BEAUTIFUL MIND

by Allen Alcaide

    Probably one of the most inspiring movies I ever watched, A Beautiful Mind is a true story about a famous mathematician who sufferred a mental disorder called schizophrenia. It is a story of how a mentally ill person overcome his serious condition through the love of his bravehearted wife.

    John Nash attended Princeton University where he also met Richard Sol, Ainsley, Bender and his roommate Charles Herman who is later discovered that he is just his imaginary friend. He also fell in love with his student, Alicia Larde, and eventually became his wife. A lot of people considered him as an eccentric and introvert person. He is always alone and obsessed with his work. This led him to have imaginary people created in his head which appear more often when he is stressed. It quickly affected his relationship with his family, friends and his career. Also part of his imagination is being  a spy of his country. I never knew that this is possible to happen to a mentally ill person. It is a very serious condition that is close to be unimaginable. He even almost killed his wife and his child. Nash was given medication but he stopped taking these so his hallucinations began appearing again. Everything got really worse. But this didn't let Alicia to lose hope. 

    Despite of his illness, his contributions to mathematics are really outstanding. He proved a lot of theories and even broke some theories that already existed. He worked on equilibrium and his game theory earned him a Nobel Prize. As he grows older, Nash was able to ignore his hallucinations and continued to teach in the university. 

    John Nash's story is indeed a great inspiration not only for people who is suffering from the same illness, but for each and one of us. The film increased our awareness and understanding for schizophrenic people. But more importantly, it thought us to never lose hope. Nothing in this world can stop us to reach our goals, not even an illness. Just believe in yourself and you will eventually fulfill your dreams. I also admired his wife so much because despite of their situation, he never stopped loving and caring the man he married. She never gave up and kept on trying.