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Tag: Gattaca

Douglas Adams, The Green Mile, Lord of War, Brainy Dose, and a Yiddish Proverb

Sunday Supplement #160 (June 2nd, 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:

“To give real service, you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.”

– Douglas Adams

Book of the Week:

The Green Mile – Stephen King

By now, I’ve featured Stephen King in at least a dozen Sunday Supplements. He’s one of my favorite authors and a writer who I believe is often misconceived as just a horror author.

The Green Mile follows the first-person narrative of Paul Edgecombe. In 1996, Paul is an old man in a nursing home, writing about his time in 1932 as the block supervisor of Cold Mountain Penitentiary’s death row.

Edgecombe dealt with a variety of prisoners during his time at Cold Mountain, but the year John Coffey came to him, Paul was forced to witness events that challenged his beliefs.

The Green Mile is another King novel that goes against the typecast. It was originally published serially in six volumes over six months. 

You may have seen or heard about the movie. It’s one of the best adaptations of King’s work, but the novel captures a bit more of the story and is well worth checking out. 

Movie of the Week:

Lord of War

Andrew Niccol (The Truman Show, Gattaca) wrote and directed the 2005 film Lord of War, starring Nicholas Cage, Jared Leto, Bridget Moynahan, Eamonn Walker, Ethan Hawke, and Ian Holm.

The story follows an arms dealer (Cage) as he confronts the morality of his work while being chased by an INTERPOL Agent (Hawke).

I remember seeing this movie when it came out, and even though the 2006 award season was packed with many excellent films, I was surprised Lord of War missed out on nominations.

Lord of War navigates a topic not often covered in film with a point of view that shows both sides of a story and lets you decide how to view it.

Brainfood of the Week:

7 Revealing Traits of an Honest Person | Brainy Dose

Brainy Dose is an educational YouTube channel with over 2.5 million subscribers. The channel features topics ranging from self-improvement and psychology to health and interesting facts.

In this video, Brainy Dose discusses seven traits of honesty. The starting prompt is to apply the litmus test to yourself and others.

I found the video an interesting insight into what their research came up with regarding the qualities of an honest person.

I was surprised to see some qualities in the video, like maintaining strong beliefs and thick skin, but for me, the most important was owning up to your mistakes.

Brainy Dose’s content piqued my interest, and I look forward to delving into their library. If you enjoyed this one, check out their other videos.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“A half-truth is a whole lie.”

– Yiddish Proverb

When I came across this proverb, I thought about the concept of a “white lie.” I think by omitting our honest opinions, we belittle ourselves and others.

If you are concerned about upsetting someone, there are ways to check in with them before giving feedback. Asking the question, “What kind of feedback are you looking for?” can help you fully understand what support another person needs.

Another half-truth scenario is when someone asks you a question, and you don’t give all the details when you know what the person is really asking.

This proverb reminds me to make sure that I’m in alignment with who I want to be. If that’s the case, my actions should reflect that, and I should be able to be honest in all situations and handle how the situation unfolds.

Think about who you want to be, bring awareness to how honest you’re being, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Henry Ford, Money Master the Game, Gattaca, Wayne Dyer, and a Rig Veda Passage

Sunday Supplement #50 (April 24th, 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:

“Whether you think you can or can’t, you are right.”

– Henry Ford

Book of the Week:

Money Master the Game – Tony Robbins

I featured Tony Robbins’ Awaken the Giant Within in Sunday Supplement #30. His work in the self-help genre has touched millions and was the doorway to self-improvement for me.

When I heard that Robbins wrote a financial self-help book, I knew I had to check it out.

Money Master the Game used extensive research and one-on-one interviews with some of the most legendary financial experts in the world, including Warren Buffett and Ray Dalio, to develop a 7-step blueprint for financial freedom.

Robbins broke down complex financial principles into easily digestible concepts. The book takes readers of every income level through steps to help create a lifetime income plan.

I majored in business and found this book more informative than most textbooks I was forced to read throughout college.

The book is on the longer side and takes time to get through, but it is worth checking out. 

Robbins’ Unshakable is the more condensed sequel to Money Master the Game for those looking for a shorter read.

Movie of the Week:

Gattaca

Andrew Niccol’s Gattaca is set in the distant future where eugenics is commonplace and ensures children possess the best hereditary traits of their parents. 

Society experiences genetic discrimination, where those conceived outside the eugenics program cannot partake in higher positions in society.

Vincent Freeman, played by Ethan Hawke, dreams of becoming an astronaut and going to space. By adopting a validated citizen’s identity, Freeman attempts to achieve his dream.

The film brilliantly explores themes of eugenics and freedom of self-determination.

There are so many beautiful elements of Niccol’s film to enjoy. Hawke gives a powerful performance as Freeman, as does Jude Law in the role of Freeman’s friend Jerome/Eugene.

Gattaca was only nominated for one Academy Award, but it stands the test of time as a thought-provoking and magnificent science fiction story.

Brainfood of the Week:

Dr. Wayne Dyer on the Art of Manifestation | SuperSoul Sunday | Oprah Winfrey Network

I’ve featured Oprah Winfrey’s SuperSoul Sunday in Sunday Supplement #43 and am excited to have it in the Sunday Supplement again.

Winfrey’s series features exclusive interviews with top thinkers, authors, and spiritual leaders and explores themes like happiness, personal fulfillment, spirituality, and conscious living.

In this clip, Oprah’s guest is Wayne Dyer. In Sunday Supplement #22, I featured Dyer’s quote, “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

Winfrey and Dyer discuss manifestation and how it is different from the law of attraction. Dyer explains how we all have within us this amazing capacity to manifest anything into our lives.

The main lesson is that we attract into our lives what were are, not what we want.

If you say, “You are depressed,” your attention focuses on depression and more things to be depressed about. Feeling depressed can be okay because feelings change.

You get what you are rather than what you want. So, let negative feelings pass, but move towards an identity of happiness.

If you like this clip, check out more of Wayne Dyer’s work and more of Oprah Winfrey’s SuperSoul Sunday episodes. I’m sure I’ll feature both again in the future.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“When there is harmony between the mind, heart, and resolution, then nothing is impossible.”

– Rig Veda

The Vedas are a body of religious texts originating in ancient India that compose some of the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. I feature them regularly as closing spiritual passages.

This passage refers to the idea that we can achieve anything if our mind, heart, and resolution are in harmony.

I’m reminded of the moments of flow when you have complete faith and trust what will happen next.

There have been moments in sports or in life where I know that I can achieve an outcome or reach a goal, and it’s happened.

This idea of manifestation has many crossovers in many different religions and philosophies.

The Rig Veda passage exemplifies the perfect state of being for bringing the possibilities you wish to see into your life.

Take a step on the path of whom you want to be, and have a blessed week ahead!

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