What a cruel world we live in where the beautiful brilliance of our minds can be the penultimate demise of our species. Such a burden weighed heavily upon the shoulders of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Credited by many as the "Father of the Atomic Bomb" Oppenheimer had the wisdom to realize that while nuclear weapons are indeed really cool for beating back the enemies of the free world, they also have the potential to totally blow us all up.We celebrate Oppenheimer because the tremendous burden placed upon his shoulders seemed like too much to bear for one man. Yet he did.Throughout our lives, we act, react and make decisions with little regard for how they might forever change the world. Even when doing something that will change the world, we often don't realize it till after the fact. Oppenheimer was a man who at the time of his creation, realized how the world would forever be changed and shackled by this creation. He had the presence of mind to realize that despite the necessity of his invention, whether for winning the war or keeping the Soviet Union in check, it was an incredibly dangerous era he and his team had ushered in.

Upon the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, J. Robert Oppenheimer was proven correct in his quotation of Bhagavad Gita "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."

The immense power wielded by nations now had the capability to wipe out life on the planet as we know it.Knowing how immense the power was, J. Robert Oppenheimer spent the rest of his days advocating against his creation, trying to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. As we go through our day to day, practice having the foresight and insight that Oppenheimer did. Realize that even in the necessity of an action, it may have unintended consequences.Read more stories of American Grit here:

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