Sophocles, Mindset, Half Nelson, TED-Ed, and a Bible Passage

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Sunday Supplement #97 (March 19th, 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:

“If you were to offer a thirsty man all wisdom, you would not please him more than if you gave him a drink.”

– Sophocles

Book of the Week:

Mindset – Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.

Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck researched the power of mindset and how success can be significantly influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities.

Dweck’s book Mindset delves into how a fixed mindset (those who believe that abilities are fixed) are less likely to succeed than those with a growth mindset (those who believe abilities can be developed).

While the outcomes behind these findings might seem obvious, the extent to which they are accurate and how mindsets are developed is extraordinary.

In Dweck’s book, she covers how these different mindsets can be picked up from various sources and at various times in your life.

I highly recommend checking this book out, if only to familiarize yourself with Dweck’s research findings and seeing how you’ve been influenced and how you influence others.

Movie of the Week:

Half Nelson

Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden’s film Half Nelson follows a junior high school teacher with a drug habit and the friendship he forms with one of his students after she discovers his secret.

Ryan Gosling plays the teacher, and Shareeka Epps plays the student. Both give outstanding performances, and Gosling was nominated for an Oscar for the role.

Half Nelson avoids many of the inspirational clichés of the teacher-student genre and instead offers a glimpse of those trying to get by and doing their best.

The film isn’t on many best-movies lists, but the performances of Epps, Gosling, and Anthony Mackie, combined with a nuanced script, make it worth putting on your watch list.

Brainfood of the Week:

4 Things All Great Listeners Should Know | TED-Ed

This TED-Ed video starts with a quote from Laurie Buchanan, Ph.D., “When we listen, we hear someone into existence.”

The video then delves into what studies about what excellent listening requires and how it can improve our relationships and develop our worldview.

There are four tips about what great listening looks like in the video, including asking questions to confirm understanding and asking for a moment to reflect.

The video breaks down the different tips and provides valuable tools worth picking up to see if you’re utilizing the best methods for connection.

I’ve featured TED-Ed videos on a few other Sunday Supplements. Check them out if you enjoyed this video!

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Where there is no guidance, the people fall. But in an abundance of counselors, there is victory.”

– Proverbs 11:14

I picked this Bible passage because of its link to the quote at the beginning of the Supplement. For me, the standout of the verse is focused on what makes a good counselor.

The idea of a counselor or someone who gives guidance can often get scrambled when the person offering help thinks they know what’s best for the person receiving without listening.

What everybody needs sometimes is not someone who tells them what they should do but someone who can listen to what the person needs.

The space for conversation allows for the needs to arise, and only then can they be addressed.

Don’t jump to conclusions; listen to yourself and others, and have a blessed week ahead!