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Greatest Person of your Lifetime

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A question I like to ask of people is: Who do you think was (or is) the greatest person in your lifetime? The person you think did the most to change things for the better? I am 49 years old and my answer would have to be Martin Luther King Jr. What do you all think?

@fealsamh,

It all depends on the individual making the judgment call, and what they value.

@Theaetetus,

That's what I'm interested in finding out. Who all the different people of the world find great. It's all just opinion, but I think it could be interesting.

@fealsamh,

I couldn't decide, so I had copped out. I have been around for about 30 years and I am finding it difficult to think of one single person. I think of someone, but then I think of the negatives associated with them as well. I am going to say the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. Without him, the Cold War could still be going on, and his U.S. counterpart, Ronald Reagan, had many more flaws that I am aware of, many of which have led to the current economic crisis.

Another possibility for me is Daily Show host, Jon Stewart. In a time that far too few people are critical of the media institution, Jon Stewart is not afraid to call them out. Sure, he is a comedian, and it is his job to make people laugh, but he often uses the media to get laughs through their ridiculous practices. This interview from Crossfire is what I am talking about.

YouTube - jon stewart on crossfire

@Theaetetus,

Winston Churchill and remember im a confirmed socialist.He was leader who without him we would have lost ww2.It was pivotal moment in world history. The modern world would be unrecognisable without our joint defeat of hitlers germany.I do not agree with his politics , his victorian attitudes or how he handled Arab affairs but as leader in war he was the only man capable of gaining victory.

@fealsamh,

The only great person I really got interested enough to research about and, believe it or not, remember the name is Douglas Noel Adams. He did a bit of everthing in his life, but was mainly a writer, and a brilliant one whose writtings, beside being pretty much the only ones I ever came across capable of making me laugh, open our eyes to the comic stupidity of the world and human race. If you ever find the number "42" in a game or movie hiden somewhere or related to life, be sure its a reference to him Smile

@xris,

xris wrote:

Winston Churchill and remember im a confirmed socialist.He was leader who without him we would have lost ww2.It was pivotal moment in world history. The modern world would be unrecognisable without our joint defeat of hitlers germany.I do not agree with his politics , his victorian attitudes or how he handled Arab affairs but as leader in war he was the only man capable of gaining victory.

Without the United States you would be speaking German. Thanks to Churchill the Middle East is now a clusterf%*k.

@fealsamh,

Robert Heinlein. As an author, his ideas shaped my mind. As a role model, his endurance and resilience shaped my philosophy. His books changed a great number of ideas and moved a great many people toward the direction of acceptance of the unknown.

@Theaetetus,

Theaetetus wrote:

Without the United States you would be speaking German. Thanks to Churchill the Middle East is now a clusterf%*k.

Ik habese nick beer von yank ..dunka mein heir.I did say us and you might be speaking nippon if it was not for us..The battle ship britain maintained a bridge head for the ally attack on europe.If we had not jointly defeated hitler japan might have had an ally you could not have defeated.

@fealsamh,

Sorry xris, but I highly doubt that Japan would have taken over the U.S. The Japanese land forces would have never been able to take over the American people. The point was that had the U.S. not entered the war, the Axis probably would have taken over the majority of Europe until the Soviets came to the rescue. The U.S. was pretty much save by way of the oceans separating the country from action. Sure, there was Pearl Harbor, but Hawaii is a far cry from the continental U.S.

Anyway, point that I failed to make is that I would put Churchill in the top 25 worst leaders of the 20th Century. Pretty much all leaders that lead their countries into WWII and the subsequent Cold War deserve the dubious distinction.

@Theaetetus,

Theaetetus wrote:

Sorry xris, but I highly doubt that Japan would have taken over the U.S. The Japanese land forces would have never been able to take over the American people. The point was that had the U.S. not entered the war, the Axis probably would have taken over the majority of Europe until the Soviets came to the rescue. The U.S. was pretty much save by way of the oceans separating the country from action. Sure, there was Pearl Harbor, but Hawaii is a far cry from the continental U.S.

Anyway, point that I failed to make is that I would put Churchill in the top 25 worst leaders of the 20th Century. Pretty much all leaders that lead their countries into WWII and the subsequent Cold War deserve the dubious distinction.

What are you on ??? lead their country into ww2. how did he actually have a choice.What wars have you won on your own in the last hundred years?Im not asking your permission for me to think of him as the best man in history, im telling you thats what i know is a fact..

@fealsamh,

You have the right to state our opinion and I have the right to disagree. I am not saying you are wrong, I am just giving reasons why I don't see how Churchill can be considered that great of a person. Honestly, I think much of the problem with today's world is the result of failed leadership during the 20th Century and much of the failed leadership came from my country. Sorry, maybe lead isn't the right term.

@Theaetetus,

Theaetetus wrote:

You have the right to state our opinion and I have the right to disagree. I am not saying you are wrong, I am just giving reasons why I don't see how Churchill can be considered that great of a person. Honestly, I think much of the problem with today's world is the result of failed leadership during the 20th Century and much of the failed leadership came from my country. Sorry, maybe lead isn't the right term.

You are not british and you have no idea how close we came to disaster. He was the man who gave the british the leadership we so desperately needed. I'm not judging his other political judgements or his politics but he was the man..WE stood alone against the might of hitlers armies and he saw us through it,he inspired us ,his dogmatic image will last as long as these islands exist.

@fealsamh,

I am also relatively young (just about 30) so I really have no idea. Thus, you are a much better judge of the man than I am. I am see the majority of the 20th century through the lens of my historical knowledge. I picked Jon Stewart as one of my choices so I should probably shut up.

@Theaetetus,

As much as I like John Stewart, he cannot even begin to compete with George Carlin. That said, I think Stewart could mature into a satirist on par with Carlin: and I'd love to see that happen.

What about Nelson Mandela?

@fealsamh,

I almost included Mandela, but I had to go to class and I thought adding Stewart may be kind of controversial. I included Stewart because he is a comedian, but is more of a journalist than nearly all of pundits paid by the mainstream media.

I don't think you can really compare Carlin and Stewart, because their approaches are very different. I think Carlin brings more laughs, but Stewart provides a very valuable perspective in today's media rich world.

@Theaetetus,

And what was Carlin doing?

Have you seen his Its Bad For Ya? He hits religion, nationalism, the media, mass society - and he hits them hard. Don't get me wrong, Stewart is insightful and witty, but Carlin strikes me as the more mature and incisive social critic.
Stewart hints around, but Carlin punches you in the nose.

@Didymos Thomas,

Stephen Fry. Explains itself well enough, really Smile

@Kolbe,

At the risk of derailing this good discussion, I'd like to answer the OP by saying: My Dad[INDENT]Yea, I know; it sounds like a cliche. But from extreme issues during my youngest years, even though he wasn't always there, when he *was* he kept telling me that I was special, intelligent and was bound for "good things". The reality has turned out differently, but the impact of helping bolster a child's self-esteem - at those points where it matters most - can't be underestimated.
[/INDENT]Is this greatness? I think so, what better thing can one do than instill a sense of meaning and happiness in our young.

Thanks

@Didymos Thomas,

Didymos Thomas wrote:

And what was Carlin doing?

Have you seen his Its Bad For Ya? He hits religion, nationalism, the media, mass society - and he hits them hard. Don't get me wrong, Stewart is insightful and witty, but Carlin strikes me as the more mature and incisive social critic.
Stewart hints around, but Carlin punches you in the nose.

I was actually very disappointed in Its Bad For Ya. It just seemed obvious he was on his out of this world, and at times sound like little more than a crabby old man. On the other hand, You Are All Disease is classic, and from the second Carlin opens his mouth to when he explains why there is no God, he never lets up on telling the audience why the world is f%*ked.

I agree that Carlin is the better social critic (and it isn't really close), but Carlin was not doing journalism or reporting news. I know Stewart argues he is not a journalist, and he is right, but his comedy on the Daily Show is done from the perspective of a journalist.

My only point was that Stewart come across as more of a journalist than nearly all of the pundits disguised as journalists on cable television (e.g. Fox News, CNN, MSNBC). There is a reason why viewers of the Daily Show have a more accurate perspective on world events than viewers of Fox News.

But if we are debating the comedian that belong on a list worthy of the title social critics, Bill Hicks tops that list.

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