If you could ask one person in history a question, who and what would you ask?
Every Wednesday we ask our Brain Game contestants one interesting, thought-provoking or just plain quirky question.
(L-R) Adrian Seto and Anne Kwok.Every Wednesday we ask our Brain Game contestants one interesting, thought-provoking or just plain quirky question. Their answers will be published anonymously in Young Post. Then readers can vote for their FAVOURITE answer. We will eliminate the contestant with the LEAST votes every week until we have a winner.
The ultimate Brain Game winner will receive a pair of Beats Solo2 Wireless Headphones worth HK$2,598. Votes close at midnight on Sunday.
The contestants
Contestant 1
Some people’s lives are full of hatred and lacking in love, and they spend their days fighting for power and vengeance. Equally, many others have become activists in hopes of raising awareness of important issues and creating a more peaceful world.
One of the most well-known peacemakers was Mahatma Gandhi. Some activists choose to fight fire with fire, but Gandhi opted for peace and love to win his battles. I sometimes wonder what the world would be like, if Gandhi hadn’t decided to become the leader of many a peaceful movement.
Gandhi said it required a huge amount of courage and faith to fight non-violently on the political stage.
That’s why my question to Gandhi would be: “Since so many activists chose, and still choose, to commit violence against people who disagree with them, why were you so peaceful when you protested and how did you maintain such faith and courage as you continued to fight non-violently?”
By knowing the secrets to the success of Gandhi’s non-violent ways, people around the world would be able to protest peacefully without needing to physically assault one another. This would help end bloodshed and wars. Humans would finally be able to work together in harmony to ensure a better future – not for just the next generation, but also for the environment and the world itself.
Contestant 2
Of all the famous and infamous historical figures, I would choose the artist Leonardo Da Vinci. He wasn’t just an artist though; he was also an architect, writer, mathematician, inventor, botanist, musician, cartographer, military engineer, geologist and anatomist. I would ask him one question: “How on Earth did you manage to balance all of your occupations and not die of stress, like I would if I were in your place?”.
All right, okay, fine. Considering all the conspiracies that surrounded old Leo, I would ask him to tell me the truth about all of his paintings, which are masked by countless layers of theories and 500-year-old paint. For example, who was Mona Lisa really? Was she actually the pregnant wife of a Florentine gentleman? Or was she Leo’s mum – or perhaps even Leo himself? What’s the deal with the mysterious smile, the one that captures the attention of people as they stand in front of the painting at the Louvre in Paris, France? Is she a woman at all?
I would also reveal to him that Dan Brown wrote a bestselling thriller, The Da Vinci Code, which covers the conspiracies of another of his works: The Last Supper. Then he could tell me if the theories in the book are entirely made up or if they contain any truth. If he says they’re true, it would shock the world, because the book revolves around the idea that the figure sitting next to Jesus in T he Last Supper was not John, but Mary Magdalene, who – in the book – is actually Jesus’ wife.
It would be so interesting to be able to meet Leo, and maybe after the interview, I would take him on a tour of Hong Kong. Then I’d take his answers and keep them secret and safe.
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