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Tag: Ethiopian Proverb

Hilaire Belloc, Into the Wild, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The School of Life, and an Ethiopian Proverb

Sunday Supplement #130 (November 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:

“We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.”

– Hilaire Belloc

Book of the Week:

Into the Wild – Jon Krakauer

The story of Chris McCandless was first recounted by Jon Krakauer in his Outside article titled “Death of an Innocent” before writing the non-fiction book Into the Wild.

Krakauer’s writing of McCandless covers his time after graduating from Emory University in 1991 and his subsequent journey of hitchhiking across America and pursuing an ascetic life.

The book and story are an interesting exploration of trying to find your place in life in relation to being an active member of society and an exploration of man vs nature.

Sean Penn directed an adaptation of Into the Wild starring Emile Hirsch. The movie is worth watching, but the book is able to explore the story with more depth and accuracy.

While there are some critics of the book and story of Chris McCandless, Into the Wild is worth the read and offers a story worth reflecting on.

Movie of the Week:

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Ol Parker adapted Deborah Moggach’s novel Foolish Things to the screenplay that became The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

John Madden directed the film about British retirees moving to Jaipur, India, to stay in the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

The British retirees move to the hotel, believing it to be an exotic retirement home, but find out the hotel is a dilapidated site run by a good-hearted but inept Sonny Kapoor.

Each retiree has their own reason for moving to Jaipur, India, and Sonny must pursue his dream of being a hotel manager against the admonishments from his family.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a fun movie with a heartfelt story. The cast alone of Dev Patel, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, and Tom Wilkinson make it worth the watch.

Brainfood of the Week:

The Point of Travel | The School of Life

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

At the beginning of the video, The School of Life states the point of travel is to make us into better people and be a sort of therapy.

The video emphasizes life’s attempt at an inner journey being aided by outer journeys. It highlights how travel used to be used more often as a health prescription and how we should be more aware of how we travel in modern times.

If you enjoyed this video, check out the other posts where I’ve featured The School of Life videos.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“To one who does not know, a small garden is a forest.”

– Ethiopian Proverb

When I came across this Ethiopian proverb, I thought it was an excellent metaphor for ignorance.

Traveling and listening to other perspectives are excellent ways to not find yourself living in an echo chamber of self-serving biases.

This Ethiopian Proverb reminds me not to get lost in my own garden of thought and to continue exploring other forests.

On the other hand, I think being able to appreciate a garden and finding the wonder in little things is a reminder to see beauty in simplicity.

Travel, explore outside your comfort zone, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Victor Hugo, Stardust, Warm Bodies, Brad Troeger, and an Ethiopian Proverb

Sunday Supplement #125 (October 1st, 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:

“Life is the flower for which love is the honey.”

– Victor Hugo

Book of the Week:

Stardust – Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman’s third novel follows young Tristran Thorn, who will do anything to win the love of cold and beautiful Victoria.

Thorn even promises to fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky. However, to do so, he must go across the unexplored lands beyond the wall that is their village’s namesake.

Tristran finds the realm of Faerie beyond the wall, where nothing, not even a fallen star, is what he imagined.

I featured Stardust, the movie, in Sunday Supplement #31, but the book is well worth checking out for those who enjoyed the movie or love the fantasy genre.

Gaiman is a master storyteller, and even though he is early in his novel career, this Locus Award-nominated novel showcases some of the best of his imagination.

Movie of the Week:

Warm Bodies

Jonathan Levine’s Warm Bodies is an adaptation of the Isaac Marion novel about a highly unusual zombie who saves a still-living girl from a zombie attack.

The unusual zombie, R, played by Nicholas Hoult, forms a relationship with Julie, the still-living girl played by Teresa Palmer, which sets in motion events that transform the lifeless world.

Warm Bodies had a budget of $35 million and made around $117 million at the box office. The movie seemed like it came and went, though, because not many people have seen it.

The film is a hilarious but heartwarming story that is able to craft a thought-provoking world and explore what it means to be human.

Levine is probably most known for his film 50/50, but I highly recommend Warm Bodies as I have it high up on my feel-good movie list.

Brainfood of the Week:

What is Love? – Brad Troeger | TED-Ed

The animated TED-Ed video starts by emphasizing how there is no shortage of answers for what love means.

One of the challenges to defining love is comparing it to something else or getting a biased/skewed answer.

The video explains how our environments, experiences, and expectations can influence our experiences of love.

While the video shows how there can be many different interpretations, it emphasizes the necessity for communication and openness for it to grow.

This short video from Troeger is worth checking out for a thought-provoking look at how nuanced love can be.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“When one is in love, a cliff becomes a meadow.”

– Ethiopian Proverb

When I came across this Ethiopian Proverb, I was struck by the dual nature of the interpretation.

You can view the proverb as meaning love makes difficult things easier to navigate or be reminded that love can obscure reality.

I think both are helpful interpretations. We must remember to view things from a clear perspective, but we can also take strength in action from love.

Ideally, we can see things clearly and act from a place of love. 

Find the strength in love, see things clearly, and have a blessed week ahead!

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