Dr. Nash was more than a mathematician. He was a symbol of hope for the hopeless.
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John Nash and his wife Alicia were killed in an automobile accident on the New Jersey Turnpike on May 23. At 86 years old, it still felt as though there were more contributions for him to make, and the world has very sadly lost one of its greatest minds. Princeton lost an educator and distinguished alumnus and the mental health community lost a beacon of hope.
I didn’t know Dr. Nash or his wife, so this cannot be an obituary. I’m sure he was a fine man. I cannot begin to understand his mathematical contributions, so I cannot discuss the many grand and incredible things he achieved during his storied career. I saw the movie, but movies so rarely capture the facts and the essence of who we are as humans. If you don’t know who Dr. Nash is however, it is a fantastic place to start.
Dr. John Nashs most important contributions didn’t come in a class room, in a text book or in some proven equation I’ll never see or comprehend.
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Right now I’m sure you are reading this and thinking to yourself, “Well, Shawn, what the very hell are you doing writing about the guy if you don’t know him, don’t understand his work and only saw a movie about him?” I’m glad you asked. Dr. John Nashs most important contributions didn’t come in a class room, in a text book or in some proven equation I’ll never see or comprehend.
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He provided hope. To me, and people like me, he is part of the reason we struggle on. Nash was the rare success story that came from mental illness. In around 1958, he began a battle with schizophrenia that would last most of his life. He fell from the very heights of his profession to the bottom and clawed his way back up again.
Robin Williams and so many like him battle mental illness and lose. They lose themselves to the interlopoers in their heads and eventually lose the ability to continue living. Dr. Nash was the antithesis, the other side of the equation. He balanced the scales and showed us all it was possible. He fought the demons in his head and came through the battle scarred but able.
Not for Game Theory or partial differential equations, but thanks for showing us all the way out of the dark.
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John Nash wasn’t the prototypical hero. He didn’t rush into burning buildings to save children, spinsters and pets. There were no battlefield heroics on his resume and I don’t think he wore spandex and a cape. What he did was provide hope and attention to a community that desperately needed it. He inspired many of us to shed the shame and fight the good fight. Dr. Nash, at 86 years old, proved that mental illness doesn’t have to define you or defile you. To that, I say Thanks. Not for Game Theory or partial differential equations, but thanks for showing us all the way out of the dark. John Nash gave us all a reason to hope.
Photo Credit: “John Forbes Nash, Jr.” by Economicforum
Great post Shawn. Agree, Nash gave all of us hope that our beautiful minds can make a difference. Bravo.
Thanks Rick! It just felt like it needed said I guess.