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Tag: Charlie Kaufman

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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Mary Anne Radmacher, The Prince of Tides, Eternal Sunshine, One Day At A Time, and a Japanese Proverb

Mary Anne Radmacher, The Prince of Tides, Eternal Sunshine, One Day At A Time, and a Japanese Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on May 29, 2022

Sunday Supplement #55 (May 29th, 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:

“Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”

– Mary Anne Radmacher

Book of the Week:

The Prince of Tides – Pat Conroy

Pat Conroy was a bestselling author with numerous awards for his novels and memoirs, including an F. Scott Fitzgerald Award in 2005.

Conroy’s novel The Prince of Tides is arguably his most famous.

Tom Wingo, a high school English teacher and football coach who recently lost his job, finds out his twin sister, Savannah, attempted another suicide and was hospitalized.

Wingo travels to New York to look after his sister and recounts the traumas of his upbringing.

The Wingo family has a tragic past that shaped each sibling’s life, which Tom has done his best to leave behind.

Tom is forced to relive the past after forming a relationship with Savannah’s psychologist that started by helping fill in the background of their childhood.

Wingo also has to deal with the present turmoil in his own family life after learning before leaving for New York that his wife is having an affair.

Pat Conroy’s brilliant novel spans forty years and takes a deep look into darker human experiences. It is a beautifully written and powerful story.

Movie of the Week:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Joel Barish, played by Jim Carrey, finds out that his girlfriend Clementine Kruczynski, played by Kate Winslet, had all her memories of him erased by the firm Lacuna after their latest fight.

Barish decides to undergo go the same procedure after feeling heartbroken and recounting his memories of their strained relationship.

Barish begins to experience earlier happy memories as the firm initiates the procedure and realizes that he does not want to forget her.

The film won one Oscar, Best Writing – Original Screenplay, and received one other nomination for Kate Winslet in Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind delves profoundly into the complicated nature of relationships. The visuals of the movie are fantastic.

Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, and Pierre Bismuth crafted a brilliant film that offers a truly unique viewing experience.

Brainfood of the Week:

Taking It One Day At A Time | The School of Life

The School of Life is a YouTube channel consisting of psychologists, philosophers, and writers devoted to helping people lead calmer and more reliant lives.

I’ve featured their videos before in Sunday Supplement #33 and Sunday Supplement #51.

In this video, The School of Life focuses on the concept of taking it a day at a time and the lessons that perspective brings.

Many things we place our hopes on take a long time to realize. Whether those hopes come in the form of a dream career, a house, or a family, they often take years or even decades.

Sometimes life places us in situations where a long-term hopeful disposition becomes impossible to maintain.

The typical response is to take things one day at a time. And this perspective has a lot to offer regardless of your situation.

The School of Life discusses how taking it day by day reduces the degree of control we expect to bear on the future. It allows us to combat impatience and overly critical thinking.

Conversely, we can attend to the little gifts within our grasp. We can be grateful for the things we often take for granted. A few wins from the day can help us move forward.

This is just a synopsis of the video, but there is much more wisdom in the video and on The School of Life channel worth checking out. 

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Three years sitting on a rock.” (石の上にも三年)

– Japanese Proverb

This Japanese proverb, three years sitting on a rock, speaks about change after hard times. 

It might be difficult to see where the change happens from sitting three years on a rock, but the difference is that the rock gets warm.

By persevering through difficult times, we can often find that our situations change, especially if we look at different perspectives.

Sometimes we need to take it a day at a time, but we can see how much change we’ve experienced when we look back over a long period.

Growth takes time. Difficult situations change or pass by. I think of this proverb and how I can use my days while knowing that the rock will provide me warmth.

Things might not seem good in moments, but look to the good things in your life and know that you will be further along your path as time passes.

Know that bad times will eventually pass, cherish the good in your life, and have a blessed week ahead!

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