I know this has been asked but my answer has changed and new members here.
My grandfather. He died when I was 16. He was blind and hard of hearing. I was the only grandchild that sat still long enough to feel comforted by his affection.
I would like to talk with David Ben Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel about the time of the formation of the state of Israel and the the status of the state of Palestine. And I would ask his forgiveness for the atrocities our people did in the name of purity of the race.
My great grandparents were killed in the holocaust/shoah, Spinliesel, along with other members of my family. If, by 'our people' you mean Germans like you, hugs to you, dear and know that I can and do forgive like-minded people like you. Germany, under Angela Merkel, has and continues to learn from and contemplate the horrific lessons that sprang from that terrible time.
@crazycurlz Thank you. My mother and father were both in the war, in the Stalingrad campaign. I was born years after the war but have carried that burden with me. The sins of the father ...
When I studied history, the curriculum stopped at World War 1. When I asked why we were not learning about the Weimar Republic and the Nazi years, the teacher said: " because we were all participants and cannot teach objectively." Many Germans have learned, but things are changing again. Now it is the immigrant population havng to deal with the former East Germans who are the Neo-Nazi forces in Germany now. It never ends.
@Spinliesel I hope you let go of your burden and continue to educate and share. Voices like yours are important. Hate is hate, no matter which group it's unleashed on. It's a reflection of the person who hates rather than the victim. I have two stories to share. 1. my aunt was born in Poland. at age 7 she and my grandparents immigrated to the US. In her 40s, she met and married a German guy. He'd immigrated after WWII. He'd enlisted in Hitler's army as a medic. He was a Nazi and for all his short-comings, he wasn't a Nazi at heart. They loved one another and he cared for her for 8 years after she developed Alzheimers in her 80s. 2. I just walked away from a friendship with a woman who was a very close friend. When trump got into office, another side of her surfaced. Her grandfather was a Nazi in Germany. I knew this but I thought she was different. Turns out I was wrong.
What I'm hearing in you, Spinliesel is an understanding of right and wrong. You don't sound me-centric. That's why I hope you will give up the burden you carry.
Feel free to email me if you ever want to chitchat further. It's nice to run into you. Nice people on this site...worthwhile! I like to follow the posts of my friends and I will follow yours.
Me... I could probably change my whole life.
As a historian... this is always a thought provoking question. I can pick many, so if I had the option, I'd throw a dinner party for folks from the past and talk at length to each and everyone I invited.
...but if could only sit on bench with one for an hour, I'd chose Hitler. I'd punch him in the face repeatedly and yell "WTF were you thinking!"
He liked the adoration he was receiving from the Vatican.
Jacques Le Goff.
If that is a steep precipice I would chose Ayn Rand, so I could push her over the edge. I'd take the consequences of my action, but the world would be a better place. There are a few others I can think of, but I put Ayn at the top of the list based on her influence on today's society.
hahaha. I wouldn't assist you but I might turn a blind eye. NO, my goodness, I deny ever uttering that awful thought (but do not remove it from this post)
My late wife... brilliant person, with a loving nature and an intelligence to rival the late Stephen Hawkings.
As for someone famous... Thomas Paine
And the unknown, the next person I fall in love with (I hope)
I'm going to sit with my grandfather. I want to hear how things go when you sit down with Thomas Paine. Of course, respects to your late wife, Sofabeast.
My first choice, my maternal grandmother, My second, Nikola Tesla.
My mom. She has been gone for 10 years and I miss her so much.
Marie Marvingt.
you are definitely unique Jnei!
@crazycurlz Not among historians of women's sport - she's very well-known in that field!
@Jnei lol didn't know that! unique in my world, then!
Bruce Lee. Discusing how his thought process's evolved to the point they did wold be interesting as hell. plus he really was/is the best.