Putting It All Together: My Hero?

"The Bible shows the way to go to heaven, not the way the heavens go." Galileo Galilee

Posed with the common question of if you could meet anyone who would it be i believe it would be Galileo!

Given the unique opportunity I would jump into a time machines and travel back to the 16th century to meet a long time hero of mine, Galileo Galilee. This is because I see this man as not just a leader but also a walking revolution, a trendsetter. In the past few years I have done numerous projects on this man, including school readings. Through this I have gained a deep respect and admiration for Galileo. I truly look up to him because he chose to do more than anyone before had done. He uprooted people’s reality and threw it away replacing it with what we know today as true but what back then was unthinkable. He represents to me courage, motivation and curiosity. The cornerstones of what I seek to live by and incorporate into my everyday Life. He taught me knowledge is power and it is a power that can extend beyond the individual and which can sway millions. Picking up on the work of a Giordano Bruno in 1600, whom had previously been burned at the stake for his views, I feel is one of the courageous things someone has ever done. He essentially, at the cost of a freedom later in life, propelled the idea of a universe where humanity and earth were not at its center. Galileo spent his entire life learning and studying and experimenting, even while under the watchful eye of the church. Beyond this he took that extra step and took what he saw and pushed to educate the masses. Knowing full well that the foundations of reality were wrong and that doing such was punishable by death. Time and time again he stood before the church and its hierarchy and it was only when we was shown the devices of inhumane torture did he finally give in. I would require pages to cover all that I would ask him but a few would go along as such.

During those times where the church was hounding you to renounce your views, what was it that kept you motivated?
Why was it so important to make people realize the truth of reality when they were so content with their own?
What is it like standing before those who hold your life by a string and holding strong to your beliefs and where do you find the strength to do so?
Do you still believe in God or a higher power? If so, why?

The response to these questions I feel would impart onto me deep and meaningful lessons in regards to leadership. How to stand strong and fight for what you believe in and what motives turn an ordinary man into an extraordinary one. Someone who steps beyond the cliff of human understanding to open the peoples eyes to the wonders of the universe and their place in it.