A Comparison of John Nash and Taylor Swift
Since I got to Vancouver, I have started to read some economics books because of my major in Applied Mathematics. I read about Nash equilibrium, which was created by John Nash, my role model for more than five years. Then, an interesting idea came to my mind. What would happen if I compared this great man with my recent idol, the singer Taylor Swift: Nash and Swift have succeeded in their own field, but the life choices they have made as well as their fates are totally different.
John Nash, whose childhood was filled with the praise from teachers and classmates’ twinge of envy, has considerable talent for Mathematics. Stanford University even sent an offer to persuade him to do PhD degree there. What’s more, as a graduate study, he had already achieved recognition for his game theory. His theory did not only stand for hypothetical images, but could also be widely applied in resolving the issues of companies and governments. One the other hand, Taylor Swift, has been singing since she was only twelve years old. At that time, she abandoned her Christian School, and at the same time gave up the right of education. She believed in her incredible charm and outstanding versatility.
However, life is struggle. No one could possibly believe such a smart Mathematician, Nash had a paranoid schizophrenia, a kind of severe mental illness, until his weird behaviours and difficulty in communication showed. He divorced with his wife, whom is his true love. Unfortunately, the organization for Nobel Prize considered him inability to give a speech in the ceremony and cancelled his name from the prelist. He suffered a lot in his life. On the contrary, after entering the entertainment world, Swift had all kinds of opportunities to show her ability as a musician. She was thorough and hard working. And in no time, her practically perfect look and social nature had attracted countless fans in the world. She is called fashion and her country songs are usually best sellers.
Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. The persistent pursuit is of paramount importance to success. Finally and dramatically, Nash overcame his mental disease after almost forty years effort. In 1994, he was awarded Nobel Prize of economics for his game theory discovered in Stanford University. In addition, he gave a brief and touch speech to the audiences which was met with a warm reception. In 2006, a movie called “A Beautiful Mind” was created to honour this great mathematician. Four years later, Taylor Swift won four Grammy Awards. Nevertheless, she was the unlucky person this time. She was singing off-key in Staples Center when thousands of musicians listened to her. She automatically became a reasonable target of public criticism and lost many fans. As we were worried about her, she had composed a song “Mean” to show her attitude. She worked harder and harder, with her unshakable confidence and courage she won the Grammy Awards again after two years, and regained the respect at the same time.
In the end, they both succeeded although their processes were completely distinct. They have faced different challenges since they were young. John Nash had to overcome his mental disorder and Taylor Swift wanted to stand out among her fellows. They really tried, and never gave up. At last, they conquered the tough tasks and fulfilled their potentials. As I said before, whoever has a willing and eager heart has a chance to be successful.
mikemurphysblog 