Berikut kami kutipkan pesan-pesan moral dari dua orang fisikawan terkemuka di era 60-80an, Eugene Wigner dan Leon Lederman.
Pesan ini secara khusus kami tujukan pada teman-teman yang masih mencari-cari pembenaran ingin bisa fisika hanya dengan membaca buku-buku sains-populer yang bersifat pseudoscience, pseudophysics, atau bahkan metaphysics. Ketahuilah, untuk bisa memahami fisika dengan baik dan benar (juga bidang sains/rekayasa lainnya) pasti memerlukan pengorbanan lebih dari sekedar imaginasi sains-populer yang diselingi fiksi berlebihan.

Physics is becoming so unbelievably complex that it is taking longer and longer to train a physicist.
It is taking so long, in fact, to train a physicist to the place where he understands the nature of physical problems that he is already too old to solve them.

[Eugene Wigner]
Note: Eugene Wigner adalah fisikawan Amerika-Hungaria peraih nobel tahun 1963.

When I talk about the pain and hardship of a scientist’s life, I’m speaking of more than existential angst. Galileo’s work was condemned by the Church; Madame Curie paid with her life, a victim of leukemia wrought by radiation poisoning. Too many of us develop cataracts. None of us get enough sleep. Most of what we know about the universe we know thanks to a lot of guys (and ladies) who stayed up late at night.

[Leon Lederman, dalam "The God Particle"]
Note: Leon Lederman adalah nobelis fisika 1988, pernah jadi direktur Fermilab.

Tulisan terkait: Fisika tanpa Rumus?