Skip to content

Tag: Einzelgänger

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!

Leave a Comment

Bob Marley, Tesla: A Man Out of Time, To Kill a Mockingbird, Einzelgänger, and a Bible Passage

Sunday Supplement #178 (October 6th, 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 greatness of man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.”

– Bob Marley

Book of the Week:

Tesla: A Man Out of Time – Margaret Cheney

I picked up Tesla: A Man Out of Time because I was curious to learn more about a man entrenched in history but whom I knew little about.

Cheney’s biography of Nikola Tesla is an engaging read that covers Tesla’s childhood in Yugoslavia to his death in New York in the 1940s.

There are entertaining anecdotes, including some of Tesla’s friendship with Mark Twain and interesting insights into his inventions, which others commercialized.

After reading the biography, I found that it wasn’t as in-depth as it could have been and wasn’t as objective as it should have been.

I think it’s worth reading if you are interested in whetting your appetite for a deeper excursion into the history of a brilliant scientist and inventor.

Movie of the Week:

To Kill a Mockingbird

The 1963 film To Kill a Mockingbird, based on Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, remains a classic, as does its source material.

The story is set in a small town in 1930s Depression-era Alabama. It follows the childhood of Scout and the events around the trial of a Black man for an underserved rape charge.

Atticus Finch, Scout’s father, a widowed lawyer, defends the man on trial and tries to educate his children against prejudice.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic in film and literature. The film won three Academy Awards, including Best Actor in a Leading Role for a brilliant performance by Gregory Peck.

Brainfood of the Week:

3 Stoic Ways To Be Happy | Einzelgänger

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

The video starts with the observation that many people are concerned with achieving a happy life. Einzelgänger highlights how the Stoics figured out how to suffer less and enjoy more with a system of exercises, wisdom, and ethics. 

The first point Einzelgänger covers is about altering your judgments to be aware of what lies within your control and what lies outside of it. Check out the video to see the other two points.

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:

“To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”

– Proverbs 21:3

I think it can be an easy trap to create narratives around your actions or the actions of others to support your opinion of yourself or others.

This Bible passage reminds me not to get wrapped up in excuses for poor behavior. We can stumble and make mistakes, but we should be honest with ourselves.

The part of the verse about sacrifice reminds me of how we can take on burdens or cope with a wrong situation rather than speak up for what is right.


Reflect on the integrity of your actions, move forward, and have a blessed week ahead!

Comments closed

Omar Khayyam, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Perfect Days, Einzelgänger, and a Tao Te Ching Verse

Sunday Supplement #170 (August 11th, 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:

“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”

– Omar Khayyam

Book of the Week:

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance – Robert M. Pirsig

Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a fictionalized autobiography of a 17-day motorbike journey with his son in 1968.

During the trip, the father examines how we live as a species and meditates on the meaning of quality. He recounts an earlier form of himself’s pursuits of this information and how he views the experience of life at the present moment.

Pirsig’s book is dense, and I recommend it only for those interested in tackling a challenging read.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance received 121 rejections before being accepted by a publisher who didn’t believe the book would sell. It’s sold over 5 million copies so far.

Movie of the Week:

Perfect Days

The Wim Wenders film written by Takuma Takasaki and Wenders follows the life of Hiriyama, a man who cleans public toilets in Tokyo, lives a life in simplicity, and encounters that lead him to reflect on himself.

I found it a slow-burn story with a powerful reflection of life. Sometimes, people watch movies for intense action with extreme highs and despairing lows. This isn’t that kind of movie.

Koji Yakusho portrays Hiriyama brilliantly, embodying a man who finds tranquility and beauty in his simple existence yet doesn’t block out the sadness and frustrations of life.

Perfect Days was nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Yakusho won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival. It’s a film worth checking out for those whose interest has been piqued.

Brainfood of the Week:

Don’t Worry, Everything is Out of Control | Einzelgänger

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

In this video, Einzelgänger discusses how our busy lives can lead to stress, exhaustion, and burnout, which can cause illness and depression. He then highlights Taoist writings that offer solutions that can help relieve stress.

There are five different Taoist antidotes Einzelgänger goes over in the video. The two I’ll preview here are to stop looking for happiness and the internal law.

The video explains how worrying about getting or not getting happiness leads us to forever look outside of ourselves for it. The internal law explains how it’s not the world that decides how we feel; it’s our minds.

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

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Nature doesn’t make long speeches. A whirlwind doesn’t last all morning. A cloudburst doesn’t last all day. Who makes the wind and rain? Heaven and earth do. If heaven and earth don’t go on and on, certainly people don’t need to.”

– Tao Te Ching (Verse 23)

The Tao Te Ching is a central Taoist text associated with the philosopher Lao Tzu. Taoism holds that humans should live in balance with the universe (the Tao – the Way).

In this verse of the Tao Te Ching, I’m reminded to live in the moment. We can often get lost in thoughts of the past or worries of the future, but our world exists in the present.

I don’t believe we should completely ignore the past and future. Gathering clouds can be plans for the future, and storms can leave destruction in their path to remember them by.

However, this verse reminds us not to dwell too long on events outside our immediate control. It’s nice to connect to the moment you’re in.


Remember to ground yourself in the present moment when you’ve been caught up in a narrative that has pulled you away from it, and have a blessed week ahead!

Comments closed

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

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!

Comments closed

Mahatma Gandhi, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Intouchables, Einzelgänger, and a Chinese Proverb

Sunday Supplement #95 (March 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:

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

– Mahatma Gandhi

Book of the Week:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is narrated in the first-person from the perspective of Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15-year-old boy who investigates the death of a neighbor’s dog.

Christopher is described as a mathematician with some behavioral difficulties. The book refers to Asperger syndrome, which is an autism spectrum disorder today.

Haddon’s novel is a thought-provoking exploration of being observed as an outsider and seeing the world differently.

Christopher’s journey in the novel goes beyond the mystery of the neighbor’s dog and has a powerful story worthy of its praise and awards.

The novel is considered Haddon’s first novel published for adults. It also has an edition meant for children.

Movie of the Week:

The Intouchables

A young man, recently released from prison, is challenged by a wealthy quadriplegic man to become his caregiver.

This French film has a simple premise, but the characters bring out the best of this wonderful and heartfelt story.

François Cluzet and Omar Sy star as the wealthy aristocrat and the young man, but the supporting cast of Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot, and Grégoire Oestermann make the most of every scene they are in.

There is an American remake with Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston. I haven’t seen it, but when a foreign film is remade for America, I think it signals that the original is worth seeing.

Brainfood of the Week:

The Less You Seek, The More You’ll Find | The Happiness Paradox | Einzelgänger

Einzelgänger’s video starts with an example of how trying to reject negative mental spaces often makes things worse.

If you try to chase happiness directly, you often find it escapes your grasp. Conversely, if you stop searching, you might find it more easily.

Einzelgänger explores The Happiness Paradox in depth in his 12-minute video. He goes over philosophers’ perspectives as well as recent scientific studies.

The video goes over how The Happiness Paradox works, gives examples of research into the paradox, and provides alternative strategies for living with meaning.

I’ve featured Einzelgänger’s channel in previous Sunday Supplements. If you enjoy the content, check out the other videos I’ve posted or his channel on YouTube.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“A person without a smiling face must not open a shop.”

– Chinese Proverb

This Chinese Proverb has a surface-level interpretation and one that prompts me to think much deeper about my engagement with others.

On the surface, the proverb explains how a business will likely perform poorly if the person behind the counter doesn’t have a smile.

Customers might not want to engage with a standoffish or frowning business owner. However, the deeper thought behind the proverb makes me think about how my demeanor affects my engagement with others.

I don’t think you should pretend to be happy all the time, but I think being closed off can prevent or discourage others from reaching out.

Try to welcome others in your life with a smile, and have a blessed week ahead!


16 Comments
2021 © Drew Alexander Ross