Sunday Supplement #133 (November 26th, 2023)
Below is another Sunday Supplement with a quote worth sharing, a book worth reading, a movie worth watching, brainfood worth consuming, and a spiritual passage worth pondering.
Please take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!
Quote of the Week:
“Empathy is choosing to see ourselves in another despite our differences. It’s recognizing that the same humanity – the same desire for meaning, fulfillment, and security – exists in each of us, even if it’s expressed uniquely.
– Vivek Murthy
Book of the Week:
The Inheritance Cycle Series – Christopher Paolini
I’ve kept a list of books I’ve read since 7th grade, and despite some laptop crashes and missing periods, the book that started the list was Christopher Paolini’s Eragon.
I read a lot as a kid but fell in love and truly experienced the wonders of what a book could do when I read Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle.
Paolini’s series tells the tale of the fictional world of Alagaësia and a teenage farm boy, Eragon’s journey to overthrow the evil king Galbatorix.
The series has elves, dwarves, Urgals, magic, and dragons, all intricately woven into a tale that soars to the heights of what fantasy and storytelling should be.
I highly recommend the series, especially if you are into fantasy and adventure. The conclusion in the original series is one of the best and most satisfying I’ve read in epic fantasy.
*I’m currently reading the latest addition in Paolini’s world of Alagaësia, Murtagh, and it’s been an excellent read so far!
Movie of the Week:
The Studio Ghibli film Grave of the Fireflies is based on the 1967 short story by Akiyuki Nosaka about a young boy and his little sister struggling to survive in Japan during World War II.
I have featured several Studio Ghibli films in the past, and I try not to flood the blog with repetitive recommendations, but Grave of the Fireflies is another gem from their collection well worth highlighting.
In legendary critic Roger Ebert’s review of the film, he states, “Grave of the Fireflies is an emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation… I know what the critic Ernest Sister means when he compares it to “Schindler’s List” and says, “It is the most profoundly human animated film I’ve ever seen.”
Isao Takahata’s masterpiece is a heart-wrenching and harrowing adaptation. If you look up the film, you’ll find many more glowing testimonials from celebrated filmmakers and critics.
Brainfood of the Week:
Developing Empathy as a Practice | Stephanie Briggs | TEDx Talks
Stephanie Briggs is a professor at the Community College of Baltimore County and recipient of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society Building Communities grant for “Practical Empowerment: Building Contemplative Communities with Students of Color.”
Briggs highlights Jon Kabat-Zinn’s definition of mindfulness, “Paying attention in a certain way on purpose without judgment,” at the beginning of the TEDx Talks.
She then discusses the different practices around empathy in her classroom and how the students have engaged with them in the past.
One of the exercises Briggs discusses is the assignment of taking four photos in their community, answering the questions, “What is beautiful in my community? What is difficult in my community? What needs to change? And what has shaped me in my community?”
This TEDx Talk has much to take away from it, including some valuable practices and heartfelt stories from Briggs’s students.
Closing Spiritual Passage:
“Do unto others as you would have them do to you.”
– Luke 6:31
This Bible passage has been called “The Golden Rule” for living, and I think it is a worthwhile verse to remember.
On the surface, I think it’s pretty clear the passage speaks to treating others as you would want to be treated.
Reflecting on the passage, I also see that it’s easy to perpetuate how you’ve been treated or feel you’ve been treated.
The Matthew 5:39 verse about “turning the other cheek” is challenging when treated poorly. But I think the best we can do is to put good out into the world as much as possible.
Try to empathize with others, put good out into the world, and have a blessed week ahead!