Who Would You Invite to Your Dinner Table?

Events over the last several years have recently had me reflecting on history, and the people who have come and gone leaving a major impact.

In the midst of these thoughts one question came to mind; if I could invite anyone to my dinner table, who would it be? The answer was not quite as simple as one might think. As I started to compile my list, I found they would be a multi-faceted and diverse group, and the table would need to be quite large to accommodate them all.

The people I have listed below is a small sampling of who I wish I could have the opportunity to talk with. They are religious figures, Native American leaders, Presidents, First Ladies, Civil Rights leaders, women's rights advocates, etc. Truthfully, there are too many to list them all.

Jesus - It would be a gift to hear about his life in his own words.
Pope John Paul II - first non-Italian Pope
Mother Theresa - Devoted to caring for the sick and poor
Dali Lama - Tibetan Buddhist
Sitting Bull - Lakota Chief and Holy Man
Crazy Horse - Lakota war leader of the Oglala band
Pocahontas - daughter of Powhatan, paramount chief of a network of tributary tribes in the Tsenacommacah
George Washington - 1st President of the U.S.
Abraham Lincoln - 16th President of the U.S.
John F. Kennedy - 35th President of the U.S.
Eleanor Roosevelt - the most controversial First Lady in White House history
Mary Todd Lincoln - First Lady
Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis - First Lady
Jane Adams - President, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
Grace Greenwood - First woman reporter on the New York Times
Cokie Roberts - Pioneering American Journalist and political reporter
Martin Luther King - Civil Rights leader
Susan B. Anthony - Women's Suffrage, American Anti-Slavery Association
Harriet Tubman - American abolitionist and political activist
Gandhi - Indian lawyer/political ethicist; led campaign for India's independence from British Rule

From each one of these amazing and inspirational people, there is no doubt I would learn much I didn't know about what transpired during their time and how it shaped who they were. These conversations would lead to a better understanding and acceptance of one another.

Our cultural and religious beliefs shape who we are and how we live our life. What we need to keep in mind is that not everyone we encounter will agree with us. When we are not willing to accept this, and allow others to live life according to their beliefs, we will always end up with a dysfunctional world.

Each one of us has much to offer and bring to the table. If we are open to welcoming those with different beliefs and ideas, it will open our minds to a world of possibilities.

Who would you invite to your dinner table?


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