“Creating a new theory is not like destroying an old barn and erecting a skyscraper in its place. It is rather like climbing a mountain, gaining new and wider views, discovering unexpected connections between our starting points and its rich environment. But the point from which we started out still exists and can be seen, although it appears smaller and forms a tiny part of our broad view gained by the mastery of the obstacles on our adventurous way up.”
—Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein would be 136 years old today, which reminds me of an encounter I had on the mountain on February 27th. I was on the phone with a friend, when suddenly I swore I'd just hallucinated Albert Einstein walking by.
"Listen, I'm gonna have to call you back!" I interrupted with urgency reserved for dire emergencies.
"Excuse me, has anyone ever told you that you look like Albert Einstein?" I asked excitedly.
Charles Brown, 74, of Stone Mountain, nodded yes and flashed a bright smile in my direction.
"It's the hair! Does it bother you when people say this?"
"No, not at all," chuckled the youthful looking retired pastor from the First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, founded in 1848 at 16th St. & W. Peachtree, which saw its first African American members in —gasp —1973. Interestingly enough, in the 1890s, North Avenue Presbyterian Church, not far from First Presbyterian, was constructed out of granite quarried from Stone Mountain that was donated by William and Sam Venable in their mother Sarah’s honor.
Across from the gristmill at Stone Mountain is a little-known vestige of the park's former owners, the Venables. Originally from Fulton, MO, I asked Albert...I mean, Charles Brown, why he climbs the mountain and if he had any divine wisdom to impart in passing:
"It gives you an opportunity to be at one with nature, to look, and to marvel at the awesomeness of this mountain. I've sat, I've thought, and I've pondered. I think you want to live hopeful. You can't live in fear. I believe that deep down we all have innate feelings of faith, even if we deny that."