William Hazlitt wrote an essay on persons one would wish to have seen. I would like to ask you this question “Who are the persons you would wish to have known?”
This past weekend I posed this question as a foundation for two separate dinner conversations with people I greatly respect. The answers were fascinating to say the least.
Here are two people (out of many) I would love to have join me for an intimate coffee, a beer, or dinner conversation.
1) Socrates—The philosopher remains, as he was in his lifetime (469–399 B.C.),[1] an enigma, an inscrutable individual who, despite having written nothing, is considered one of the handful of philosophers who forever changed how philosophy itself was to be conceived. All our information about him is second-hand and most of it vigorously disputed, but his trial and death at the hands of the Athenian democracy is nevertheless the founding myth of the academic discipline of philosophy, and his influence has been felt far beyond philosophy itself, and in every age.
2.) C.S. Lewis—I really want an opportunity to invite “Jack” to McCreary’s Pub in Franklin and gather a few friends around a pint or two and discuss our latest thinking and writings. Oh my goodness! Wouldn’t that be “Narnian?”
What about you?
Who is a person you would wish to have known?
**A couple of ground rules for the conversation. Let’s not include Jesus nor any other Bible personality. We all know we want to talk to them. Let’s think a little wider, shall we?
As the conversation progresses in the comments, I’ll reveal the dinner conversations, the personalities and their choices.
Let the conversation begin!
Bonus points for naming the person in the picture.
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Wow! I didn’t read yours before I put Techumseh as my top pick. I’m glad to see that there is someone out there that feels the same way I do about him.
Twitter: stephsday
September 1, 2010 at 1:53 am #
C.S. Lewis would also be on my list.
Also:
* Mother Teresa – That kind of love is remarkable.
* Thomas Edison – I quote him all of the time.
* Nelson Mandela – He led his country with humility and hard work.
* Michael Hyatt – I follow his blog/tweets and am impressed w/ his ideologies.
* Oprah Winfrey – She obviously knows a thing or two about influence.
@Stephanie, You are the first to choose Oprah. Great choice. What an interesting dialogue that would be.
Twitter: markwarnock
September 1, 2010 at 7:39 am #
Winston Churchill – hero for his character
J. S. Bach – hero for his musical brilliance
Allan Bloom – hero for his mind
G. K. Chesterton – so good with ideas and language
Oscar Wilde – anti-hero. I think the conversation would be fascinating.
@Mark Warnock, Thanks, Mark for joining the conversation. You are sending me to Google again to look up Allan Bloom. And you are the first to pick Chesterton, who would definitely be on my list, and oh my, would Oscar Wilde be intriguing…great list.
Queen Victoria, Eleanor Roosevelt, Isak Dinensen (author of Out of Africa); women of strength, influence and perseverance. And all would enjoy a cup of tea.
@Susy DeLucca, Yes, I love a spot ‘o tea. I left that option out. I must research Isak Dinensen.Thanks so much, Susy!
Twitter: humjah
September 1, 2010 at 9:47 am #
I was actually relieved to see that the question is phrased “Who is a person”, meaning just one. Because as soon as I read it, one person came to mind, and despite all the others that I read in the replies, still, none compared to this one.
I’d like to invite my father to a dinner like that.
My dad died when I was 17 in a car accident, and it was devestating for me. You see, my parents had separated by the time I was 6, so I spent most of my life apart from him. I got to see him at Christmas and for a month every summer, and on special occasions here and there, but for the most part, my dad didn’t have the time with me that either of us wanted. Not only that, the last summer I had with him he sacrificed. My great-grandmother died that summer, and he gave up the time we had together so that I could go be with my mom’s family for the funeral. He told me that this would likely be the last time I saw many of them outside of weddings and funerals.
As I’ve become an adult, I’ve learned to see the world through different eyes, to appreciate the relationships in my life differently. I love to sit with my aunts and uncles and visit with them as adults, to talk to them and appreciate them parents of my cousins, to recognize the maturity in myself that I’ve seen in them… and being surprised by that recognition, because I’d not seen them in that role, specifically, before. They were my aunts & uncles, and those were my cousins… but to see the love they have for their children, to see the way they parent, that’s beautiful. To see them with my nieces and nephew, and know that the same love that fills their features when they look at these ones I adore… that it was on their faces when they looked at me… it’s amazing. It gives me a new appreciation for these people that I’ve always known as adults.
I was only beginning to discover that with my father when he died. I had only begun to explore the depth of what our relationship could have been. I’d love to sit down to a dinner with him and talk. Ask him all the things about his family that we never discussed. Ask him all the things about his childhood he never talked about. Ask him how he met my mom, and when he knew it was over. I want to get to know him, to find out who he was. I wear his face, and he inhabits a large chunk of my heart. I wish I didn’t have to wait until eternity to find out more.
@Heather, Okay, Heather. Tears cloud my eyes as I finish your comment.
Thanks for your transparency and for your very introspective and very meaningful words.And for allowing us to peak into your heart.
Twitter: jdkuo
September 1, 2010 at 9:49 am #
1. My paternal grandfather – I never met him. He was born in China in the 1880s, had a concubine, lived through war(s)… I know nothing about him besides that.
2. My maternal grandfather – I never met him either. A great man of faith who lived out west when the west was still a toddler.
3/4. Christopher and Peter Hitchens – with no cameras around
5. Charles Darwin – who was the man?
@David Kuo, David, So honored that you join our conversation. I miss you.
Your grandfathers would be amazing to spend time with.
And, as to #3&4, I would really, really like to be in on that conversation.
Thanks for bringing 5 totally new people to the list.
Twitter: saintlewis
September 1, 2010 at 10:00 am #
Man, tough one… under the right circumstances (let’s say, in ’69, immediately following a show – before he really lost his mind), I would love to hang with Syd Barrett… for very different reasons, I’d love to pick Jonathan Edward’s mind for a few hours!
@Shannon Lewis, Okay, I’m sure I know him, but I need to Google Syd Barrett’s name to find out why.
Thanks, Shannon.
Twitter: roccocapra
September 1, 2010 at 11:42 am #
Ok, so, where did it say we had to have five?
1. (See my original comment – or – http://www.roccocapra.com/blog/?p=60)
2. The bartender at “The Eagle and Child” (<- Google it. Think of all the combined wisdom that guy has!)
3. Craig McConnell (Former pastor, now with Ransomed Heart Ministries. I love this man's heart)
4. Watchman Nee. (Don't know why, but I like China.)
5. You Randy. (Seriously. It would be cool to sit and have a great conversation over a good bottle of wine with you. Especially since I am in a metamorphosis stage of life, finding myself leaving the world of math, science, and technology, and entering into the world of art, creativity, and the heart.)
Rocco
@Rocco, Ha! Yes, Rocco, it seemed to morph into five. I think Michael Hyatt started it way back up there in the teens of comments.
I have sat in the worn down seat at the Eagle & child and tried to imagine how it would have been. But I have never thought of the bartender’s perspective. Yes, hopefully, he sensed the magic that was happening each week as the Inklings gathered.
as for #5: I’m honored and all I can say is come to Franklin and we’ll sit on the deck at Red Pony over a great wine and I would love to have that conversation. You name it.
Twitter: roccocapra
September 1, 2010 at 1:10 pm #
@Randy Elrod, Awesome!
I also should have stated “The bartender from the late 30′s to early 60′s.” Not that the current one doesn’t have any wisdom to share, but yeah, we’re talking Inklings here! :)
Twitter: fmckinnon
September 1, 2010 at 12:41 pm #
Mozart … brilliant, yet troubled.
Henry Ford … I mean, this guy revolutionized industry as we know it … and his process was simple, yet profound.
John Kennedy … something about this man inspired people beyond words.
Martin Luther King, Jr … obvious reasons, what a pioneer
Abraham Lincoln …
and one more, since none of those are really inspired from a faith-filled perspective …
John G Lake … I don’t know if we’d agree completely, but if only I had a speck of the faith he had.
@Fred McKinnon, Thanks, Fred. You also have brought to light someone I don’t know. I need to Goggle John G Lake. Wow! I’m meeting a lot of new people in this conversation. I love it. Thanks for joining the conversation.
Twitter: fmckinnon
September 1, 2010 at 2:27 pm #
@Randy Elrod … another one, along the same vein, is Smith Wigglesworth.
Somehow, I think sitting down for a cup of brew with either Smith or John would leave me completely uncomfortable … yet challenged at the same time.
@Fred McKinnon, That’s the idea. Right? If we are to grow.
Twitter: jenclen
September 1, 2010 at 1:12 pm #
I had avoided posting earlier because I couldn’t really decide on an answer until I read Heather’s comment.
Now I know. It would be my great grandmother (my mom’s maternal grandma). My grammy speaks often of her mother and how she wishes I had met her. My grammy also tells me often how much I remind her of her mom.
She was an amazing woman in a very normal sense. She was a beautiful wife and loving mother to 13 children. Her husband was a farmer, so I have no doubt about her toughness and work ethic. She was also a fantastic cook and I have prepared several of her recipes myself.
I think I would most like to find out from her how to maintain a sense of self when you’re immersed in the day to day of life. How to continue cooking and cleaning and raising godly children while still being confident in who God created you to be.
Thanks for this. Would not have thought of this until just now. It was a blessing.
Thank you.
@Jen C, Thanks, Jen. Again a very touching tribute. And, oh my, maintaining a sense of self with 13 children would be invaluable wisdom!!
Twitter: EdenValley
September 1, 2010 at 1:35 pm #
Well, I could probably choose one of those great philosophers or geniuses to have dinner with, but as much as I would be intrigued, I would also (most likely) leave dumbfounded and perplexed ;)
So as woman…
1. Princess Diana…She was so overexposed and very misunderstood…She was smart and not to be underestimated…She knew how to play to the media without being overbearing, so to speak….Yet, even in her strength, she was shy and soft-spoken…Her heart was that of compassion (evident in her relationship with her children and that of the organizations she participated in)…Her beauty was stunning…Both inside and out..An example of a lady
@Julie Kolb, Yes, Julie. I believe you are the second person to choose Diana. She would be fascinating. I can’t help but wonder how England would be different if she were still alive.
Twitter: oheisner
September 1, 2010 at 2:44 pm #
This post brought BIG TEARS to my eyes because…
Like Heather, I too would invite my father to dinner…I too experienced the separation and divorce of my parents at an early age (5 yrs old for me)…I too lost my father in a tragic accident as a teenager (I was 13 and he died in a fire…3rd degree burns over 60% of his body…)…I too wear his face and he inhabits a large chunk of my heart <3
I only know him from the stories that others in my family have told me and somehow I have a sense of him through the few pictures that I have seen of him, and from close family members. My grandmother kept him alive in many ways through her stories but they are not nearly enough for me to know…I think of him often and wonder what life would be like for him, for my mom, and for my family if he were here. What would he be doing? Would he approve of my husband? Would they get along, golf together, build together? Would he and I share the same faith? How would he interact with me and my children…would he be proud of me?
I never truly knew him…and never really got the chance to know him since he lived too far away…
…and this leads me to wonder about the people in my life that I have had the opportunity to get to know but perhaps have missed it! Praying that I take the time to really listen and get to know the people that God has allowed me to encounter :)
…and like Heather, looking forward to knowing my father in eternity!
Twitter: humjah
September 1, 2010 at 3:34 pm #
@Osann Heisner, That question: would we share the same faith? Oh, that was such a burden on my heart.
I grew up going to church. Dad was a caretaker at a Methodist church for many years, so we went there in the summers and for VBS. Mom took us to churches (though I suspect her motive was often to get things from the people, being the single mom with 2 and then 3 young girls at home, and she’d move on when people started to ask questions). But my Mom’s side of the family is all Catholic… and my Dad’s side is all Mormon… and we were neither. So as I dealt with the loss of my father, I found myself wondering where my father would be spending his eternity. I knew that my eternity was assured; I’d accepted Christ myself, but I’d just taken for granted that he had, too… and then I was assaulted by guilt that, having grown up Mormon, maybe he’d taken for granted that he was already covered, and he wasn’t going to be there.
Years later, I asked my mother about it. For some reason, while I find that I can’t believe almost anything she tells me, when she tells me that he walked the aisle of the Baptist church they were attending as newlyweds in North Carolina and accepted Christ, it gave me the peace I’d needed. I knew, then, that my father had heard the truth, and that the example he’d lived out to me had come from a faith we shared, even if we never talked about it. So I feel better now, and I’m pretty sure that when I get there, he’ll be at the Throne, worshiping our God.
@Osann Heisner, Oh my, Osann. I’m so thankful this has helped think about these painful but very important memories.
Twitter: chuckazooloo
September 2, 2010 at 5:10 pm #
isn’t that Will Shakespeare in the picture? i’m just guessing.
wow, the big question at hand.
my dream dinner, drink, coffee would have to include.
Leonard Bernstein
Stephen Sondheim
Howard Hanson
Paul Hindemith
Gustav Holst
Sir Malcolm Arnold
and
Percy Grainger
oh to pick the brains of these amazing composers and see what made them tick. find out how they got their inspiration. talk of music and art. enjoy amazing wine and food.
i would have to have a seperate dinner with
Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Wells
@Chuck Harris, Thanks, Chuck. You are correct on the bard.
You bring a lot of great new names to the table. Hitchcock would be horribly delicious!!
Twitter: chuckazooloo
September 2, 2010 at 6:05 pm #
@Randy,
he’s one of my favorites. i also would love to have visited with Isaak and Benjamin Disraeli.
@Chuck Harris, Now, Chuck, Disraeli would be incredible. I keep encountering him in my readings lately. Thanks!
I would pick Mark Twain and Merriweather Lewis.
and for a perspective on the cold war who could better teach us than Ronald Regan, Pope John Paul II, and Margaret Thatcher?
Twitter: rayecage
September 7, 2010 at 4:08 am #
I would love to spend time with these individuals:
Myles Munroe – awesome leadership material/books, world leader whose ministry is in Nassau, Bahamas
Rabbi’s Ralph Messer and Daniel Lapin – men whose profound Jewish/Hebrew perspective of the bible is so full of wisdom and practicality that it blows my mind!
Oprah Winfrey
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – writer/creator of Sherlock Holmes one of my favorite characters
Agatha Christie – writer/creator of Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot characters – also favorites
Donald Miller – writer of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Og Mandino – writer of The God Memorandum and The Greatest…. series of powerfully inspiring books
James Allen – As a Man Thinketh book and other writings
Wallace D. Wattles – The Science of Getting Rich and other writings
Langston Hughes – African American writer/poet
Oh, and William Shakespeare too! :)
Twitter: thefabulous
September 7, 2010 at 3:06 pm #
This is a very difficult question to answer but I would have to say if I were only allowed one person, I would choose to have a lavish dinner with Marie Antoinette at Versailles. Absolutely my number 1 choice. I cannot imagine the stories she would be able to tell. I truly believe there are many things that have been said about her that are completely false. Oh, and it would be a MUST that we dress as they did back then at this event! Hehe!! What can I say, I’m an OLD soul!
“The Person(s) I Wish I Had Known” ~ There’s quite a few inspiring people I’d have to list but I’ll keep it short. :-)
#1. Maternal Grandfathers side: Bc of divorce when Mom was only 3, I never met his side of the family & know very little about them… thankfully for the web, I learned some about cousins – Liz & Lynn Anderson whom are talented singers. And Lynn’s daughter, Lisa Sutton whom is Graphic Designer (my favorite thing to do!!!).
#2. Brent & Michelle Riggs, also Tom Davis: Have a heart of GOLD especially for children, very talented & intelligent, positive even thru hardships in life but oh so human!!!
#3. Diane Dike: a lady of positivity in full of smiles even through pain (a real inspiration) since I also suffer chronic pain.
#4. Randy & Chris Elrod & Spence Smith: Eloquent with words, art, cooking, relationships & DETERMINATION!!!
#5. Chris Brogan: communications is very understanding for ppl with learning disabilities.
#6. Josh Groban: What a positive character & awesome singer!!!
OK so that’s more than 5 lol Sorry, since these are all real & alive ppl – had to mention the top ones w/o leaving someone off.
Vincent Van Gogh and Edgar Allen Poe. Both have pierced my heart since childhood for their seemingly haunted souls.
Gustav Klimt, for his role in starting a movement in the world of art in Europe
Mozart, for his irreverent ways, sheer genius, and complete confidence within both.
John Denver, just to hear him talk about what mattered most to him