Person of the Year 2024: Timeless Encounters That Transform Your Life

If I had to choose a person of the year, it would undoubtedly be Richard P. Feynman.

I don’t follow other people’s calendars. Do you? Or do you also make up your own? Why let the world dictate when you should be having your “aha” moments?

My timeline is my own, and I choose people who leave a mark—those who transcend their time and space. Not a trend made for followers. -Feynman is one of them, of those authentic and that leave a mark, of course!

This year, I was lucky enough to stumble upon him. First through a book, then through many more. And let’s be honest, it’s kind of like discovering a new world—one where physics isn’t just about equations, but about curiosity, adventure, and an almost childlike sense of wonder.

There are people who, just by encountering them, transform you. And no, I’m not talking about those life coaches who tell you to manifest your “best self” (although, kudos to them). I’m talking about the people who make you rethink what you thought you knew—those who have that profound impact that changes everything. There’s a clear “before” and “after.” Really, your everyday life coaches don’t come with drum rolls. Feynman should.

Richard Feynman wasn’t just an exceptional physicist; he was also an exceptional human being. A scientist who wasn’t afraid to laugh at himself and the complexities of life. A man who looked at the world with an almost mischievous grin, as if he knew something we didn’t—and he was just waiting for us to figure it out.

He was an untiring explorer of life, someone who touched the essence of things and made you feel that the world was both much bigger and, at the same time, more intimate. A paradox? Maybe. But that’s what made him so fascinating. He found the magic in the details—whether it was cracking the code of quantum mechanics or shaking his head in disbelief over the absurdities of the world.

And let’s not forget—he was incredibly funny. His sense of humor was as brilliant as his mind, making even the most complex ideas feel approachable and human. I mean, have you ever seen a physicist pull off a joke about a bongo drum and still make you think about the universe? That’s Feynman for you.

He was unique—profoundly human in the truest sense of the word. He wasn’t just a physicist; he was a storyteller, a teacher, and a lover of life. He made you feel like it was okay not to have all the answers—sometimes, the fun is in the asking.

So, today, I gift you an idea: take a pause.

Maybe you already know him, or maybe this will be your first encounter with his greatness. Either way, it’s worth it. It’s like meeting a person who shakes up your worldview and reminds you that life is much more fun when you don’t take it too seriously.

Here’s a very Feynman-esque excerpt: his thoughts while standing by the sea:

“Behold the rushing waves,

mountains of molecules,

each stupidly minding its own business,

trillions apart,

yet forming white surf in unison.

Ages upon ages,

before any eyes could see;

year after year

thunderously pounding the shore as now.

For whom? For what?

On a dead planet,

with no life to entertain.

Never at rest,

tortured by energy,

wasted prodigiously by the sun,

poured into space.

A tiny fraction

cascades into the sea,

making the waves surge.

Deep in the sea,

all molecules repeat

the patterns over and over again

until, by chance,

they arrange into new and more complex structures.

They make others like themselves,

and a new dance begins.

Growing in size and complexity,

living things, masses of atoms,

DNA, protein,

dancing a more intricate pattern.

Out of the cradle,

onto the dry land,

here it is standing:

atoms with consciousness;

matter with curiosity.

Staring at the sea,

wondering at wondering:

I, a universe of atoms,

an atom in the universe.”

—“What Do You Care What Other People Think?” by Richard P. Feynman