If there was one person you could meet for real?

Well Dianna, someone once told me that great men were often misunderstood. If everyone understood them, and if they were what others call "functional"....then they would be average and not "great".

I think some have talents, and we tend to recognize them by their talented areas.... but the rest of their "self" is just a man....however talented.

I think Winston Churchill probably was a great leader and a confused "person", and I see clearly how the two can co exist. He simply focused on his "purpose" I think, and as Solomon of the bible felt "The rest was just vanity and vexation of soul"....However, in his purposes he was clear and he was talented.

Leaders are just men who are "leaders", one can have an ability to lead, and still be hurting inside.... Just like Eddie Van Halen isnt really a hero, he's just an alcoholic who can play guitar like no one else, but we appreciate the heck out of that and his talent is what we recognize him for.

Jeff Bezos, perhaps, is who I would like to be able to sit down and have lunch with, if I only could choose one... or maybe Elon Musk, now that I think about it.

I would like to meet several:

Einstein and Tesla. Stephen Hawking. Johnny Depp and Ashton Kurcher.

Yep - great scientific minds and really hot dudes.

Who was it that said, "some people have greatness thrust upon them"...?

Like any real hero or great mind, sometimes you're just the "somebody's got to do it" guy?

If you ever got the chance to meet and ask a great person a great question...what would it be?



(HeySal - I really hope that is the last time I ever see Tesla and Ashton Kutcher linked in the same sentence...for shame, for shame...oh, the humanity!:rolleyes

Unless you are referring to the heavy metal band, of course!

Besides... Tesla was a hot dude too...especially when standing next to a Tesla coil!

Yeah - Tesla was a pretty nice looking man. Kinda killing two birds with one stone on that one

Mine would have to be Mother Teresa for although she had no funds, she depended on Divine Providence, and started an open-air school for slum children!

Diana - that's a tough question, there are so many. At this moment I'd probably choose Albert Einstein or Ralph Waldo Emerson. Churchill is a good choice too. Since you're a Churchill fan, I thought I'd share a column from my newsletter that I wrote a few weeks ago. It has one of my favorite Churchill stories.

Awkward and Humble in Your Presence

In 1941, the starboard engine of a bomber being co-piloted by Flight Sergeant James Allen Ward, caught fire while they were on a mission flying at 13,000 feet.

Secured only by a rope from the bomber's inflatable life raft tied around his waist, Ward tore holes in the aircraft's fabric to give himself hand and foot holds and made his way to the engine, smothering the fire with a piece of canvas. He was credited with saving himself and his four crew mates.

Upon hearing of Ward's heroic actions, Winston Churchill summoned him for an official visit so he could personally commend him.

The meeting started out rocky. The valiant Ward was so in awe of Churchill that he couldn't answer even one question without stammering like a smitten schoolboy.

Always a quick thinker, Churchill said, "You must feel very awkward and humble in my presence."

"Yes sir," Ward managed to get out, "I do."

Churchill leaned in a little and said, "Then you can imagine how awkward and humbled I feel in yours."

Churchill not only humbled himself, but he lifted Ward up at the same time. By elevating Ward's stature equal to his own, Churchill was able to make Ward feel comfortable in his presence. And with that one empathetic gesture by Churchill, the meeting was set on a much better course.

A lot of people busy themselves looking for ways to lift themselves up above others, but Mark Twain had another way to look at it:

"Keep away from people who belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."

It's easy to get caught up in our own pursuit of happiness, in our own successes, or in our own problems. We forget one of the greatest powers we have is to lift other people up and make them feel great.

Strangely enough, when we do that, it usually lifts our own spirits as well. And, strangely enough, it often elevates us in other people's eyes.

Everybody wins when we seek to lift others up.

Often, greatness isn't recognized until opportunity thrusts someone into the spotlight, like it did with David Allen Ward. It's a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

Most people have the capacity for greatness, but we needn't wait for trying circumstances to bring it out of us. We can be like Mark Twain suggested, and lift others up a little higher. Help them to believe in themselves.

Something else that is strange might happen if we do that. If we lift someone up, sometimes they start seeing the world from that new vantage point. They become more of the good qualities we praise. Their harsher edges start to soften and fall away.

Sometimes, all it takes is a kind word or two, spoken in sincerity, that turns a life on a better course.

I hope I always recognize those opportunities.

there are so many people that i would've liked to meet throughout history. i'd be biased and end up wishing to meet one of my favorite music artists though, just for the hell of it. mr frank sinatra.

Anyone Remember Steve Allen?

From 1977 to 1981, Allen was the producer of the award-winning PBS series, Meeting of Minds, a "talk show" with actors playing the parts of notable historical figures and Steve Allen as the host. This series pitted the likes of Socrates, Marie Antoinette, Thomas Paine, Sir Thomas More, Attila the Hun, Karl Marx, Emily Dickinson, Charles Darwin, and Galileo Galilei in dialogue and argument. This was the show Allen wanted to be remembered for, because he believed that the issues and characters were timeless and would survive long after his passing. This may be more an indictment of popular tastes—which Allen himself wrote about in his last book, "Vulgarians at the Gates"—than of any obtuseness on the show's part.

It was an interesting effort...though a little cerebral for many...

Wow Dennis, your post was awesome. Speechless. What deep truth you are sharing here, and I hope , like yourself, that I never miss those opportunities either.

@ John - I loved your story as well. It illustrates how things on the inside of someone can be very different from our perceptions of them. I'd love to know the song that touched you, but if you want to keep it private I understand.

@ Diana - Great idea for a thread! Thanks.

That really was a great story Dennis...now I remember why I get your newsletter.

Sam Clemens and Churchill are among some of my favorite historical people.
They both had quite a way with the snappy comeback lines.


I would like to meet Lao Tsu and someone I'm not supposed to mention here...

It's a brave new world...lol


oh and of course ...Ashton Kutcher...

I'd like to meet some of my ancestors, no matter how little of a role they played in history. I'd just like to meet some people in my family tree from about 200 or more years ago more than I'd like to meet famous people like Albert Einstein or George Washington.

If I could talk to myself 30 years ago, and mention THREE things, I would today be FAR happier, and probably have 40 times what I do now! And NO, it wouldn't be any stock tips, etc... I know enough about myself that nobody knows or even can know, that I could convince myself that I was telling the truth.

And YEAH, I would LOVE to talk to tesla ALSO! Of ALL the scientists I have heard detail about, at his time, he is the only one I can think of that I admire. Westinghouse, edison, and the like fall short.

HECK, tesla astounded people because he was like mozart, but with electricity, BOTH are said to have done things in REMARKABLE detail, and used a paper and pen ONLY to record the event, while others used the paper and pen to even revise COARSE details, and he helped out a lot of people like Edison.

And MANY geniuses are lacking in some other skill area. That is one reason so many are shown lacking social skills, because they are one of the first to show, and the last they are likely to have an interest in developing. A real genius could actually be a bit below average by every measure of IQ, and excel in only one area. With edison, WHO KNOWS? He WAS a manager, and took credit for some things he merely managed. If the stories about tesla are even CLOSE to true, he was VERY high in visualization, and math/logic.

It might be interesting to be able to talk to kutcher just as a friend, to see what he is REALLY like. He played a dolt on "that 70s show", and people said he was FAR smarter than that. On "Punked" he plays some careless guy that is likely smarter, but has the same basic personality. Of course, he played that part for SO long that people probably expect him to continue. The old "If it aint broke, don't fix it.".

Steve

Ok,Ok...I concede - Ashton Kutcher is the greatest thing since sliced bread!
(but I would rather spend my time with ex-Mrs. Ashton Kutcher...:rolleyes

Which brings me to the question: What was the greatest thing before sliced bread? :confused:

Another person who would be interesting to talk to that few people have even heard of is Edward Leedskalnin. I'd love to know how the Coral Castle was really built. Lots of rumors and folklore about it, but how did one small man move blocks of stone that weighed tons all by himself?

Who ever was ,or, is the worlds greatest persuader in human history is who i'd like to meet. That would be life changing.

P.S. Heysal cheated

I want to meet Mr. Elvis Presley, I want to sing with her with the songs that are unforgettable and can treasure for a decade.He's an icon and cannot be forgotten.

I want to meet highly successful internet marketer in singapore, I think his name is ewen chia or something like that .... he's so successful and seems to be friendly!

Its so hard to narrow it down to one person, there are so many people I'd like to meet I've always been a big fan of Albert Einstein. Would be amazing to meet a genius like him in real life.

Tom Cruise

Yoko Matsugane..

Winston Churchill would be a fantastic person to meet, fascinating he spoke all five dialects from Afghanistan

I would love to see Jesus Christ my Lord

Can't wait to see him

Saw this thread yesterday and couldn't decide on ONE person to meet. Today I am facing same problem. Be back tomorrow.

I'd kind of like to talk to Christopher Hitchens right about now...see if he has any new intel...

Mother Cabrini

She had a really big impact on some of my family members and thus me indirectly. She was a tiny, frail woman with a will of steel.

Sophie Kinsella - would love to know if she is as bubbly as the lead characters in her books (shopaholic, undomestic goddess..can you keep a secret..etc)

================== and this guy===========

This has a thought provoking message no matter how you believe. Does evil exist?

The university professor challenged his students with this question. Did God create everything that exists?
A student bravely replied yes, he did!"
"God created everything?" The professor asked.
"Yes, sir," the student replied.
The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are then God is evil."
The student became quiet before such an answer.

The professor was quite pleased with himself and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, "Can I ask you a question professor?" "Of course", replied the professor. The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?"

"What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?" The students snickered at the young man's question.

The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Everybody and every object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (- 460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have too little heat.

The student continued. "Professor, does darkness exist?"

The professor responded, "Of course it does".

The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally the young man asked the professor. "Sir, does evil exist?"

Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. "These manifestations are nothing else but evil."

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith, or love, that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down.

The young mans name --- Albert Einstein

(OK, I'll play 'devil's advocate'...) So, how do you measure these, Einstein?

Harry Chapin
Horatio Nelson

Strange combination perhaps, but those would be my picks. And if I could sit down with both of them at the same time over a few beers...that would be a hoot I'm sure.

Regards,
jim

For me I would be happy to meet King David, the most humble and repentant king to have ever lived on this earth.

I'd definitely want to meet Che Guevara.

I am really interested in seeing what type of blocks he faced.

Being Venezuelan and having Cuban family, i know a lot of the history of what goes on in Cuba, and they really almost made it work.

Thats why the US-Cuba embargo exists, and why they are screwed.

They have no cars and lack of food because the US penalizes countries that do business with Cuba.

Thus, if Colombia for example, wants to sell Arepas to them, the US will penalize Colombia.

I believe this happened because the Industrial Military Complex CANT/WILL NOT allow an alternative to Capitalism to work anywhere, much less 90 miles away.

One of the reasons i think they have not blocked out my country (aligned with Cuba) is that Hugo Chavez is not as smart as Che Guevara of Fidel Castro.

I think he ridiculizes the alternative to capitalism; thus, why the use has not either A. Killed him B. Blocked off Venezuela as far as Commerce.

Anyways, i touched the subject today, though i would share.

i want to meet bruce lee.. he is awesome.. i like him since i was a child...

I'm sure there are many, but the first two that come to my mind are Abe Lincoln and Ronald Reagan.

Like Thomas, Warren Buffett would be a good choice. I read many of his books and books about him...he seems down to earth, yet poised to own it at the same time -

If I was going to be a little self-indulgent, I always wanted to meet Paul McCartney -
He also seems to be a guy who does not take himself too seriously considering the position he finds himself in -

And fortunately, you could actually still meet these guys, since they are both still alive...

(Does Buffett have groupies? :rolleyes
(I know Jimmy has 'Parrot-Heads'...what would Warren's be -'Hedge-Hogs'?)
(btw: Warren and Jimmy are related, so maybe you could catch them both at a family reunion...)

I think you should really have a great question to ask all these famous and noted world leaders, so they would be engaged, and not just bored from being asked the same thing all the time -
and not a question you punch yourself in the head later for asking...and feel like a complete dork.

Also - What if the person you meet, and had admired and read about, was nothing like the person in the history books? It is perfectly common for "the victors to get the spoils" and tend to embellish their heroes greatly..."When the legend becomes fact, print the legend".

Or, what if you greatly admired someone as a role model or personal hero since childhood - then got to work with them in the career path they inspired you to be in?

This kind of thing is the reason I like Warren Buffett - to bad we can't get him to run for POTUS
(at least we would know he's probably not in it for the dough :rolleyes
Buffett to Republicans: if you pay, so will I | Reuters