Just a Hero—Stephen William Hawking
如此也英雄——史蒂芬·威廉·霍金
On Monday， April 27th， 1998， at the University of Toronto's Convocation Hall， over twelve hundred people gathered to see the British cosmologist Stephen Hawking deliver a speech on the unified field theory， the theory combining all of the major physics concepts of the last century into a single theory. The enormous hall was filled with people of all ages， and upon appearing in the front of the auditorium， Hawking was immediately greeted with thunderous applause. Then he began to speak—a dull， monotone voice emanating from the voice synthesizer beneath his wheelchair.
By 1973， Hawking had lost the ability to walk， and he gets from place to place in a motorized wheelchair， under the constant supervision of at least one nurse. He lost the ability to speak in 1985， and he can communicate only through a computer that permits him to speak fifteen words each minute.
Today， only his hands are still working， and even those he can just barely use. Stephen Hawking has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis， also known as motor neuron (or Lou Gehrig's) disease. It is an illness in which you gradually lose the use of your entire body， sometimes over the course of a few years， or several decades. The condition is incurable， and ultimately terminal. But before he finally dies， Hawking's vital organs will still function， as well as his mind. He will still live and breathe and think， but he will have no way of communicating with the rest of us， his brilliant mind shut up from the rest of the world. But this grim5 prospect did not daunt Professor Stephen Hawking as he rode up to the front of the auditorium. He waited for the audience to cease applauding， and then he began to speak.
Stephen Hawking was born on January 8， 1942， precisely three hundred years after the death of Galileo. Even as a small child， Stephen was recognized as extraordinarily intelligent. His entire family was seen by others as highly intelligent (if eccentric)， but especially Stephen. He always had a strong sense of wonder， and his whole family used to lie on the grass， looking up at the stars. In 1959， when he was seventeen， Stephen went on to Oxford， where he studied physics and chemistry. Once， during his second year at Oxford， he was assigned thirteen questions to answer， all of them final honors questions. Three of his friends at the time (Richard Bryant， Gordon Berry， and Derek Powney) managed to complete two and a half of the questions over the course of one week， the three of them together. Stephen procrastinated until the night before the day that the questions were due. He worked from 9：00 until midnight. The next day， when his friends asked him how many of the questions he had done， he responded， “I only had time to do the first ten.” It was at this point that people began to realize just how outstanding Hawking really was.
Two years later， in 1961， Hawking moved onto Cambridge. Once， during his first year there， he fell down a flight of steep stairs and lost his memory for two hours. There was no permanent mental damage from the fall. But just a year later， when he was ice-skating with his mother， he fell onto the ice and couldn't get up. It was at this time that Hawking was taken to the hospital. It was during the winter of 1963 that Hawking was diagnosed with his disease. The doctors told him that he was going to lose use of his entire body， and they gave him two and a half years to live. After this， Hawking became incredibly depressed and wasn't inclined to work. After all， he was only going to live two more years； why should he bother to get his Ph.D？ But with time， the disease slowed down. Eventually， Hawking grew more willing to work， especially after he became engaged.
Most of the classic heroes are tall， handsome， endowed with great physical strength and prowess in battle. But a real hero doesn't have to have any of these. Physically， Hawking is weak， frail， not even able to stand， feed， or clothe himself. But in a sense， Stephen Hawking is made of tougher stuff than most other people. Real heroes are not all paladins. A true hero is one who can continue to endure through pain， sorrow， and affliction， and can resist the overpowering temptation to quit when the times are hard. Hawking has done this. Heroes are also our best role models， people we look up to， who we respect， whether it's for their intelligence， their courage， their strength (physical or otherwise)， their virtue. All of these are heroic qualities which Stephen Hawking has exhibited throughout his entire life.
1998年4月27日，周一，多伦多大学硕大的报告厅里坐了一千二百多位各个年龄层的听众，来聆听英国宇宙学家史蒂芬·霍金的演讲，主要论及将上个世纪主要的物理假说结合成一个整体的黑洞学理论。霍金刚一出现在会场，观众席间便响起雷鸣般的掌声。接下来霍金开始演讲——从他轮椅下的声音合成器中发出一种沉闷、单一的声调。
1973年时霍金已经丧失行走的能力。只能靠轮椅活动，至少需要一位护士在旁看护。1985年他丧失了说话能力，只能借助电脑与人交流，平均每分钟也只能说出15个词。
时至今日，他只有双手还能动，这也是他全身惟一可用的部位。霍金患有肌萎缩性侧索硬化症，即卢伽雷病。得了这种病的人，在几年或几十年之内整个身体会逐渐丧失行动能力。而且，这种病无法医治，最终将危及生命。但在死亡之前，生命器官始终具有机能，包括他的思维也将始终保持活跃。尽管霍金能一直活下去，能呼吸，能思考，可他没办法与我们交流，他那绝顶聪明的大脑好似与世界失去了联系。但我们从他坐着轮椅走上讲台这一点就可以看出：严酷的现实没能把霍金教授吓倒。等观众席间如潮水般的掌声逐渐平息下来之后，霍金便开始做演讲。
霍金生于1942年1月8日，那天正好是伽利略逝世三百周年。儿时的他就展现出一种超乎寻常的聪明才智，他们全家也都是公认的高智商一族。霍金从小就有很强的求知欲，他的家人会坐在草地上仰望星空深思。1959年，17岁的霍金来到牛津大学攻读物理和化学。第二年，有位老师给学生们布置了13道高深莫测的题目。霍金的三个朋友用一周时间只做完了两个半问题，还是三人合作一起完成的。霍金一直等到交作业的前一天晚上才开始做，从9点一直做到午夜。第二天，朋友们问他完成了几道题，霍金回答说：“我的时间只够做完前十题的。”也就是从那时开始，人们逐渐发现霍金是多么的与众不同。
两年以后，也就是1961年，霍金进入剑桥大学继续深造。在那的第一年，霍金有一次不小心从陡峭的楼梯上摔了下来，导致两个小时短暂失忆。那次摔伤并没有引起永久大脑损伤。一年后，他与母亲一起滑冰时不慎摔倒，就再也站不起来了。到那时，霍金才被第一次送往医院。1963年冬天，霍金就被诊断为患有卢伽雷病症。医生告诉他，他的整个身体即将瘫痪，最多还有两年半的生命。此后，霍金变得异常失落，根本不愿意工作。他仅有两年的时间了，那还殚精竭虑地攻读博士学位有什么用呢？可随着时间的流逝，疾病逐渐得到了缓解。后来，尤其是订婚以后，霍金又重新燃起了继续工作的信念。
大多数传统意义上的英雄都高大、英俊、威猛，亦或是战场上骁勇善战的英豪。但事实上真正的英雄不必非得逐一具有上述特点。虽然霍金在生理上虚弱、孱瘦，连站都站不起来，甚至都无法独立吃饭穿衣。然而，从某种意义上说，霍金才是坚强无比的英雄！不是只有勇士才被称为英雄，真正的英雄能够直面痛苦，承受悲哀，忍耐折磨，并能面对巨大的引诱而适时退出。霍金做到了！英雄是最好的榜样，倍受世人景仰。他之所以被称为英雄，或是因为他的聪明才智，或是因为他的聪慧才华，或是因为他的英勇无比，或是因为他的坚不可摧，或是因为他的品格坚毅。霍金所展现的就是这些英雄品质。
译者感言
一个被医生确定只剩下两年多生命的人——霍金，却能够超乎常人，达到常人所难以到达的高度，成为有史以来最杰出的科学家之一。虽然他不能写，甚至口齿不清，他的思想却遨游到广袤的时空，解开了宇宙之谜。霍金认为残疾对他的科学研究并没有多大影响。他的科学观点没有发生根本性的改变。但是什么使他能够不断地超越自己，勇敢地向未知领域前进呢？是潜能。潜能仿佛是一座宝藏。一位心理学家认为：“人的潜能所包含的智力能量，犹如原子核的物理能量一样巨大。”每个人身上都蕴藏着不可估量的潜能，不断发现和挖掘自己的潜能，任何一个平凡的人都可以成就一番惊天动地的事业，任何人都可以成为另一个“霍金”。潜能是人类最大而又开发得最少的宝藏，无数事实和许多研究成果告诉我们：每个人身上都有巨大的潜能还没有开发出来。
成功并非天生，成功的根本原因是无穷无尽的潜能。只要你抱着积极心态去开发潜能，你就会有用不完的能量，你的能力就会越来越强。
