Tag: African Proverb

Jeanne Moreau, Start With Why, Adaptation, Einzelgänger, and an African Proverb

Jeanne Moreau, Start With Why, Adaptation, Einzelgänger, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on March 10, 2024

Sunday Supplement #148 (March 10th, 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:

“Life is an accomplishment and each moment has a meaning and you must use it.”

– Jeanne Moreau

Book of the Week:

Start With Why – Simon Sinek

I’ve featured Simon Sinek in many previous Sunday Supplement posts, but mainly as a Brainfood of the Week post.

This is the first time I’ve posted about his books. I only read the book a few weeks ago, but it’s easily one of my favorite nonfiction books.

In Start With Why, Sinek breaks down different historical people and companies and how they created a lasting impact.

Sinek’s examination of how so many companies fail to act from a place that resonates with the people they want to attract is profound.

I cannot recommend this book more highly because it gives an excellent insight on where we should operate from as people and through industry.

Movie of the Week:

Adaptation

Charlie Kaufman is known for his bizarre and existential movies, such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich.

Kaufman’s screenplay Adaptation is my favorite movie of his. It is excellently directed by Spike Jonze and has a brilliant cast that includes Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Brian Cox, Tilda Swinton, Ron Livingston, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Adaptation tells the story of a screenwriter who suffers from writer’s block as he struggles to adapt Susan Orlean’s nonfiction book The Orchid Thief.

If you haven’t seen any of Kaufman’s work, a forewarning: his stories are bizarre. The humor and satire about the Hollywood industry in this movie are fantastic.

Kaufman’s movies are hard to summarize, but if you like quirky movies, give this one a try. The final act is an interesting meta-critique of Blockbuster films. Let me know what you think.

Brainfood of the Week:

Stop Trying to Get It And You’ll Have It | The Backwards Law | Einzelgänger

This video discusses Alan Watts’ Backwards Law. It also discusses other philosophers, such as Arthur Schopenhauer and writers, like Mark Manson, in relation to the law.

The Backwards Law states the more we pursue something, the more we achieve the opposite of what we truly want and the more disappointed we feel.

Einzelgänger states the difference between external pursuits and internal desires. Wanting to run marathons and working toward it is a good thing, whereas setting a goal as a benchmark for happiness is a trap.

The video explores how the theory works in practice, not just in concept, and there are many gems from this video worth picking up.

I’ve featured Einzelgänger’s channel in previous Sunday Supplements. If you’ve enjoyed this video, check out the other posts or his channel on YouTube.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“A person is a person because of other people.”

– African Proverb

This African proverb, which Desmond Tutu has quoted, refers to the word/philosophy of Ubuntu: “I am because we are.”

For me, this proverb reminds me how important community and our own actions are to the shaping of lives.

So many things can impact our lives, but people are probably the most impactful on other people’s lives. Whether these are people in our lives, the people we see on television, or the people we read about in books, they can influence our perceptions.

I think it’s essential to filter other people’s influences on us to ensure we’re allowing the best to get through. Knowing that our actions and others can have significant effects is also important.

Make sure you see the meaning in your life, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Ray Bradbury, The Century Trilogy, Office Space, Steve Jobs, and an African Proverb

Ray Bradbury, The Century Trilogy, Office Space, Steve Jobs, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on January 28, 2024

Sunday Supplement #142 (January 28th, 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 know you’ve heard it a thousand times before. But it’s true – hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don’t love something, then don’t do it.”

– Ray Bradbury

Book of the Week:

The Century Trilogy – Ken Follett

The historical epics Fall of Giants, Winter of the World, and Edge of Eternity comprise Ken Follett’s #1 New York Times bestselling The Century Trilogy.

Follett’s novels follow five families (Welsh, English, American, German, and Russian) and their fortunes through the 20th century.

I’m a big fan of Follett’s work, and you can expect a well-crafted and researched story when you pick up one of his historical epics.

I featured his The Pillars of the Earth novel in Sunday Supplement #47, where he decided to break free from his thrilled typecast and write the historical epic he always wanted.

Follett has since delved deep into the veins of the historical fiction genre with many epic books since then. The Century Trilogy is one of his best works.

Movie of the Week:

Office Space

Emmy-winner Mike Judge, creator of Silicon Valley, Beavis and Butt-Head, and King of the Hill, wrote and directed the 1999 cult classic Office Space.

Office Space follows the plan of three workers who hate their jobs as they decide to rebel against the company.

The cast is an all-star ensemble that includes Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, Ajay Naidu, David Herman, Gary Cole, and John C. McGinley.

Judge’s Office Space brilliantly and hilariously captures some of the tedious and baffling idiosyncrasies of a workplace.

There’s a positive message at the end of searching for work that fulfills you in some fashion. I recommend it for those looking for a lighthearted comedy.

Brainfood of the Week:

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address | Stanford

Steve Jobs, the former CEO of Apple and Pixar Animation, gave the Commencement Address at Stanford’s 2005 graduation. He told three stories from his life.

The first story was about connecting the dots. Jobs recounted his experience with college, dropping out, attending the classes he wanted, and later seeing the dots connect.

Jobs’ second story was about love and loss. He talks about his time at Apple, getting fired, and relationships.

The last story was about death. Jobs would wake up and ask himself, “If today were the last day in my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today.” He knew he needed to change something if the answer was “no” for too many days in a row.

The commencement speech is just over 15 minutes, but it is worth the time from your day. Give it a watch if you get the urge.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“You cannot work for food when there is no food for work.”

– African Proverb

This African proverb reminds me of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Physiological needs, such as food, water, shelter, and sleep, are at the bottom of the pyramid.

On the next level of the pyramid are safety and security needs: health, employment, property, and social ability.

Love and Belonging with friendship, family, intimacy, and a sense of connection are on the next tier, with Self-Esteem (confidence, achievement, individuality, respect) above that.

The top of the pyramid is Self-Actualization, where we experience purpose, meaning, creativity, etc. This African proverb speaks to the necessity of having a base level of sustenance to be able to achieve more.

Make sure you’re meeting your base needs, work on the things that give meaning to your life, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Helen Keller, The Bartimaeus Sequence, The King’s Speech, Motivation2Study, and an African Proverb

Helen Keller, The Bartimaeus Sequence, The King’s Speech, Motivation2Study, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on December 17, 2023

Sunday Supplement #136 (December 17th, 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:

“A bend in the road is not the end of the road… unless you fail to make the turn.”

– Helen Keller

Book of the Week:

The Bartimaeus Sequence – Jonathan Stroud

The Bartimaeus Sequence is a fantasy series set in London in the late 1900s/early 2000s and set in an alternate history where the effects of magic, magicians, and demons have altered changes through the past of cities, countries, events, and technology.

Magicians are trained to summon demons to do their bidding. Throughout history, various individuals and empires have used demons to obtain power. The most recent nation to dominate is the British Empire, where a ruling elite of magicians holds all the power.

Jonathan Stroud’s first book in the original trilogy follows a young magician’s apprentice as he tries to take revenge on a magician who humiliated him by summoning a powerful demon to steal the magician’s magical amulet.

The apprentice and the demon then uncover a plot of espionage, murder, blackmail, and revolt to seize power and overturn the government.

I highly recommend this series. I’ve only read the original trilogy (the fourth book being a prequel), but it’s one of my favorite works of fiction and has a story that stays with me. The growth of the main characters throughout the trilogy is one of the best I’ve ever read.

Movie of the Week:

The King’s Speech

Tom Hooper’s The King Speech tells the story of Britain’s King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne, and the speech therapist who helped him overcome his stutter.

I don’t know how historically accurate the movie is, but it is a masterfully executed piece of storytelling in the medium of film.

David Seidler’s script, Danny Cohen’s cinematography, Tariq Anwar’s editing, Jenny Beavan’s costume design… everything in this film is from the top drawer.

Colin Firth as King George, Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth, and Geoffrey Rush as speech therapist Lionel Logue steal the show in their respective roles.

The story is quite simple at its core, but it won Best Picture at the Oscars for a reason. That was one of four wins, and it had eight additional nominations. Check it out if you haven’t yet.

Brainfood of the Week:

Elon Musk Motivation Speech 2022 | Motivation2Study

In this video, Motivation2Study compiles a number of different Elon Musk interviews and speeches around perseverance and asking the right questions.

Whether you like Musk or not, there are many things in this compilation video he says that are worth listening to.

Motivation2Study is a YouTube channel with over four million subscribers and over three hundred million video views.

Their mission is to inspire, educate, and help students of all ages with both lack of motivation and mental health awareness. Check out their YouTube page if you enjoyed this video.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“There are no shortcuts to the top of the palm tree.”

– African Proverb

I like the simplicity of this proverb, but it also fills my imagination with different scenarios of how one could climb to the top of a palm tree.

Having been a tree climber for most of my youth, I still smile and try to give it a go when I find myself with the urge and the time to climb.

But now I find that I have to think about the best way to climb the tree. Sometimes, it’s not straightforward, and I imagine that some kind of tool, shoe, assistance, or great strength would be needed to climb a palm tree.

At the core, the proverb shows that to climb to the top of the palm tree, you have to keep climbing. You can always give up and climb another tree, but if you persist smartly, you should be able to find a way.

Keep pursuing the goals you want to achieve, be smart about it, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Hilaire Belloc, Into the Wild, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The School of Life, and an Ethiopian Proverb

Hilaire Belloc, Into the Wild, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The School of Life, and an Ethiopian Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on November 5, 2023

Sunday Supplement #130 (November 5th, 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:

“We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.”

– Hilaire Belloc

Book of the Week:

Into the Wild – Jon Krakauer

The story of Chris McCandless was first recounted by Jon Krakauer in his Outside article titled “Death of an Innocent” before writing the non-fiction book Into the Wild.

Krakauer’s writing of McCandless covers his time after graduating from Emory University in 1991 and his subsequent journey of hitchhiking across America and pursuing an ascetic life.

The book and story are an interesting exploration of trying to find your place in life in relation to being an active member of society and an exploration of man vs nature.

Sean Penn directed an adaptation of Into the Wild starring Emile Hirsch. The movie is worth watching, but the book is able to explore the story with more depth and accuracy.

While there are some critics of the book and story of Chris McCandless, Into the Wild is worth the read and offers a story worth reflecting on.

Movie of the Week:

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Ol Parker adapted Deborah Moggach’s novel Foolish Things to the screenplay that became The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

John Madden directed the film about British retirees moving to Jaipur, India, to stay in the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

The British retirees move to the hotel, believing it to be an exotic retirement home, but find out the hotel is a dilapidated site run by a good-hearted but inept Sonny Kapoor.

Each retiree has their own reason for moving to Jaipur, India, and Sonny must pursue his dream of being a hotel manager against the admonishments from his family.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a fun movie with a heartfelt story. The cast alone of Dev Patel, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, and Tom Wilkinson make it worth the watch.

Brainfood of the Week:

The Point of Travel | The School of Life

The School of Life makes content from psychologists, philosophers, and writers devoted to helping people lead calmer and more reliant lives.

At the beginning of the video, The School of Life states the point of travel is to make us into better people and be a sort of therapy.

The video emphasizes life’s attempt at an inner journey being aided by outer journeys. It highlights how travel used to be used more often as a health prescription and how we should be more aware of how we travel in modern times.

If you enjoyed this video, check out the other posts where I’ve featured The School of Life videos.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“To one who does not know, a small garden is a forest.”

– Ethiopian Proverb

When I came across this Ethiopian proverb, I thought it was an excellent metaphor for ignorance.

Traveling and listening to other perspectives are excellent ways to not find yourself living in an echo chamber of self-serving biases.

This Ethiopian Proverb reminds me not to get lost in my own garden of thought and to continue exploring other forests.

On the other hand, I think being able to appreciate a garden and finding the wonder in little things is a reminder to see beauty in simplicity.

Travel, explore outside your comfort zone, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Victor Hugo, Stardust, Warm Bodies, Brad Troeger, and an Ethiopian Proverb

Victor Hugo, Stardust, Warm Bodies, Brad Troeger, and an Ethiopian Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on October 1, 2023

Sunday Supplement #125 (October 1st, 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:

“Life is the flower for which love is the honey.”

– Victor Hugo

Book of the Week:

Stardust – Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman’s third novel follows young Tristran Thorn, who will do anything to win the love of cold and beautiful Victoria.

Thorn even promises to fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky. However, to do so, he must go across the unexplored lands beyond the wall that is their village’s namesake.

Tristran finds the realm of Faerie beyond the wall, where nothing, not even a fallen star, is what he imagined.

I featured Stardust, the movie, in Sunday Supplement #31, but the book is well worth checking out for those who enjoyed the movie or love the fantasy genre.

Gaiman is a master storyteller, and even though he is early in his novel career, this Locus Award-nominated novel showcases some of the best of his imagination.

Movie of the Week:

Warm Bodies

Jonathan Levine’s Warm Bodies is an adaptation of the Isaac Marion novel about a highly unusual zombie who saves a still-living girl from a zombie attack.

The unusual zombie, R, played by Nicholas Hoult, forms a relationship with Julie, the still-living girl played by Teresa Palmer, which sets in motion events that transform the lifeless world.

Warm Bodies had a budget of $35 million and made around $117 million at the box office. The movie seemed like it came and went, though, because not many people have seen it.

The film is a hilarious but heartwarming story that is able to craft a thought-provoking world and explore what it means to be human.

Levine is probably most known for his film 50/50, but I highly recommend Warm Bodies as I have it high up on my feel-good movie list.

Brainfood of the Week:

What is Love? – Brad Troeger | TED-Ed

The animated TED-Ed video starts by emphasizing how there is no shortage of answers for what love means.

One of the challenges to defining love is comparing it to something else or getting a biased/skewed answer.

The video explains how our environments, experiences, and expectations can influence our experiences of love.

While the video shows how there can be many different interpretations, it emphasizes the necessity for communication and openness for it to grow.

This short video from Troeger is worth checking out for a thought-provoking look at how nuanced love can be.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“When one is in love, a cliff becomes a meadow.”

– Ethiopian Proverb

When I came across this Ethiopian Proverb, I was struck by the dual nature of the interpretation.

You can view the proverb as meaning love makes difficult things easier to navigate or be reminded that love can obscure reality.

I think both are helpful interpretations. We must remember to view things from a clear perspective, but we can also take strength in action from love.

Ideally, we can see things clearly and act from a place of love.

Find the strength in love, see things clearly, and have a blessed week ahead!

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