In this post, I will be exploring a concept that I thought of this week. I asked myself, “If I could eat dinner with nine people from anytime in history, or any place in the world, who would I choose?” Keep reading to hear my response.
Why nine people?
I chose to select nine individuals because I wanted to include myself at the table, and make it an even ten. I have also decided to limit myself to real people, and exclude fictional characters. I will break it down by categories, and explain my reasoning for choosing each individual, along the way. I’d encourage you to think about this, yourself. For me, it gave some insight into my reasoning for admiring different figures, and deepened my thoughts on what I valued most in conversation. Let’s get started!
The categories…
Present Day Me.
An Actor.
A Musician.
A Writer.
A Inventor.
A Philosopher.
A Politician.
A Comedian.
Non-specified.
Non-specified.
I chose these categories because I wanted to ensure that my selections were diverse in lifestyle, thought, and experience. I believe that it would create the most inspiring dinner experience. Two of the seats at the table are classified as “non-specified” this is due to the fact that many individuals may fall into more than one category, and I wanted to leave myself some wiggle room.
Present Day Me…
Obviously, this one was necessary. What good would this exercise be if I were not attending this hypothetical meal, myself? For the purpose of this exercise, I am the host of the meal, and will be selecting individuals who have been personally influential in my life. Some of the categories required some narrowing down, whereas others were obvious to me. Nonetheless, I was sure that I wanted to be invited to experience this hypothetical scenario.
An Actor…
I had some trouble deciding this one. My immediate ideas included the following:
Martin Freeman
Heath Ledger
Edward Norton
This may seem odd to some people, but I am very pretentious when it comes to movie selection, and I have thought about this a lot. I will share some of my reasoning for each, then I will reveal my final choice.
Martin Freeman: I have been a fan of Martin Freeman for a very long time. He is in many of my favorite films, and I always love his characters. I think he is very versatile, and I believe that I would get along quite well with him. Really, he is my sentimental choice, and I really would enjoy to see his reactions to the individuals that I select from other categories.
Heath Ledger: To me, Heath Ledger was a true method actor. He really seemed to connect with each character he played, and I have always found him to be an interesting individual.
Edward Norton: I have always loved Ed Norton’s films, and I am a big fan. I think he takes an unusual approach to acting, and fame, which I find to be curious. I know that he is a perceptive individual, and would likely do well in conversation, in a hypothetical situation like this one.
Final Choice: Martin Freeman. Like I said before, he’s my sentimental favorite, and I would be really curious as to how he would interact with the other individuals I select.
A Musician…
I knew I had a top three, immediately, for this one…
Ruel
Bryan Adams
Nat King Cole
This one is a little disjointed for sure. However, I still have reasons for each:
Ruel: For anyone who doesn’t know, Ruel is an Australian singer/songwriter, who has found success recently in the past few years. He is younger than I am, which means I wouldn’t be the youngest person at the hypothetical dinner table. I have really enjoyed his music lately, as I find him to be a very mature musician for being so young. I really connect with his music, and I would love to see a more intellectual side to him, as an artist.
Bryan Adams: I love Bryan Adams. I absolutely enjoy his music, and I think he has had a great deal of experiences in life. I particularly began to admire his persona, after hearing him perform with the Italian opera star, Luciano Pavarotti. I have really admired him since then, and I would love the opportunity to see how he would contribute in a scenario like this.
Nat King Cole: I grew up listening to Nat King Cole. I would love to interact with him and hear about his experience as a musician. I admire his class, and I truly believe that he would contribute greatly to a scenario like this one. I think he was an amazing man, and he found success at a really difficult time in American culture.
Final Choice: Nat King Cole. I think he would fit into the scenario best, and he is also the only one of the three that I listed, who is no longer with us. So, hypothetically, this would be my only opportunity to interact with him.
A Writer…
Paulo Coelho
George Orwell
Immediately, it was a decision between the two of these individuals, and I have to go with Paulo Coelho on this one. I think that he expressed such a unique worldview throughout his novels, that I would love the opportunity to speak to him about his stories, and his beliefs.
Final Choice: Paulo Coelho.
A Inventor…
Final Choice: Nikola Tesla. Without a doubt, or a second thought, I would choose Nikola Tesla. I find him to be such an inspiring and interesting individual, and I would love to hear some of his theories, and perspectives, in person.
A Philosopher…
It came down to two in this category, as well…
Immanuel Kant
David Hume
Immanuel Kant: I truly have yet to find a philosopher that I automatically align with more than Immanuel Kant. Obviously, I approach his reasoning the same as anyone else’s, with a mindset to reject, receive, and redeem concepts as necessary, but I really find that I naturally agree with many of his perspectives. I would truly enjoy the opportunity to speak to him and learn from him. I feel that he truly believed in setting a standard for your action, and believed in living with wisdom, rather than ignorance.
David Hume: I love David Hume, and similarly to Immanuel Kant, I agree with many of his perspectives. Hume has been an inspiration to me in pursuing what I am naturally oriented to. He spoke often about the consequences of suppressing passion, and I have come to align with many of his perspectives.
Final Choice: David Hume. While I respect, and agree with, many of Immanuel Kant’s perspectives and positions, I find Hume to be more in alignment with how I actually approach life, and what is valuable to me. Immanuel Kant often places reasoning as the most important thing in life. Hume, on the other hand, believes in the pursuit of passion, and is more sensible when it comes to actually living life. So, while I admire both of them, I have to go with David Hume in this scenario.
A Politician…
For this category, it was a decision between the following two:
Alexander The Great
Abraham Lincoln
Alexander the Great: I have often been told that I have the same personality type as Alexander the Great. I honestly considered him for this scenario out of curiosity. I wonder how he would interact with the other individuals, and I would be curious to witness his persona first hand.
Abraham Lincoln: I think that Abe Lincoln really was an intellectual. I enjoy discovering his logic behind political moves he made, before his death.
Final Choice: Abraham Lincoln. I chose Abraham Lincoln, because I think he would contribute to the conversation in this scenario. I would be more interested in his thoughts and responses to others, than I would be in Alexander’s.
A Comedian…
Immediate top three:
James Franco
Dana Carvey
Jimmy Fallon
James Franco: I love this guy. There’s a lot of jokes about it, but he really is an intellectual, and he is so talented. I would really enjoy speaking with him, and hearing his thoughts and responses in this scenario.
Dana Carvey: Dana is my sentimental favorite. I loved him growing up, and I actually dressed up as Garth, from Wayne’s World, one year on Halloween. He is a very unique person, and I would enjoy seeing how he would interact in a setting like this.
Jimmy Fallon: Again, I grew up with Fallon. I love his comedy. I think he is gifted when it comes to interacting with diverse perspectives and personalities, and I would love to watch him interact in a scenario like this one.
Final Choice: James Franco. I think that he would be the most invested in the concept, and I would be very curious to see how he would fit into a situation like this.
Non-Specified…
I decided to fill this spot with someone who didn’t make the final spot in a previous category.
Final Choice: Ruel. I would choose Ruel because I would be very curious about some of his philosophies and beliefs, and how they would fit in, in this situation.
Non-Specified…
For this seat, I chose to include myself, at a different age. I decided to go with a future version of myself.
Final Choice: Me, in my final year of life. I don’t know what age that will be, but I would love to see how my perspectives have changed at that point. I have no interest in spoiling my future, but I would love to have some insight into how my life shapes and refines my beliefs.
The Final List…
Present Day Me
Martin Freeman
Nat King Cole
Paulo Coelho
Nikola Tesla
David Hume
Abraham Lincoln
James Franco
Ruel
Future Me
I have no idea what it would be like to actually experience this setting, but I would be thrilled if it were possible. I think that it is odd to see the list compiled at the end. Without an explanation, it would seem quite random to select these individuals.
Thank you!
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I would encourage you to try this exercise out for yourself. If you’d like to share your results, comment the list below!