Stephen Hawking, considered by many to be the most intelligent man on earth, suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease and, for years unable to speak, has been confined to a wheelchair, where he can do little more than sit and think. Yet, despite this, his personality shines through. Hawking says that before he became ill, he had very little interest in life, calling it a ‘pointless existence due to boredom.’ But now all that has changed. ‘When one’s expectations are reduced to zero,’ he said, ‘one really appreciates everything that one does have.’
If you’ve learned that every small pleasure becomes precious – a sunrise, a visit to a park and the laughter of children. By contrast, those who believe life owes them a free ride rarely find anything to rejoice in because they seem incapable of seeing anything other than their discontent.