Dead or Alive, Who Would You Invite to Dinner?

I am home today dying from the plague. I am in good company. Due to the fact it is a pandemic, I have friends across the city who have it too. In fact, I have family in PEI who claim to have it. You know what they say, misery loves company.

There is something so restful about being home alone, with nothing to do but feel better. I love the fact that I have total control over the TV and watch stuff that my family would call BORING – I call it intellectual.

Yesterday my great friend Chicken Hawk posted this on my fb wall:

When I read this I actually snorted. It’s one off those “funny because it’s true” moments. But what does that really say about me? I have had all morning to ponder this.

It is not that I don’t play well with others, I think the reality is I don’t RELATE well to others. I try to be empathetic and kind, but not really understanding the situation – leaves me at a bit of a loss. I suppose I have a set of standards and file people into the 3 different categories.

1. You and I see eye to eye, therefore we connect and I consider you a kindred spirit.
2. What the hell are you thinking? I don’t get you. Therefore I will be polite and friendly, please do not expect more from me than that because you will be disappointed.
3. I think I can persuade you into thinking like me. Let me explain…. Then I convince them the errors of their ways and suddenly they are in my camp.

I am pretty sure all people do this except for those enlightened beings like Mother Teresa, Budha, Chatterbox, Gandhi, and Yoda. Enlightened beings let go of ego and are kind, wise, compassionate and loving. I think the rest of us strive to be like that but strive is the best we are able to do at this moment in time.

While I was laying around dying from the plague, I watched Midnight in Paris. It was about a man who happened to be a writer who was not satisfied with his life and longed to live in the golden era of the 1920’s in Paris. He wanted to be a part of the the arts movement with the great masters of the 20th century. Seriously, who doesn’t want to hang out with Hemingway when he was young and brilliant? Or Picasso while he was exploring his talents? To be able to sit in a cafe in Paris and discuss interesting theories or talk about inspiration. This interested me greatly!

It had me thinking about who I would invite to dinner in a cafe in Paris. Here is my list:

1. Pablo Picasso
2. Henry Matisse
3. Katherine Hepburn
4. Charlie Chaplin
5. George Harrison
6. Winston Churchill
7. Albert Einstein
8. Martin Luther King
9. Emily Murphy
10. Warren Buffet
11. Ernest Hemingway
12. Steven Hawking

Interestingly enough these people, who are in my opinion,  were/are great genius or brilliant in their field. I bet you anything, the average person saw them as jerks or big inflated egos or failed to see their brilliance at first. All 12 of those people on my list had a passion or a vision. They knew they were right. They could clearly see what others could not. This is what is impressive. They were not held back by their co-worker or classmate saying “THAT will never work, what are you thinking?” On the contrary, they heard those voices trying to hold them back and still moved forward.

As I look around at the crazy people of the 21st Century, I wonder who will stand out in 100 years from now. It will be those people who are told they are crazy and their ideas won’t work. It will be those people who don’t conform to the norm and strive for something better than status quo. This has answered a question I had burning in my head for a while now.

I have the opportunity to work on a project that I have no passion for. It serves a purpose of legacy to the agency where I work and it suppose to bring great satisfaction to my work as a whole. It is doing none of those. It would be me working on something that is expected of me, or something that others are interested in. I need to find a project that carries my passion. Passion is what makes things fun and exciting for me. My kids were talking to me about their impending career paths. They told me what other expect of them. I told them to disregard other’s opinions. They main two reasons for a chosen career path must be passion and ethics. Are you passionate and believe in what you are doing? Does it excite you at the thought of doing it every day? Is it ethical? Does it play a part in the greater good by bringing joy, comfort or necessity out of life? Then do it. If it doesn’t, then find something else that will. That is the way you make a difference.

There, I answered my own question. I am not going to do that project. I have all the time in the world to find something that I feel passionate about and believe in.

So…Who is on your list for the dinner party of the 20th century?

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