Professor Brian Cox is my hero. Is it unusual to have a man as my hero being a 22-year-old female? Perhaps. However spend an hour watching him or reading one of his books and I’m sure you’ll come round to my way of thinking.
The series Wonders of Life started Sunday night and I was once again left enthralled. Enthralled, not only by the information I absorbed but also by the manner in which it was communicated. I am in awe. How intelligent can one individual be? This series, and indeed the previous Wonders of the Universe and Wonders of the Solar System, are incredible. I don’t mean to sound hyperbolic and I use the word incredible in the sense that the science behind life, and indeed everything that surrounds us is truly beyond belief.
Like a child I need to know the reason behind everything. I need to know the why, how, who and where. I can’t help myself. It’s like a compulsion. The space beneath your bed is typically occupied by forgotten socks and sad belongings you’ve forgotten you own because it’s been so long since you saw them last, however underneath my bed are piles of books. Piles of books on space, dinosaurs, the natural world, scientific experiments….Quantum Theory for God’s sake! (Who’s got time to leisurely read books on Quantum Theory?!) I admit I have a problem. If my house ever caught fire I don’t think the insurance would pay out, they’d blame the pile of kindling I’ve got stored.
So you can imagine how enthusiastic I was when I heard about his new series, and yes I’ve already bought the book.
However I was also a little bit disheartened. His popularity and increased fame seems to have a bit of a negative effect (depending on how you look at it…I’m sure he’s secretly thrilled) in that people now view him as a ‘celebrity’ rather than the highly intelligent particle physicist and I can’t say that I’m not a little bit disappointed that the general consensus concerning the first episode of the new series is about how attractive he is whilst presenting the programme rather than the information he is actually presenting. Maybe there is an argument for him as a celebrity if the definition of being ‘well-recognised’ is being considered, however I’m anxious that people appreciate the origin for his increased fame, and I know I’m not the only one.
I’m not complaining about people being interested in Brian Cox, I just wish they were also interested in the origin of life and the Universe more than the fact he used to be in D:Ream. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing someone’s face light up because they’ve just learnt something new or they finally understand something. A human brain is highly functioning, (ignoring the myth that we only use a small percent of our cerebral capabilities at any one time) so why not choose to feed and nourish our intelligence with valuable information rather than concerning ourselves with who Taylor Swift’s latest boyfriend is?
