Stephen Hawking, a world-renowned physicist that broke grounds and revealed new discoveries of cosmology and other physical theories, has died at 76 on March 14, 2018.

At age 21, Hawking was met with the crisis of having the physical disorder that would take ahold of his life from then on- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, the disease that wears down nerves and muscle function with a short lived life. Hawking proved exceptional standards by luckily outliving most patients with the same disease by 55 years, making groundbreaking scientific history as well. He is mostly credited for the discovery that black holes emit radiation even when scientists predicted that nothing, not even light can escape the depths of the hole. His finding led scientists researching more about black holes from then on, and has aided to the field of cosmology immensely. Even with the wearing of his body and the slow degeneration of his limbs, the ability to walk or talk did not stop him from being one of the greatest human minds in the world- as long as his brain did not go with it. As years passed, not only did he continue to study in the field of science, but inspired every person around the world that even with the impossible happening, the possibility of becoming something great is still there. His illustrious career made him famous to all parts of the world, yet he remained humble and focused not on the people of Earth, but the mystery that lies beyond our skies. Hawking was a constant reminder of how perserverance, strength, and courage would come through in the end. Hawking knew his chances of surviving were limited- literally having a 5% survival rate of passing 20 years, and yet he was never afraid- only wanting to live life to the fullest. He made the world understand that imperfection exists everywhere, yet with life, there’s hope. His death will not be the event that people remember about him- it will be his kindness, his intelligence, and resilience even in the face of suffering. From his motivational speech at the opening of the 2012 Paralympic Games, he says:

“Ever since the dawn of civilization, people have craved for an understanding of the underlying order of the world. There ought to be something very special about the boundary conditions of the universe, and what can be more special than that there is no boundaries- and there should be no boundaries to human endeavor. We are all different. There is no such thing as the standard or run-of-the-mill human being; but we share the same human spirit. However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at.”