Steven Colbert, Sanjaya and Mandela

For important insight into today’s world, check the current standings in Time’s poll to determine “The Most Influential People of the Year.”

Of the top twenty, Steven Colbert, Jon Stewart and Sacha Baron Cohen are understandably Nos. 1, 9 and 20. Keeping perspective is this dizzying world is vital, but then there are anomalies.

Granted that distraction from Iraq and global warming are important, it’s hard to quarrel with the choices of Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo’s game designer (2), J. K. Rowling (3), Rain, the Korean King of Pop (4), Sanjaya Malakar (5) teenage hockey star Sidney Crosby (6) Bono (7) and celebrity-watcher Perez Hilton (10).

But the real puzzlers are evolutionist Richard Dawkins (8), Steven Jobs (11), Barack Obama (12) Brangolina (13 and 15), Nelson Mandela (22) and Warren Buffett (23).

Such an odd combination suggests deep inner conflict about the roles of science, politics, humanitarianism and corporate finance in our confusing times, but perhaps future ballot results will sort all that out.