Sunday Supplement #153 (April 14th, 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:
“Never mistake motion for action.”
– Ernest Hemingway
Book of the Week:
Our Man in Havana – Graham Greene
A few years ago, I went on a binge of reading Graham Greene books. I plan to return to his works soon because the ones I read had beautiful prose and sharp narratives.
Our Man in Havana follows Wormold, a vacuum cleaner in Cuba in the late 1950s, as he accepts the offer of a side job in espionage to help support his teenage daughter.
Wormold’s dull reports threaten to deplete the extra income he received from MI6, so he starts embellishing his accounts. The proceeding events spiral with effect.
Graham was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature several times and received the Shakespeare Prize and the Jerusalem Prize.
I’ve read about five of Graham’s books, but Our Man in Havana is my favorite. The novel is a fantastic mix of espionage and political satire.
Movie of the Week:
I’m not a big musical person. I’ve greatly enjoyed some of the classics and featured musicals in previous Sunday Supplements, but I’m a harsh critic of the genre.
Hamilton is a blast from start to finish. While it isn’t the pinnacle of historical accuracy, I think it accomplishes what it set out to achieve and can make history engaging for those who don’t typically seek it out.
The musical follows the stories of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr as each navigate the years of America’s founding fathers. This version captures a live Broadway production from Richard Rodgers Theater with the original Broadway cast.
There’s so much to appreciate about the musical, including the writing and choreography, but my favorite highlights are the performances of Leslie Odom Jr., Renée Elise Goldsberry, Daveed Diggs, and Jonathan Groff.
Hamilton holds the record for most Tony Award nominations, and this recording received the 2021 Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded).
Brainfood of the Week:
The Choice Point: A Map for a Meaningful Life | Dr. Russ Harris
Dr. Russ Harris is a psychotherapist, medical practitioner, and bestselling author of The Happiness Trap.
In this video, Harris breaks down our decisions (conscious or unconscious) into actions that move us toward our desired life or away from it.
When life is going well, choosing actions that move us toward the life we want is easier. However, life isn’t always easy, and we can get caught up in negative thoughts and feelings.
Harris’s video discusses identifying values and becoming more aware of the choice points of our actions. He doesn’t go into more detail since the video promotes his book and his classes, but identifying whether your choices align with your values seems to be the goal.
Dr. Harris’s channel has some interesting videos, not all of which end on cliffhangers. I’m curious to check out his book. The video was a good reminder of the consequences of our actions if we aren’t conscious and in alignment with our values.
Closing Spiritual Passage:
“Those who see action in inaction and inaction in action are truly wise amongst humans. Although performing all kinds of actions, they are yogis and masters of all their actions.”
– Bhagavad Gita 4:18
This Bhagavad Gita passage can be broken down in a few different ways. The two that stand out to me are that inaction can be a choice, and there can be senseless action.
The second one reminds me of the Hemingway quote. Often, we can mistake mindless action as meaningful. Sometimes, we need to move forward, but other times, it’s better to think about the best way to move forward before acting.
On the other hand, we can often refrain from making a choice, which itself becomes a choice. By not making a decision, we think we can avoid a situation.
I think some of the most challenging decisions we face are meaningful action and knowing the right time to act.
Do the best you can, make conscious choices, and have a blessed week ahead!
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