The Theory of Everything

Personal reason why I wanted to watch the movie, The Theory of Everything:

I believe that it is important for every person to understand or at least seek to understand what they believe in and why they believe it. In a world where it is so easy to just “go with the flow,” it becomes even easier to fall into traditions and routines. Traditions and routines in of itself are not bad; however, the danger is when one refuses to think for him/herself. Like most, I have read about Stephen Hawking before watching this movie. I’ve read about his philosophy or “lack of philosophy” that the world doesn’t need a Creator because it has physics. However, I've found that to be contradictory since the law of gravity still needs a creator. Hawkin’s later in his last book stated that in order to know how or why we need to know the mind of God. I’m not sure whether Hawkins truly believed that towards the end of his life or if his publisher pushed him to write a surprise ending. Either way, it made me interested to learn more about him.

Relation to OT:

Another reason why I wanted to watch The Theory of Everything is because we are currently learning about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a motor neuron disease, in our Neuro-Aspects class. While The Theory of Everything does touch on Hawkin’s thoughts about physics and how the world came to be, it focuses more on how ALS affected his life.  Throughout this movie, it was interesting to see the little signs, such as Hawkins dropping a glass or stumbling over nothing,  before it was clear that his body wasn’t functioning typically. Once he realized his gait was affected, the audience sees him having a lumbar puncture. (In our class we learned that this is one test that is used to eliminate the possibility of Hawkins having a different diagnosis; the diagnosis of ALS is one by process of elimination).  Once he received his diagnosis and the doctor tells him he only has a few years to live, he tried to isolate himself but his girlfriend, Jane, wouldn’t allow it.  Overtime Jane sees how much the disease impacts his ability to walk, feed himself, dress himself, swallow, and talk. Throughout the movie, it is hard to watch Jane struggling and trying to hide her emotions so she can be strong for husband. It is also hard to watch Hawkins losing function over his body yet having the cognitive ability to understand and feel everything going on around him. However, it is also inspiring to see Hawkin's determination and positivity through all the hardships.

I believe this movie did a great job in showing the progression of the disease as well as the assistive technology Hawkins used, such as the spelling board and an adaptive switch with a speech-generating device. Since having a lecture on assistive technology, it is even more amazing to know that Hawkins used assistive technology to write books. While the device is helpful, it usually takes a person a long time to select the correct categories before picking out the word they are trying to say (usually about four words a minute). Through more research, I found that many people worked on Hawkins assistive technology and added predictive messaging to help him work at a faster speed. Whether Hawkins knew it or not, he became a huge advocator for assistive technology and an inspiration to those who have disabilities and feel unable to accomplish tasks that are meaningful to them

While I do not agree with Hawkin's "Theory of Everything," I do believe that Hawkin's determination was inspiring. This movie brings awareness to not only what ALS is, but also what the lifestyle for someone with ALS looks like. I recommend watching this movie if you want to learn more about Stephen Hawking's personal life and what the progression of ALS looks like.

*This movie is found on Netflix (for free if you have a subscription). It is also on Amazon Prime and Youtube for $4.

Bevan, T.,  Bruce, L., Brown, J., Fellner, E., & McCarten, A.(Producers). (2014). The Theory of Everything[Video file]. Working Titles Films. 
     Retrieved August 14, 2019, from https://www.netflix.com/watch/80000644?trackId=14170286&tctx=1%2C5%2C7df97aa5-8b9f-4659-8b72-   
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