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Tag: Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee, The Outsiders, Atonement, Einzelgänger, and an African Proverb

Sunday Supplement #188 (December 15th, 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:

“Mistakes are always forgivable if one has the courage to admit them.”

– Bruce Lee

Book of the Week:

The Outsiders – S.E. Hinton

S.E. Hinton began writing the classic novel The Outsiders when she was in high school, and it was published in 1967 when she was 18.

Hinton’s novel follows the conflict between two rival gangs divided by socioeconomic status in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The story is told in first person narrative from the point of view of a young “Greaser” named Ponyboy. 

I first read this book in middle school, and it was one of the earliest books in my reading journey that has stuck with me over the years.

Movie of the Week:

Atonement

The 2007 film Atonement chronicles a thirteen-year-old’s accusation that irrevocably changes several lives over the course of six decades.

Christopher Hampton adapted Ian McEwan’s novel, and Joe Wright directed the film. The cast included Kiera Knightley, James McAvoy, a young Saoirse Ronan, Brenda Blethyn, Harriet Walter, Juno Temple, Alfie Allen, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Atonement was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (for Ronan).

I don’t want to spoil anything about the story. It is a movie that is well worth putting on your watch list.

Brainfood of the Week:

5 Ways to Forgive Someone Who Wronged You | Einzelgänger

Einzelgänger’s YouTube channel features videos that explore different people and ideas of history with the aim of inspiring, resonating, and entertaining.

In the video’s introduction, Einzelgänger emphasizes the Viktor Frankl quote, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

Einzelgänger’s video then explores five healthy ways to forgive and let go based on philosophy and psychology.

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

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“If you offend, ask for pardon; if offended, forgive.”

– African Proverb

This African Proverb is a straightforward reminder for us to forgive others and to seek forgiveness when we have wronged.

However, I think both require awareness and reflection, which isn’t always easy. We can often fall victim to believing our narrative is the only correct one.

Realizing our mistakes and asking for forgiveness can be challenging. We might not receive the forgiveness we seek. But it is important to acknowledge our wrongdoings. It is also important to forgive others to release them and ourselves from the burdens.


Forgive yourself and others when you can, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Bruce Lee, Can’t Hurt Me, Amadeus, The Power of Letting Go, and Surah Ali ‘Imran 3:159

Sunday Supplement #40 (February 13th, 2022)

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.

I hope you take something away from these recommendations that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Mistakes are always forgivable if one has the courage to admit them.”

– Bruce Lee

Book of the Week:

Can’t Hurt Me – David Goggins

I featured David Goggins in the brainfood section of Sunday Supplement #35. In that post, I gave a brief summary of Goggins’s history for the United States Armed Forces and his subsequent journey as one of the world’s top endurance athletes.

The accompanying video in that Supplement is an interview with Goggins on The Rich Roll Podcast. Check out the video, and if you like it, check out this book.

Can’t Hurt Me is a mixture between a self-help/personal development book and an autobiography. Goggins uses stories of his past to show how one can overcome obstacles to create the person one wants to be.

Goggins grew up with poverty, abuse, and racism. He failed at various points in different areas but decided to turn his life around. He went from being overweight and depressed to becoming the only man in history to complete elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller.

This book is an excellent insight into how much control we have over our minds and bodies. You don’t have to become an ultra-endurance athlete after reading it, but there is much to take away and learn from.

Movie of the Week:

Amadeus

The 1984 film Amadeus won eight Oscars and is considered one of the best movies in Cinema history.

The film tells a fictional story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart through the eyes of a rival composer, Antonio Salieri. The bitter rival reflects on the career of the genius composer and claims that he was the one who murdered him.

Amadeus was adapted from the stage play of the same name by screenwriter Peter Shaffer. Miloš Forman directed the film, and F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce starred as Salieri and Mozart. 

Every name above won their respective Oscar, except for Hulce because he was nominated in the same category as Abraham. The film also won Best Picture.

Amadeus currently sits at #82 on IMDB’s Top Rated Movies list and boasts above a 90% in both critics and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes.

Add this movie to your list if you’re looking for an excellent (lengthy) biopic/period piece. It’s one of my favorite films and has an epic soundtrack.

Brainfood of the Week:

Einzelgänger | Taoism – The Power of Letting Go

In Sunday Supplement #20, I featured an Einzelgänger video as the brainfood of the week. The channel creates videos that explore different people and ideas of history with the aim of making content that inspires, resonates, and entertains.

In this video, Einzelgänger discusses the idea of control in our modern society. He then offers an insight into Taoism and its philosophy of letting go. 

The first way of Taoism Einzelgänger highlights is the art of non-doing. He breaks it down to knowing when to act and when not to. Control can be what combats effortless action or a flow state. And while control isn’t always a bad thing, like self-control, too much suffocates growth.

Embracing change is the next topic in the video. “The Living are soft and yielding; the dead are rigid and stiff. Living plants are flexible and tender; the dead are brittle and dry.” —Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, 11.

Not focussing on outcomes is one of the last areas Einzelgänger goes over. When we focus too much on the future, we tend to paralyze ourselves in the present with anxiety. 

Einzelgänger goes into greater depth with these philosophies, and the beautiful video is well worth checking out. I provide the above to give a glimpse at what the video offers, but give it a watch and see if you take anything away from it.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“It is by Allah’s mercy that you are gentle to them, and had you been harsh and hard-hearted, surely they would have scattered from around you. So excuse them, and plead for forgiveness for them, and consult them in the affairs, and once you are resolved, put your trust in Allah.”

– Surah Ali ‘Imran 3:159

In this passage from the Quran, I’m reminded of the power of forgiveness. The two statements show the possibility of alienation if you’re too harsh and the power of resolution if you seek to forgive.

I believe that forgiveness can be for yourself as well as others. If we are too hard on ourselves or repress any negative feelings around ourselves or others, we lose the opportunity for catharsis.

For me, the most important thing is to see and acknowledge what is happening with an open mind. Look to resolve the situation and trust that everything will be okay. 

I believe, if you approach situations with others of yourself in this way, regardless of if you believe in God or not, you can find peace and move forward.

Forgive yourself and someone else, and have a blessed week ahead!

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