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Tag: Helen Keller

Helen Keller, The Bartimaeus Sequence, The King’s Speech, Motivation2Study, and an African Proverb

Sunday Supplement #136 (December 17th, 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:

“A bend in the road is not the end of the road… unless you fail to make the turn.”

– Helen Keller

Book of the Week:

The Bartimaeus Sequence – Jonathan Stroud

The Bartimaeus Sequence is a fantasy series set in London in the late 1900s/early 2000s and set in an alternate history where the effects of magic, magicians, and demons have altered changes through the past of cities, countries, events, and technology.

Magicians are trained to summon demons to do their bidding. Throughout history, various individuals and empires have used demons to obtain power. The most recent nation to dominate is the British Empire, where a ruling elite of magicians holds all the power.

Jonathan Stroud’s first book in the original trilogy follows a young magician’s apprentice as he tries to take revenge on a magician who humiliated him by summoning a powerful demon to steal the magician’s magical amulet.

The apprentice and the demon then uncover a plot of espionage, murder, blackmail, and revolt to seize power and overturn the government.

I highly recommend this series. I’ve only read the original trilogy (the fourth book being a prequel), but it’s one of my favorite works of fiction and has a story that stays with me. The growth of the main characters throughout the trilogy is one of the best I’ve ever read.

Movie of the Week:

The King’s Speech

Tom Hooper’s The King Speech tells the story of Britain’s King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne, and the speech therapist who helped him overcome his stutter.

I don’t know how historically accurate the movie is, but it is a masterfully executed piece of storytelling in the medium of film.

David Seidler’s script, Danny Cohen’s cinematography, Tariq Anwar’s editing, Jenny Beavan’s costume design… everything in this film is from the top drawer.

Colin Firth as King George, Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth, and Geoffrey Rush as speech therapist Lionel Logue steal the show in their respective roles.

The story is quite simple at its core, but it won Best Picture at the Oscars for a reason. That was one of four wins, and it had eight additional nominations. Check it out if you haven’t yet.

Brainfood of the Week:

Elon Musk Motivation Speech 2022 | Motivation2Study

In this video, Motivation2Study compiles a number of different Elon Musk interviews and speeches around perseverance and asking the right questions.

Whether you like Musk or not, there are many things in this compilation video he says that are worth listening to.

Motivation2Study is a YouTube channel with over four million subscribers and over three hundred million video views.

Their mission is to inspire, educate, and help students of all ages with both lack of motivation and mental health awareness. Check out their YouTube page if you enjoyed this video.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“There are no shortcuts to the top of the palm tree.”

– African Proverb

I like the simplicity of this proverb, but it also fills my imagination with different scenarios of how one could climb to the top of a palm tree.

Having been a tree climber for most of my youth, I still smile and try to give it a go when I find myself with the urge and the time to climb. 

But now I find that I have to think about the best way to climb the tree. Sometimes, it’s not straightforward, and I imagine that some kind of tool, shoe, assistance, or great strength would be needed to climb a palm tree.

At the core, the proverb shows that to climb to the top of the palm tree, you have to keep climbing. You can always give up and climb another tree, but if you persist smartly, you should be able to find a way.

Keep pursuing the goals you want to achieve, be smart about it, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Helen Keller, Mindfulness, In the Mood for Love, Why Silence is Power, and Sahih al-Bukhari 6126

Sunday Supplement #61 (July 10th, 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:

“Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.”

– Helen Keller

Book of the Week:

Mindfulness – Mark Williams and Danny Penman

Oxford professor Mark Williams is one of the leading thinkers on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. He teamed up with award-winning journalist Danny Penman to write Mindfulness.

The book explains simple and straightforward practices from Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy to help dissolve anxiety, stress, exhaustion, and unhappiness.

Mindfulness’s subtitle is An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World

The mindfulness meditation program is broken down and explained in a way anyone can do. The time the practice requires is only 10-20 minutes per day.

One of my favorite things about this book is that it doesn’t rely on spirituality or religion to explain the benefits of meditation.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that many spiritual traditions include meditation, but I find it promising that science has found a way to separate the practice from religion.

There are many different books, apps, and videos that explain and provide lessons for meditation. It’s worth checking Mindfulness out to see if it resonates for you.

Movie of the Week:

In the Mood for Love

One of my favorite films is Wong Kar-Wai’s In the Mood for Love. It tells the story of two neighbors who befriend each other after suspecting the extramarital activities of their spouses.

The film beautifully shows the platonic relationship of the two neighbors as they question and reenact situations they believe formed their spouses’ relationship.

Everything in the movie is choreographed exquisitely. The music and the cinematography enhance the brilliant acting from leads Maggie Cheung and Tony Chui-Wai Leung.

The film premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 2000 and received a nomination for the Palme d’Or. Tony Leung won Best Actor, becoming the first Hong Kong actor to win the award.

Much of the movie is explored through scenes without dialogue. Some of the best sequences occur through close attention to mannerisms and non-verbal exchanges.

I’ve found that there aren’t many movies that leave lasting impressions on their viewers. This movie is one that I find myself often visiting over the years.

In the Mood for Love is well worth checking out if you’re looking for a movie that explores the human experience in a subtle and profound manner.

Brainfood of the Week:

Why Silence is Power | Priceless Benefits of Being Silent | Einzelgänger

Einzelgänger is a YouTube channel that creates videos exploring different people and ideas of history with the aim of making content that inspires, resonates, and entertains.

I’ve featured three of Einzelgänger’s videos in previous Sunday Supplements. 

This video explores the advantages of silence in creativity, mental health, spiritual and religious practice, and other everyday situations. It breaks down into four parts.

Silence can also send a powerful message. In conversation, pausing or choosing not to speak can give a person strength. In protest, silence can express what discourse cannot.

Studies have shown that silence relaxes the mind, enhances sleep, and lessens insomnia. Excessive input of noise is detrimental to our ability to function.

All of these topics are explored in more depth in the video. On the surface, the necessity of silence is obvious, but Einzelgänger’s video has many insights worth picking up.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak what is good or keep silent.”

– Sahih al-Bukhari 6126

Sahih al-Bukhari is one of the six major collections of Hadith, based on the Islamic prophet Muhammed’s teachings, sayings, traditions, and practices.

The whole passage starts with, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should not hurt his neighbor. The second part says whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should serve his guest generously.

The third and last part of the passage is the one I’ve highlighted above. It reminds me of the saying, “If you can’t say something kind, don’t say anything.”

Words have much power, but I believe silence equally holds great power. Many great speeches exist, but a single word or silence can be just as profound.

The passage above from the Hadith reminds me that speaking isn’t always necessary. Silence is a tool that can be louder than words.

Explore and look for moments of silence, and have a blessed week ahead!

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