Coming posts- Favorite lists!

I have been seeing the CNN 25 events that shaped our lives, over the past few weeks and have been fascinated by the program. They cover events as diverse as the Oklahama bombings, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the fight for free speech and democracy in Tianenman, the San Francisco earthquake, the Waco massacre, the events of September 11, the fall of communism- all seminal events that very much changed the course of history- but it also set me thinking about why the top five or top ten or top 25 list is something we find exciting.

What makes any kind of list exciting? In my view, three things-
First, it makes you think really hard about what you value and feel strongly about. If there are 100 movies you've seen, and there are only 10 who make it to your favorites, what is it about them that resonates with you, what is unique to those movies that struck an emotional chord with you.
Second, it begs the question of criterion. What parameters do you personally choose, how universal are those criterion and how much do you really care about your own views even if they end up being contrarian.
Thirdly, and this follows from the first two, it evitably leads to a difference of opinion and conflicts in terms of the choices you make and that is so unbelieavably interesting. Any list generates some kind of discussion, and sometimes, even controversy and as long as it is healthy, it only makes us think harder about our choices, our criteria and our values and anything that makes for a robust dicsussion around that should be encouraged. This is what makes the Time Man of the Year thing so very enduring and successful.

So what am I going to be doing in the coming weeks? I am thinking of a list of my favorites- in terms of movies, actors, actresses, books- both fiction and non-fiction, sporting events, concepts, TV anchors, places I've visited- that have left some mark on me. Hopefully, the exercise will help me see for myself what I like and what that tells me about the things I value and the person I represent. Of course, its not entirely a serious endeavor. I should have fun as I create my 'favorites' list over the next few weeks. Some of this might be an ongoing endeavor as I will be travelling over the next few weeks and may not have either access to a computer or time to reflect on some of the things but I promise to make a start this week itself.
Hope it'll be fun!