Sunday Supplement #154 (April 21st, 2024)
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:
“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”
– Pablo Picasso
Book of the Week:
Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions – Ed Zwick
Chances are you’ve seen a film or show that Ed Zwick has written, directed, or produced. His filmography includes Glory, Thirtysomething, Legends of the Fall, The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond, and more.
I’ve touched the tip of the iceberg for Zwick’s Hollywood resume, and he discusses the journey in his memoir Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions.
Zwick’s story touches on the classics of hard work, luck, and taking your opportunities, but I found his capacity to learn in stride the most admirable.
Although the memoir contains many entertaining and insightful stories, I found the lessons within its pages to be what made it memorable.
Zwick has had a fantastic career in Hollywood, including a Best Picture Academy Award for Shakespeare in Love. I’m looking forward to his following projects, but I am happy he took the time to lift the veil with this book.
Movie of the Week:
The 2001 film Legally Blonde is based on Amanda Brown’s novel. The story follows Elle Woods, a fashionable sorority queen who decides to win back her ex-boyfriend after he dumps her by following him and going to Harvard Law School.
Reese Witherspoon stars as Elle Woods. Her performance is brilliant and brings the romantic comedy to life on the screen.
Woods’s journey in the film sees her overcoming stereotypes and triumphing as a lawyer. It’s a simple film, but it’s well-executed.
I think many movies try to do too much or have trouble executing a meaningful message without being preachy.
Legally Blonde avoids this pitfall and is able to have fun while making a point about stereotypes placed on women.
Brainfood of the Week:
How to Make Learning as Addictive as Social Media | Luis von Ahn
In this video, Luis von Ahn, co-founder and CEO of Duolingo, discusses his journey to giving everyone equal access to education.
Von Ahn explains how his upbringing in Guatemala gave him insight and perspective on how money can affect education. As a professor in the Computer Science Department at Carnegie Mellon University, he and Severin Hacker decided to focus on one deliverable subject.
Duolingo came from Von Ahn and Hacker’s research on how knowledge of languages can help people make more money and that the only way to reach many people is through mobile phones.
Von Ahn discusses how the Freemium model (paying to remove ads) helps support the app while allowing free access to all users. The app uses psychological aids, like those used in social media apps, to help make learning fun.
This video is about 12 minutes long. I highly recommend checking it out.
Closing Spiritual Passage:
“To get lost is to learn the way.”
– African Proverb
This African proverb reminds me to find the positives when you are feeling lost. While feeling down is okay, there is always an opportunity to learn and grow.
Getting lost can give us a new perspective on an approach. When we are lost, we can be forced to look at how we got there. It is up to us to find a way to where we want to go.
Often, we forge ahead without thinking of our actions. When we end up lost, we have to look at those actions that got us there if we want to improve our navigation moving forward.
There is a great chance to learn after getting lost. It can often humble us as well, which isn’t a bad thing. The most important thing is to pick ourselves up, rethink, and try again.
Try to learn or try something new, and have a blessed week ahead!