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Crystal Paine, Jaws, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Andrew Huberman Ph.D., and a Bhagavad Gita Verse

Sunday Supplement #164 (June 30th, 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:

“Living with intention means saying no to the things that aren’t important so we can say yes to what matters most.”

– Crystal Paine

Book of the Week:

Jaws – Peter Benchley

Most people have seen or at least heard of Stephen Spielberg’s film Jaws, which is often described as the original Summer Blockbuster movie.

That movie was based on Peter Benchley’s horror novel. After watching the film, I was curious to read the book. I was surprised to find the differences between the two.

The story follows the fictional seaside town of Amity as it becomes plagued by the attacks of a great white shark.

Chief Brody leads the attempts to kill the shark, with help from Quint, a shark hunter, and Hooper, an ichthyologist.

Mafia ties, affairs, and who dies are a few differences between the book and the film. I recommend Jaws for summer reading if it piques your interest.

Movie of the Week:

The Bridge on the River Kwai

The 1957 film The Bridge on the River Kwai is based on the 1952 novel. It follows a group of British POWS who are forced to build a railway bridge for their Japanese captors in Burma.

A standoff ensues between officers and camp commandant Colonel Saito. Neither party knows that a commando raid is planned to destroy the bridge.

Without spoiling too much of the film, the last thing I’ll say is that its leading characters are excellently written. The intentions and ambitions of both dominate the story.

The film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Alec Guinness won Best Actor in a Leading Role for Colonel Nicholson, and Sessue Hayakawa was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Colonel Saito.

There’s some great history behind the making of the film, including McCarthy-era reasons for the screenwriters (Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson) not receiving credit.

I love it when old films stand up to modern viewing; some even cast shadows over what’s made today. The Bridge on the River Kwai looms large in Cinema history and deservedly so.

Brainfood of the Week:

The Optimal Morning Routine – Andrew Huberman | After Skool

Andrew Huberman, Ph. D., a neuroscientist and Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, provides examples of practical tools for optimizing your morning routine.

In this video, Huberman discusses how sunlight in the morning affects your circadian rhythm, how caffeine intake can cause crashes depending on when you have your first cup of coffee, and how exercise and cool showers can benefit and kickstart your day.

The video is 16 minutes long and will surely provide a useful tip for you to add to aid your morning routine. If you enjoyed this video, check out my other Sunday Supplement featuring Andrew Huberman.

After Skool animates the background for videos of various life lessons presented by individuals and texts. I’ve featured their channel in a few previous Sunday Supplements.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Free from expectations and the sense of ownership, with the mind and intellect fully controlled, they incur no sin even though performing actions by their body.”

– Bhagavad Gita 4:21

I found this Bhagavad Gita verse an interesting look at intention and how we view the results of our actions.

This verse speaks to the idea that if we do our best and have just intentions, a bad result does not add negative karma to our lives. 

An example would be telling someone a harsh truth. If someone takes this poorly, it is not your fault. However, the delivery of a harsh truth must be done with the best intentions, genuinely seeking to help.

It’s easy to think your intentions are pure while not reflecting on your actions. For me, this verse is a reminder to diligently observe your thoughts and intentions before acting.

Align your thoughts and intentions with your actions, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Maya Angelou, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Hitch, Carol Dweck, and a Tao Te Ching Verse

Sunday Supplement #149 (March 17th, 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:

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

– Maya Angelou

Book of the Week:

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay – Michael Chabon

Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001.

The novel follows two Jewish cousins before, during, and after World War II. Kavalier is a young artist who smuggled himself out of Nazi-invaded Prague. He joins his cousin in Brooklyn, and the two delve into the emerging comic book scene.

The cousins partner to make their own comics, and the novel follows their journey from youth to adulthood while pursuing this craft.

I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, which had amazing depth. The growth of the characters throughout the story was brilliantly explored.

For those interested in a classic American fiction novel, I highly recommend The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

Movie of the Week:

Hitch

One of my favorite Rom-Coms, Hitch, hasn’t always received the best review. I still think it is worth the watch.

The film follows a “date doctor” who falls in love with a cynical columnist while he helps a shy account try to woo an heiress. 

The “date doctor” is a man, played by Will Smith, who helps other men get dates with women. I think the criticism the movie gets is usually misplaced about this concept.

My favorite element of the movie is how the story pokes fun, and sometimes in a serious fashion, about the gender roles and societal norms of the dating world.

Even though this movie doesn’t get a lot of love, I recommend it and would be curious to discuss it with anyone interested.

Brainfood of the Week:

Developing a Growth Mindset with Carol Dweck | Stanford Alumni

Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck researched the power of mindset and how we think about our talents and abilities can significantly influence our success.

Dweck discusses studies on students who exhibit a growth mindset by viewing “failure” as an opportunity to learn more versus students who viewed failure as a judgment passed on them.

The students with a fixed mindset responded that they were more likely to cheat on following exams, find others who did worse to make them feel better, or avoid more tests.

I’ve featured Carol Dweck’s book on growth and fixed mindsets in Sunday Supplement #97. If you enjoyed this video, check it out.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Knowing other people is intelligence; knowing yourself is wisdom. Overcoming others takes strength; overcoming yourself takes greatness. Contentment is wealth.”

– Tao Te Ching

I read Ursula K. Le Guin’s translation of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching a few months ago. I found its verses beautiful and thought-provoking.

This verse reminds me how vital self-work is to living a full life. We often look outside of ourselves for examples of growth, but working to better oneself can bear the most fruit.

We don’t always have control over external situations, but we do have control over how we respond to them.

I think working on yourself, healing your past traumas, and understanding your behaviors are some of the best uses of our time.

Continue to work on yourself, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Jackie Robinson, A Walk in the Woods, True Grit (2010), After Skool, and a Japanese Proverb

Sunday Supplement #138 (December 31st, 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:

“Many people resented my impatience and honesty, but I never cared about acceptance as much as I cared about respect.”

– Jackie Robinson

Book of the Week:

A Walk in the Woods – Bill Bryson

In A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson recounts his curiosity about the Appalachian Trail and his decision to traverse it, accompanied by his old friend Stephen Katz.

The pair are not suited to the long journey of the trail and end up discarding much of their starting load.

Their journey includes some history and ecology of the trail, funny encounters with humans and animals, and some honesty about their abilities and the overall outcome of the trek.

I read A Walk in the Woods while I was still in high school. I remember it being one of the first books to make me laugh out loud, almost every chapter.

Movie of the Week:

True Grit (2010)

True Grit tells the story of a stubborn teenage girl, Mattie Ross, as she tracks down her father’s murderer with help from a U.S. Marshall and a Texas Ranger.

Hailey Steinfeld made her feature debut as Mattie Ross, Jeff Bridges played the U.S. Marshall, Matt Damon the Texas Ranger, and Josh Brolin and Barry Pepper the villains.

The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

I haven’t seen the original True Grit with John Wayne, but Ethan and Joel Coen’s 2010 remake is one of my favorite Westerns.

Brainfood of the Week:

The Power of Radical Honesty | Dr. Anna Lembke | After Skool

Dr. Anna Lembke is a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine, has published over a hundred peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and commentaries, and sits on the board of several state and national addiction-focused organizations.

In this video, Lembke focuses on how telling the truth improves our lives. She explains how radical honesty helps limit compulsive overconsumption and can be the core of a well-lived life.

We are wired at an early age to lie. The wiring fluctuates as we grow older, and we can gravitate toward honesty, but the temptations of lying can be exacerbated in modern society.

Lembke explains how radical honesty combats the pitfalls of lying, promotes awareness of our actions, and fosters intimate human connections. I can’t recommend the video more highly.

After Skool is a YouTube channel that animates videos as the backdrop to various life lessons presented by various individuals and texts. I’ve featured them in two other Sunday Supplements.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Good medicine tastes bitter.”

– Japanese Proverb

I think this Japanese proverb is pretty straightforward, but I like the reminder that what might be best for you doesn’t always go down well at first.

Advice and honest assessment can be this way. It can be difficult to critique your decisions openly or to take advice that may be hard to follow.

However, I think this proverb has another side that can argue that medicine that will get the job done doesn’t have to be bitter.

I think it’s important to know when to deliver news starkly or with a little cushion to it, but bitter medicine shouldn’t be avoided when necessary.

Take an honest look at your past year, make actionable plans to improve your 2024, and have a blessed year ahead!

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