The V List

The V List

On it is Pythagoras, who is up there with Euclid, Fermat, Euler, Gauss, Descartes and Turing as one of the 10 greatest mathematicians of all time.

Pythagoras is reported to have believed in reincarnation and knew he had been a tradesman; a courtesan; and Euphorbus, the son of Panthus in his previous lives.

The V List

On it is St. Francis of Assisi, the beloved Christian saint, who lived the typical life of a wealthy young scion until he was 23, when he had a vision which led him to renounce all worldly pleasures and embrace a life of poverty and service.

St. Francis, a V Lister, is also the original animal and bird whisperer.

The V List

On it is Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States - who is famous for Poor Richards Almanac, his 13 virtues, and a slew of inventions and accomplishments.

Benjamin Franklin became a V Lister after reading The Way to Health by Thomas Tyron. Though Franklin had an on again off again history on the V List, he believed wholeheartedly in Tyron’s prescription for a healthy life.

The V List

On it is Leo Tolstoy, the author who gave the world War and Peace and Anna Karenina. He converted from a privileged and dissolute life to ascetic morality in his later years, and part of that asceticism was becoming a V Lister.

Tolstoy believed in non-violence and influenced the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi through his book The Kingdom of God is Within You.

The V List

On it is Albert Einstein, the Father of Modern Physics, who developed the general theory of relativity and was such a profound thinker, some of his quotes are destined to be relevant for all time, such as “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” and “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”.

Einstein became a V Lister in the last year of his life, saying “it is my view that this manner of living - by its purely physical effect on the human temperament - would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind."

So what is the V List?   

Were you able to guess?

If not, a great way for you to unravel the mystery would be for you to check out the book about becoming a V Lister written by Anita Saran.

You can do so here.

And while you do, check out my Amazon review of the book. You will learn what influenced me to become a V Lister. As those close to me know, this lasted for only 3 years of my life. Nevertheless, being a V Lister will forever remain for me, an achievement I am proud of, and one I yearn to reprise.

P.S. This post features just a few of a long list of well-known people who are V Listers. You can read about them here.  You might be surprised to find included among them, Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism; Hans Christian Andersen, the beloved author of The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, The Snow Queen and other tales; and Henry Ford. Saran's book also lists several V Listers.

P.S.2:  As a % of population, India has the greatest number of V Listers - at 40%. You can check out a map of V Listers by country here.

P.S. 3: If you are motivated to become a V Lister for health reasons, and might enjoy reading other related health information, check out some of these other posts: 4 Healthy Eating Idea I Learned from My Friend Julia, Raising the Bar and Secrets of the Super Models.

P.S. 4: As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.