Tag: books

Katori Hall, 1984, Harold and Maude, Simon Sinek, and a Bible Passage

Katori Hall, 1984, Harold and Maude, Simon Sinek, and a Bible Passage

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on May 12, 2024

Sunday Supplement #157 (May 12th, 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:

“Follow your intuition, listen to your dreams, your inner voice to guide you.”

– Katori Hall

Book of the Week:

1984 – George Orwell

There are many classic books that I’ve heard of and thought I’d eventually get around to reading. Finally getting to a novel like 1984 is a reminder that the classics genre is there for a reason and should be perused more than while you’re in high school.

George Orwell’s dystopian 1949 novel 1984 takes place in Great Britain, known as Airstrip One, a province of the totalitarian superstate Oceania. Much of the world is fighting a perpetual war.

Big Brother, a dictatorial leadership, leads Oceania and controls the masses through the Party’s Thought Police.

Winston Smith is a worker at the Ministry of Truth who secretly hates the Party. He starts a relationship with a colleague, Julia, and they attempt to join a resistance group called the Brotherhood.

1984 is on many Top Books lists. I found it to be a satirical cautionary tale. It’s an engaging read and one I found well worth passing along as a recommendation.

Movie of the Week:

Harold and Maude

I’ll start by saying this film probably isn’t for everyone. Harold and Maude is a dark comedy about a young man obsessed with death who meets a septuagenarian obsessed with life.

The movie follows the classic trope of an older mentor guiding a youth, but it does it with a brilliantly crafted story.

Bud Cort captures the spirit of Harold brilliantly while Ruth Gordon stuns as Maude. And Harold’s mother, played by Vivian Pickles, is a worthy shout-out for a supporting role.

Harold and Maude is a movie that makes many top lists for classic films, and I believe it stands the test of time and is worth recommending.

Brainfood of the Week:

The Art of Listening | Simon Sinek

Simon Sinek is a bestselling author and speaker on business leadership. He spoke at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit in 2016 and has an imprint at Penguin Random House.

This video starts with Sinek explaining that the art of listening isn’t just hearing others’ words but understanding their meaning.

Sinek discusses the importance of giving someone the space to feel heard and, in doing so, creating trust.

For me, a highlight from this video is when Sinek discusses Deeyah Khan’s documentary White Right: Meeting the Enemy. It’s fascinating what genuine listening can accomplish.

I’ve featured Simon Sinek in several previous Sunday Supplements. If you enjoyed this video, check out the other posts.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is a folly and shame unto him.”

– Proverbs 18:13

I’m a big fan of this Bible passage because its message is one that I prioritize in my rules for engaging with others.

Less seriously, I think we can get excited by what we want to share or say and often don’t fully listen to others when engaging in conversation.

However, if we genuinely want to connect with someone, we have to listen and leave space for not needing to respond.

A more serious lesson from this passage is passing judgment before hearing someone else’s side. It can be very easy to dismiss someone’s side based on our own, and it’s worth working on hearing others before judging them.

Make space for listening, and have a blessed week ahead!

Comments closed

Carl Jung, Ikigai, Napoleon Dynamite, The School of Life, and a Tao Te Ching Verse

Carl Jung, Ikigai, Napoleon Dynamite, The School of Life, and a Tao Te Ching Verse

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on May 5, 2024

Sunday Supplement #156 (May 5th, 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:

“The most intense conflicts, if overcome, leave behind a sense of security and calm that is not easily disturbed. It is just these intense conflicts and their conflagration which are needed to produce valuable and lasting results.”

– Carl Jung

Book of the Week:

Ikigai – Héctor García and Francesc Miralles

I kept passing Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Healthy Life when I went to Barnes and Noble. The self-help book is an international bestseller, selling over 2 million copies.

I finally picked up the book and found the concept of ikigai— a reason for living — what you love, what you’re good at, what you get paid for, and what the world needs all overlap.

The book’s authors interviewed residents of a Japanese village with the highest percentage of 100-year-olds and delved into the secret of their longevity.

I found some of the concepts explored in the book well-worth reading. That being said, the book came off as oddly mashed together. The chapters didn’t flow, and some worked while others didn’t.

Ikigai is a book that I’d recommend to people new to the self-help genre or interested in picking out some of its worthwhile chapters.

Movie of the Week:

Napoleon Dynamite

Jared and Jerusha Hess wrote the 2004 cult classic Napoleon Dynamite. Jon Heder became a breakout star in the leading role of Napoleon.

The movie follows a socially awkward sixteen-year-old high schooler who lives with his grandmother and older brother in Preston, Idaho.

Napoleon helps his new friend run for class president, awkwardly pursues a romantic interest, and deals with bullies.

Napoleon Dynamite wasacquired by Fox Search Searchlight Pictures at Sundance and made $46.1 million at the box office from a $400,000 budget.

I appreciated Napoleon Dynamite because it depicted the awkwardness of high school dynamics and the underlying desire for people to succeed.

Brainfood of the Week:

A West African Philosophy of Calm | The School of Life

This video focuses on the Yoruba people of West Africa’s concept of “itutu.” The Yoruba people inhabit Nigeria, Togo, and Benin, and they believe one of the most flattering ways to describe a person is to say they have much itutu.

Itutu denotes a particular approach to life: unhurried, composed, assured, and unflappable. It isn’t a divine gift. It is a quality that can be cultivated. It’s a particular view of existence.

The Yoruba people believe agitation and anger flow from an overambitious sense of what lies in our power to alter. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t feel emotions, but your response should be in your power.

I’ve featured around a dozen The School of Life videos in previous Sunday Supplements. They make content from psychologists, philosophers, and writers devoted to helping people lead calmer and more resilient lives.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“By not wanting, there is calm, and the world will straighten itself.”

– Tao Te Ching 37

Lao Tzu was a Chinese philosopher and author of the Tao Te Ching, which became a foundational text of Taoism.

In this verse of the Tao Te Ching, the Way “the Tao” is shown to be something that should be effortless or, at the very least, something you shouldn’t fight.

I’m reminded of how often we can struggle against what happens to us at any given moment. Instead, accepting the present moment brings with it a sense of calm.

By not wanting anything else in the current moment, you are free to enjoy the moment or respond to your situation.

Seek the calmness in being present, do not deny the current moment, and have a blessed week ahead!

Comments closed

Blake Lively, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Free Guy, David Goggins, and a Dhammapada Verse

Blake Lively, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Free Guy, David Goggins, and a Dhammapada Verse

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on April 28, 2024

Sunday Supplement #155 (April 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:

“The most beautiful thing you can wear is confidence.”

– Blake Lively

Book of the Week:

The Hound of the Baskervilles – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a famous British writer who contributed significantly to the history of literature. His Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones of the crime fiction genre.

Doyle wrote four novels and around fifty short stories featuring the famous Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Hound of the Baskervilles was one of the four novels.

The novel is set in Dartmoor, Devon, England, and follows Holmes and Watson’s investigation of a hound of legend with an apparent supernatural origin.

What’s interesting to me is that Dr. Watson helms the novel. Although he is usually considered Holmes’s sidekick, he takes the lead on the case in this novel, with Holmes flitting in and out and playing a more prominent part toward the end.

You’ve most likely seen one of the numerous iterations of Sherlock Holmes in film or television, but if you haven’t checked out the original writing, I highly recommend this one.

Movie of the Week:

Free Guy

Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer star in Free Guy, a film about a bank teller who learns he’s living in a video game as a passive actor where real-world people’s characters play.

The bank teller, Guy, becomes aware of his situation and learns that his world is under threat as a human player informs him the game will be deleted.

The film is entertaining and introspective. It raises existential questions about how we decide to live our lives wrapped in a funny and heartfelt narrative.

I think many movies in recent years aim to be funny with minimal effort from the stories and characters without really offering much more than the equivalent of an empty calorie.

Free Guy is a refreshing take on a blockbuster film that offers a little more depth with its actions and laughs.

Brainfood of the Week:

DO THIS To Make Yourself Immune To Pain & DESTROY LAZINESS | David Goggins & Lewis Howes

I clipped this YouTube video to start at the point in Lewis Howe’s interview with David Goggins where Howe prompts the question, “How do I gain more confidence?”

Goggins states going to your comfort zone won’t help you gain confidence. Confidence starts with yourself and diving into things you’re afraid of.

He explains how facing your fears builds confidence. You don’t have to always overcome them but understand that facing them is better than staying in your comfort zone.

I’ve featured David Goggins in a couple of previous Sunday Supplements. Check out any of the posts for a glimpse at his time in the United States Armed Forces and his subsequent journey as one of the world’s top endurance athletes.

Howes is a two-time New York Times bestselling author, All-American athlete, keynote speaker, and entrepreneur. His podcast features inspiring interviews with leaders across many fields.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Just as a solid rock is not shaken by the storm, even so the wise are not affected by praise or blame.”

– Dhammapada 81

I think it can be easy to get caught up in external emotions, but this Dhammapada verse is a great reminder not to let outside events influence you too much.

When we let ourselves be buoyed too much by external praise or knocked low by external criticism, we give away our power to control our sense of self-worth.

We can be extremely critical of ourselves or have an inflated ego. Striking a balance between the two is a worthwhile pursuit, but external influence should also be taken with a grain of salt.

The biggest lesson I take from this verse is to continue pursuing meaningful activities without letting others control our experience of them.

Be confident in who you are, and have a blessed week ahead!

Comments closed

Pablo Picasso, Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions, Legally Blonde, Luis von Ahn, and an African Proverb

Pablo Picasso, Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions, Legally Blonde, Luis von Ahn, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on April 21, 2024

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:

Legally Blonde

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!

Comments closed

Ernest Hemingway, Our Man in Havana, Hamilton, Dr. Russ Harris, and a Bhagavad Gita Passage

Ernest Hemingway, Our Man in Havana, Hamilton, Dr. Russ Harris, and a Bhagavad Gita Passage

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on April 14, 2024

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:

Hamilton

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!

Comments closed