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Tag: Barry Pepper

Jackie Robinson, A Walk in the Woods, True Grit (2010), After Skool, and a Japanese Proverb

Sunday Supplement #138 (December 31st, 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:

“Many people resented my impatience and honesty, but I never cared about acceptance as much as I cared about respect.”

– Jackie Robinson

Book of the Week:

A Walk in the Woods – Bill Bryson

In A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson recounts his curiosity about the Appalachian Trail and his decision to traverse it, accompanied by his old friend Stephen Katz.

The pair are not suited to the long journey of the trail and end up discarding much of their starting load.

Their journey includes some history and ecology of the trail, funny encounters with humans and animals, and some honesty about their abilities and the overall outcome of the trek.

I read A Walk in the Woods while I was still in high school. I remember it being one of the first books to make me laugh out loud, almost every chapter.

Movie of the Week:

True Grit (2010)

True Grit tells the story of a stubborn teenage girl, Mattie Ross, as she tracks down her father’s murderer with help from a U.S. Marshall and a Texas Ranger.

Hailey Steinfeld made her feature debut as Mattie Ross, Jeff Bridges played the U.S. Marshall, Matt Damon the Texas Ranger, and Josh Brolin and Barry Pepper the villains.

The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

I haven’t seen the original True Grit with John Wayne, but Ethan and Joel Coen’s 2010 remake is one of my favorite Westerns.

Brainfood of the Week:

The Power of Radical Honesty | Dr. Anna Lembke | After Skool

Dr. Anna Lembke is a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine, has published over a hundred peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and commentaries, and sits on the board of several state and national addiction-focused organizations.

In this video, Lembke focuses on how telling the truth improves our lives. She explains how radical honesty helps limit compulsive overconsumption and can be the core of a well-lived life.

We are wired at an early age to lie. The wiring fluctuates as we grow older, and we can gravitate toward honesty, but the temptations of lying can be exacerbated in modern society.

Lembke explains how radical honesty combats the pitfalls of lying, promotes awareness of our actions, and fosters intimate human connections. I can’t recommend the video more highly.

After Skool is a YouTube channel that animates videos as the backdrop to various life lessons presented by various individuals and texts. I’ve featured them in two other Sunday Supplements.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Good medicine tastes bitter.”

– Japanese Proverb

I think this Japanese proverb is pretty straightforward, but I like the reminder that what might be best for you doesn’t always go down well at first.

Advice and honest assessment can be this way. It can be difficult to critique your decisions openly or to take advice that may be hard to follow.

However, I think this proverb has another side that can argue that medicine that will get the job done doesn’t have to be bitter.

I think it’s important to know when to deliver news starkly or with a little cushion to it, but bitter medicine shouldn’t be avoided when necessary.

Take an honest look at your past year, make actionable plans to improve your 2024, and have a blessed year ahead!

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Leonardo da Vinci, The Richest Man in Babylon, 25th Hour, The School of Life, and a Dhammapada Verse

Sunday Supplement #135 (December 10th, 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:

“I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection.’Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death.”

– Leonardo da Vinci

Book of the Week:

The Richest Man in Babylon – George S. Clason 

George S. Clason started a map-making company in the early 1900s and was the first to publish a road atlas of the United States and Canada.

Clason also authored a series of pamphlets distributed by insurance companies and U.S. banks in the early 1920s.

These pamphlets, centered around financial advice in the form of parables set in ancient Babylon, were compiled and became the book edition of The Richest Man in Babylon.

The Richest Man in Babylon has sold over 2 million copies and has been in print for over 90 years. It is considered a classic for wealth management.

While the key lessons in The Richest Man in Babylon are pretty simple, the stories are excellent and might provide a deeper impression for those principles to sink in.

Movie of the Week:

25th Hour

Spike Lee’s 25th Hour follows a convicted New York drug dealer, Montgomery Brogan, as he reevaluates his life in the 24 hours before facing a seven-year jail term.

The film has an all-star cast of Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosario Dawson, Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, and Barry Pepper.

Spike Lee brilliantly directs this film, and it is on the top tier of my list of Spike Lee Joints. 

Game of Thrones show writer David Benioff wrote the novel and the script the film is based on. But don’t let that put you off; the novels of his I’ve read are excellent, and this movie is, too.

Brainfood of the Week:

Why Introspection Matters | The School of Life

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

This video starts with explaining the parable of Androcles and the Lion. You might have heard of it in some form or another, but the main point is the lion with the thorn in its paw.

In this telling of the story, the video shows how a thorn can cause a significant amount of pain, and we don’t always know how to get it out or need help to get it out.

Without reflection or asking for help, it can be easy to slip into avoidance of the pain or snap out at others.

I’ve featured a number of The School of Life videos. They tend to be short but impactful clips on various topics worth exploring. Check out these other posts if you’ve liked this one.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Speak the truth; yield not to anger; when asked, give even if you only have a little. By these three means can one reach the presence of the gods.”

– Dhammapada 224

This Dhammapada verse reminds me to reflect on the principles I hold. The values this verse implores are ones I find I always take a pause when I’m tested.

I think this is the power of taking a pause and reflecting on your actions. You have a moment to decide what you truly want to do rather than just going along with whatever mood you’re in.

Sometimes, you can find yourself in survival mode, and these moments of reflection can be challenging. But I find that through reflection, you are able to get a better handle on things.

The principles that the verse speaks to are great guides for having bliss in your life, and I think ones that any God would approve of.

Reflect on how you want to show up each day and have a blessed week ahead!

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