Famous People Who Produced Their Best Work During a Pandemic
It is true that scientists and writers need resources for their work; on-the-field surveys may also be required to derive a proper research with evidence, however, minds in isolation can make wonders. That is, when a person in living in seclusion, his/her brain can function in miraculous ways to produce surprising results for his or her work. Researchers and scientists who are feeling demotivated due to the current pandemic lockdown should wake up, re-energize themselves because now they can publish phd thesis as book. In fact, its better to work in isolation when the brain has the chance to communicate with you. The following inspiring stories will imbibe more meaning to your research journey.
Isaac Newton– The great scientist discovered the theory of gravity during a similar social pandemic when the entire Europe was being squashed by Black Death. Almost 400 years ago, in the year 1665, when people were dying of plague, it became important to follow a form of social distancing to keep society safe, with the best practices of cleanliness. Newton while musing alone in the garden one day, got hit with the apple on head, and discovered the theory of gravity, not limited to Earth, but extended the theory to moon and other planets and satellites in the solar system. He was just a research student at that time. But in 1667 when he returned to Cambridge with his theory, his idea received global recognition and he was awarded fellowship.
John Nash– A mathematician genius who derived the Nash’s Equilibria mostly worked in isolation. His theories did not require much of human interaction of social resources to have application in the real world. Due to such loneliness, he had to struggle with mental illness but that cannot take away from him his Nobel prize in Economics and his intellectual merits. By the age of 30, he was a bonafide academic celebrity. Social distancing and home alone lockdown isn’t always harmful. You indeed require brilliant fresh unique ideas to publish Phd thesis as a book.
Besides scientists, we also have stories of writers, playwrights and poets who had their best works during a pandemic.
Giovanni Boccaccio– He was directly affected when bubonic plague hit Florentine in 1348. He and his family fled from the city and hid themselves in Tuscan countryside to protect themselves from the pandemic. During this time, Boccaccio wrote The Decameron, which is a collection of novellas which friend tell each other during a quarantine period.
Edvard Munch – The famous painter became famous only after he was struck by the Spanish flu in 1919. He was in Norway and he had contracted the disease, but instead of playing victim, he re-occupied himself in producing great art. Self Portrait with Spanish Flu, is a reflection upon himself as decaying. His positive spirit and developing mind set gave rise to The Scream during the pandemic.
William Shakespeare– Writers often need isolation and social distancing to produce new ideas and Shakespeare’s King Lear is a great example of that. The play was written in quarantine when plague returned to London in 1606. Shakespeare was an actor and shareholder with The King’s Men theater troupe when the bubonic plague forced London theaters to close in the early 17th century. The official rule was that after weeks, when the death toll exceeded 30, public playhouses had to shut down. This meant that the theater industry was paralyzed. A researcher, who can be understood as a scientific writer as well, definitely need some self-space to identify their potential for thesis publication; perhaps Covid-19 is not the time to feel victimized, rather wake up with enlightenment and treat this as an opportunity where brilliant discoveries can be made, unique perspectives can be fed to your existing research.
In fact, Covid social distancing is the biggest psychological experiment which is going on in the current times. This can itself bring a huge change to the world of science and research. Better to put up a brave face and survive this situation. The one-time opportunity to give your brain a chance to produce its best ideas should be taken up positively.