Sunday, January 12, 2014

The Last Supper List


We all know about the idea of the "Bucket List" - the list of things we want to do or accomplish in live before we "kick the bucket." I wrote about my own bucket list in a post back in February of 2008, and updated it in August of that year. There was even a movie based on the idea of the bucket list, called - appropriately enough - The Bucket List.

There's also the somewhat newer meme (well, newer to me, anyhow) of the "Last Supper List," or "LSL" - the list of 12 people - real or imaginary, living or dead - you would invite to your own Last Supper. I first heard it expressed this way on a recent episode of the TV show Castle, and in googling the term, I found this interesting Last Supper List by author Deborah Busby.

I actually took a swipe at a version of this topic way back in 2007, in a post titled The Ultimate Dinner Party, Part 1. My five-person guest list for the Ultimate Dinner Party was:

Leonardo da Vinci;
Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt;
Dorothy Parker; and,
Will Rogers

I asked for readers to offer their own Ultimate Dinner Party guest lists, and received only one (I had a lot fewer readers back then). Reader Anonymous (actually a work colleague and friend of mine) suggested this interesting list:

Abraham;
Moses;
Vishnu;
Buddha;
Jesus;
Mohammed;
Martin Luther; and
Pope John Paul II.

Now, the whole idea of the Ultimate Dinner Party is to gather together a group of really interesting people for really interesting conversation over a really good dinner. For this reason, I think that a 12-person Last Supper List would generate a group too large for really interesting and interactive conversation. Of course, the original Last Supper guest list was dictated by the number of apostles, and the dinner was held for a very different reason, but that's neither here nor there.

All that having been said, has my Ultimate Dinner Party list changed in the seven years since I wrote the last post? Let's say that I was willing to turn my UDP into an LS (which I probably wouldn't, for the reason given, but let's roll with it, shall we?) ... what would the new guest list look like? Here's Bilbo's 12-person Last Supper List:

Pope Francis (who wouldn't want to meet the pope who is singlehandedly trying to drive the Catholic Church back to its roots?);

Leonardo da Vinci (he could probably count for half the guest list all by himself);

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt - the greatest president of the 20th century, who led the country through the Great Depression and World War II, and the fascinating First Lady who was his eyes and ears;

Dorothy Parker - the witty, wisecracking lady who was a mainstay of the famous Algonquin Round Table ... I'd love to trade witty commentary with her, although I'd surely come out second;

Will Rogers - if you've been reading this blog long, you know that Will Rogers is one of my most revered heroes ... witty, perceptive, and a keen political observer and commentator with a common touch;

J. R. R. Tolkien - The Lord of the Rings is one of my all-time favorite works of literature ... I'd love to talk to him about how he wrote it, and to compare his thoughts with those of the next guest;

George R. R. Martin - I'd love to pick his brain on how he researched and plotted the Song of Ice and Fire series;

Sherlock Holmes - who needs to play a game of Clue when you can invite history's greatest detective?;

Winston Churchill - statesman, writer, and brilliant orator ... I'd just be afraid he'd monopolize the conversation;

Sun Tzu - one of the world's great strategic thinkers; and,

Niccolo Machiavelli - his insights into twisted politics could provide valuable insights into our current dysfunctional Congress.

If I had to reduce the guest list to five, my picks today would be:

Pope Francis;
Leonardo da Vinci;
Dorothy Parker;
Will Rogers; and,
Niccolo Machiavelli.

So, Dear Readers, who would be on your Last Supper List, and why? Leave a comment and let us all know. It'll be a helluva party.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

7 comments:

Elvis Wearing a Bra on His Head said...

Thomas Jefferson
Lord Kelvin
Gregor Mendel
Leonardo di Vinci
Theodore Roosevelt
Dorothy Parker
Emily Dickinson
Leo Tolstoy
Thomas Edison
Marco Polo

The Mistress of the Dark said...

George Harrison
Davy Jones

Elvis Costello
Simon LeBon


Some are dead and some are living....

eViL pOp TaRt said...

George Washington
William Faulkner
Zooey Deschanel
Conan O'Brien
Niccolo Machiavelli
St. Francis of Assisi
René Descartes
Jane Austen

Big Sky Heidi said...

Balzac
Boccaccio
Dorothy Parker
Mark Twain
Dave Berry
Lewis Grizzard
Jerry Clower
Ogden Nash
Will Rogers

Grand Crapaud said...

Mata Hari
Elvis Presley
Theodore Roosevelt
George Sand
Frederic Chopin
Benjamin Franklin
Joan of Arc
Horace

Mike said...

I've been trying to come up with a list and still can't come up with anyone. I prefer to eat by myself.

Margaret (Peggy or Peg too) said...

My MOM !!
Gloria Steinem
President Obama
Margaret Sanger
Louise May Alcott
Nostradamus
Billy Joel
Gosh Bill I can't stop I can think of a ton.