried to learn everything that he saw. These disciplines are ranging from science to the arts. And he ended up winning the Nobel Prize because of his versatility. Today people are limited to just specializing in one thing. However, according to Feynman, this could be limit one’s ability. They can do more to make the most of their skills.

Background of the author

Richard Feynman graduated with a physics undergraduate degree at MIT and went on to pursue his graduate at Princeton. He was very instrumental in the development of the atomic bomb. He also taught at Cornell University and later went to Caltech when he spent the remaining part of his life. He developed a keen interest in math from a tender age as he could often find practical applications on the concepts he learned. He could do complicated things for children his age. For instance, he could help in fixing radios for his friends and family.

His emphasis was on learning and comprehending things. This approach is as opposed to the idea of being conversant with the concept. He later expanded his scope when he developed an interest in courses that were out of his field of specialization. For instance, he enrolled in biology and philosophy classes when he was at Princeton, and much enjoyed the lessons. It is hard to imagine a scientist being interested in other disciplines, for instance, arts.

There was an instance when his father made him develop an interest in ants. He advanced this interest while at Princeton when he studied how they moved. He achieved this through the setting of some fun experiments in his apartment to determine at all they had any sense of geometry in them. The author also developed another interest in how locks are picked. While at Los Alamos, he enjoyed picking locks when he played a part in the famous Manhattan Project. While undertaking this project, he could surprise his colleagues by cracking saves. Some of these safes were where the confidential documents on atomic bombs were held.

As a result of his versatility, he also pursued other disciplines in the course of his life, like playing music when he was in Brazil and drawing. He played different types of music there and even drew pictures that won awards during exhibitions. He has useful insights into life. Also, one of the standout traits that he possessed was accepting failure as a way of learning for the future.

This is unlike the many famous people whose stories are portrayed as being flawless. When he was at Princeton, he gave up on a problem that his advisor gave him. Also, while there, he admitted that he could not find a solution to the “quantum theory of half-advanced, half-retarded potentials.” Surprisingly he found a solution to the same problem later in his life.

The purpose of writing the book

Human beings are not limited to what they can do as long as they are creative in the way they operate. Right even from the title, many people thought that he was joking by exploring many fields. Initially, it was unheard of a person venturing into many specializations and excelling in every one of those. However, by writing the book, he wants the reader to understand that they can succeed in doing anything that they set out to. The most important thing they are supposed to consider has passion and dedication.

He was excellent in arts, science, mathematics, and many others that no one has attempted to achieve this fete. Thus, the book is intent on telling us to be groundbreakers in our fields. In this way, we can motivate ourselves to be curious and willing enough to explore areas that we are interested in.

The thesis the book

The author proposes that creativity can help individuals explore more than one specialty. Through the author, we can learn that we are not limited on what we can do as individuals. The most important box that we must tick is a keen interest in what we want to achieve. In his case, he developed an interest in many things from his family and academic life. Thanks to his versatility and willingness to learn, he won an unprecedented Nobel Price for his role in the development of the atomic bomb.

He also accepted failure as a way of becoming better. He was realistic in his approach to everything. He was bothered by the fact that students were learning to memorize on things they learned as opposed to finding their practical applications. Many of the students could not find even a single use of what they learn in class. What was also shocking to him was the fact that they could go through the system and come out with good grades but could not give solutions to real-life problems. That is why many of them could not venture into more that one specialty.

However, through his successes in many fields, Feynman wants us to understand that we can succeed in more than one area. However, he insists that we should be practical in we way we learn. Just like he applied the learned concepts in finding solutions to real-life problems, we should try to emulate him too. That is the only way that we can be screenful like he was. In sharp contrast to the title of the book, he was not joking; he was intent on fulfilling his interests.

My observations

This book has dramatically expanded the way I think. Initially, I could not imagine a scenario where an individual could excel in many fields. However, after reading through it, I now understand that it is achievable. However, what stands out for me is the way the author applied creativity to succeed in many fields. Feynman was very curious about everything that was happening around him. For instance, he learned how ants, music, languages, and many more. The most surprising thing is that he succeeded in mastering every specialization that he ventured into.

We should be bold in what we want to achieve. Despite the criticism, he was never bothered as he went on to explore everything that sparked his interest. He found pleasure in finding out everything new. To him, even if he won the Nobel Prize, prizes never interested him. He was intent on satisfying his curiosity. These elements much helped me reflect on my interests and competencies. For a long time, I have not interrogated my convictions on why I feel I can accomplish. However, after reading the book several times, I believe I can break the ceiling on what I can do as a person.