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Tag: TEDx Talks

Jürgen Klopp, Rules of Civility, Waking Ned Devine, Marlo Anderson, and a Dhammapada Verse

Jürgen Klopp, Rules of Civility, Waking Ned Devine, Marlo Anderson, and a Dhammapada Verse

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on March 3, 2024

Sunday Supplement #147 (March 3rd, 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 too short not to celebrate nice moments.”

– Jürgen Klopp

Book of the Week:

Rules of Civility – Amor Towles

New York Times bestselling author Amor Towles’s debut novel Rules of Civility allowed him to retire early and write full-time.

Rules of Civility starts its story on New Year’s Eve in a hole-in-the-wall jazz bar in 1937 New York’s Greenwich Village.

On that night, twenty-five-year-old Katey Kontent meets Tinker Grey, a handsome banker who catalyzes Katey’s journey into the upper crust of New York society.

This novel reminded me of classic American novels like The Great Gatsby and The Natural. It felt like reading a book from the time it depicted, with beautiful prose as its guide.

I’ve only read this bestselling novel of Towles, but I’m looking forward to reading his other bestselling novels since there was much to appreciate from his first.

Movie of the Week:

Waking Ned Devine

The Kirk Jones written and directed film follows the story of a small Irish village after one of their citizens is reported to have won the Irish National Lottery.

Elderly best friends Jake O’Shea and Michael O’Sullivan, played by Ian Bannon and David Kelly, along with Jackie’s wife Annie (Fionnula Flanagan), plot to discover the winner’s identity.

After finding local resident Ned Devine dead at home holding the lottery ticket, Jackie has a dream that the deceased Ned wants to share the winnings with his friends.

What follows is a hilarious comedy where the whole village bands together to attempt to convince a Claim Inspector Michael is Ned Devine.

The film had a budget of $3 million and went on to make $55.3 million at the box office. I found it a charming story that celebrates life with a good dose of humor in the mix.

Brainfood of the Week:

Celebrate Every Day | Marlo Anderson | TEDxFargo

Marlo Anderson is the founder of National Day Calendar, host of the Tech Ranch, and has been involved in many local and state committees in North Dakota.

In this TEDx video, Anderson discusses the importance of celebrating every day. He talks about how when we are young, we are more adventurous but can become more secluded as we get older.

The National Day Calendar celebrates one new thing each day, with the aim to cultivate appreciation and break you out of an unconscious routine.

Celebrating each day comes with a perspective shift that helps you tap into the positive possibilities of events around you, regardless of whether the event is good or bad.

The video is a great reminder of how we can choose to celebrate more if we want and that our actions and attitudes can spread to the environment and people around us.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Therefore, one should not be negligent, nor be addicted to sensual pleases; for he who is established in mindfulness, through cultivation of tranquility and insight development practice, experiences supreme happiness.”

– Dhammapada 27

When I first came across this Dhammapada verse, I thought it was a bit of a downer. Some translations read, “Unwise, foolish people waste their lives celebrating auspicious times.”

After reflecting on the verse, I saw the importance of the words around addiction and relating celebration and appreciation to only sensual pleasures or favorable moments.

I think what the verse aims to instill is a practice of being balanced in good times and bad and not being carried away by either.

By achieving this type of balance, I believe we can appreciate and celebrate the little moments in life that we often overlook. 

We can still and should celebrate our big achievements, but the celebrations themselves and momentous occasions shouldn’t be our focus.

Look to celebrate and appreciate the little things you experience each day, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Vivek Murthy, The Inheritance Cycle, Grave of the Fireflies, Stephanie Briggs, and a Bible Passage

Vivek Murthy, The Inheritance Cycle, Grave of the Fireflies, Stephanie Briggs, and a Bible Passage

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on November 26, 2023

Sunday Supplement #133 (November 26th, 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:

“Empathy is choosing to see ourselves in another despite our differences. It’s recognizing that the same humanity – the same desire for meaning, fulfillment, and security – exists in each of us, even if it’s expressed uniquely.

– Vivek Murthy

Book of the Week:

The Inheritance Cycle Series – Christopher Paolini

I’ve kept a list of books I’ve read since 7th grade, and despite some laptop crashes and missing periods, the book that started the list was Christopher Paolini’s Eragon.

I read a lot as a kid but fell in love and truly experienced the wonders of what a book could do when I read Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle.

Paolini’s series tells the tale of the fictional world of Alagaësia and a teenage farm boy, Eragon’s journey to overthrow the evil king Galbatorix.

The series has elves, dwarves, Urgals, magic, and dragons, all intricately woven into a tale that soars to the heights of what fantasy and storytelling should be.

I highly recommend the series, especially if you are into fantasy and adventure. The conclusion in the original series is one of the best and most satisfying I’ve read in epic fantasy.

*I’m currently reading the latest addition in Paolini’s world of Alagaësia, Murtagh, and it’s been an excellent read so far!

Movie of the Week:

Grave of the Fireflies

The Studio Ghibli film Grave of the Fireflies is based on the 1967 short story by Akiyuki Nosaka about a young boy and his little sister struggling to survive in Japan during World War II.

I have featured several Studio Ghibli films in the past, and I try not to flood the blog with repetitive recommendations, but Grave of the Fireflies is another gem from their collection well worth highlighting.

In legendary critic Roger Ebert’s review of the film, he states, “Grave of the Fireflies is an emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation… I know what the critic Ernest Sister means when he compares it to “Schindler’s List” and says, “It is the most profoundly human animated film I’ve ever seen.”

Isao Takahata’s masterpiece is a heart-wrenching and harrowing adaptation. If you look up the film, you’ll find many more glowing testimonials from celebrated filmmakers and critics.

Brainfood of the Week:

Developing Empathy as a Practice | Stephanie Briggs | TEDx Talks

Stephanie Briggs is a professor at the Community College of Baltimore County and recipient of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society Building Communities grant for “Practical Empowerment: Building Contemplative Communities with Students of Color.”

Briggs highlights Jon Kabat-Zinn’s definition of mindfulness, “Paying attention in a certain way on purpose without judgment,” at the beginning of the TEDx Talks.

She then discusses the different practices around empathy in her classroom and how the students have engaged with them in the past.

One of the exercises Briggs discusses is the assignment of taking four photos in their community, answering the questions, “What is beautiful in my community? What is difficult in my community? What needs to change? And what has shaped me in my community?”

This TEDx Talk has much to take away from it, including some valuable practices and heartfelt stories from Briggs’s students.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Do unto others as you would have them do to you.”

– Luke 6:31

This Bible passage has been called “The Golden Rule” for living, and I think it is a worthwhile verse to remember.

On the surface, I think it’s pretty clear the passage speaks to treating others as you would want to be treated.

Reflecting on the passage, I also see that it’s easy to perpetuate how you’ve been treated or feel you’ve been treated.

The Matthew 5:39 verse about “turning the other cheek” is challenging when treated poorly. But I think the best we can do is to put good out into the world as much as possible.

Try to empathize with others, put good out into the world, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Rollo May, The Other Wes Moore, Dunkirk, Stephen Jon Thompson, and a Kitab al-KafiRollo Passage

Rollo May, The Other Wes Moore, Dunkirk, Stephen Jon Thompson, and a Kitab al-KafiRollo Passage

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on July 9, 2023

Sunday Supplement #113 (July 9th, 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:

“Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy, and mutual valuing.”

– Rollo May

Book of the Week:

The Other Wes Moore – Wes Moore

Wes Moore states in the book, “The other Wes Moore is a drug dealer, a robber, a murder. I am a Rhodes scholar, a White House Fellow, a former Army officer. Yet our situations could easily have been reversed.”

The journey of this book being written started when the Baltimore Sun ran a piece about Wes Moore, a local student who had received a Rhodes Scholarship.

In the same paper, the police were reported to be looking for two suspects who had allegedly killed a police officer in an armed robbery. One of the suspects’ names was Wes Moore.

Moore reached out later to the other Moore in prison and started a correspondence that developed into a relationship.

In this book, he chronicles their lives, how similar they were growing up, and the differences and a bit of luck that shaped their lives differently.

The Other Wes Moore is a New York Times bestseller well worth checking out. 

Movie of the Week:

Dunkirk

I think the war film genre is extremely difficult to capture uniquely after so many brilliant films in the past have covered much ground.

So, I was curious when director/writer Christopher Nolan decided to tackle the story of Dunkirk. I’m a huge fan of his work and wanted to see what he could do differently.

Nolan’s Dunkirk follows three storylines around the battle of Dunkirk: one from the perspective of those on the beach, one from a pilot going to provide cover, and the third follows a boat of civilians called to action to help rescue the stranded soldiers.

The storylines are straightforward, and the history of Dunkirk won’t leave any surprises, but the way Nolan brings the narratives together is brilliant.

Brainfood of the Week:

Creating A Community And Finding Purpose | Stephen Jon Thompson

In this TEDx Talk, Stephen Jon Thompson tells the audience about his beginnings as an abandoned child to his success as an executive recruiter in the software industry.

Thompson was in a juvenile detention center when he promised himself he would never be alone again and that he’d find his family.

His journey afterward took him to an orphanage, where he started to make friends with the people in the home, his classmates at school, and others in the community.

Thompson discusses how nurturing relationships through thousands of seemingly simple interactions created oneness.

Check out the video if you’re interested in hearing the whole story, and consider Thompson’s question of what you want your ideal community to look like.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“He who begins his day without endeavoring for the improvement of Muslims’ affairs is no Muslim.”

– Kitab al-Kafi Vol 2.

The Kitab al-Kafi is a hadith collection, which refers to reports of statements or actions of Muhammed.

I’ve stated in previous Sunday Supplements how I find it fascinating how many passages of the spiritual religions could have a word or two changed and fit right in another religious text.

If you replaced Muslim with Christian, I wouldn’t be surprised to find this passage in the Bible. I take that lesson from this passage and replace the word with humans.

We should all look for opportunities to help those around us. Whether that be a smile and a hello to someone walking by or lending a hand to one in need, I believe our actions can help make a better community.

Look for those opportunities to give back, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Brené Brown, The War of Art, Slumdog Millionaire, Weiyang Xie, and a Rig Veda Passage

Brené Brown, The War of Art, Slumdog Millionaire, Weiyang Xie, and a Rig Veda Passage

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on January 23, 2022

Sunday Supplement #37 (January 23rd, 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:

“Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.”

– Brené Brown

Book of the Week:

The War of Art – Steven Pressfield

Steven Pressfield’s life story is incredible. He was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, while his father was stationed in the Navy in 1943. Pressfield graduated from Duke University and joined the Marine Corps afterward.

After his tour in the service, Pressfield bounced around between jobs like advertising copywriter, tractor-trailer driver, oilfield roustabout, and fruit picker. He finally found his calling as an author and screenwriter but experienced periods of homelessness and living out of the back of his car while pursuing his writing career.

In The War of Art, Pressfield details the obstacles he faced in his life and how they led him to find and follow his passion for writing. His book breaks down into three parts: Resistance, Combatting Resistance, and Beyond Resistance. In each section, he titles an example of how each topic can manifest and provides short blurbs of explanation.

The non-fiction/self-help book divides opinions for most readers, but it has a 3.98 rating out of 5 on Goodreads, with over 85,000 reviews. Pressfield is most famous for his novels The Legend of Bagger Vance and Gates of Fire, a book about the Battle of Thermopylae studied at West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy.

The War of Art might not be for everybody, but it is worth checking out.

Movie of the Week:

Slumdog Millionaire 

Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire narrates the story of an orphan Mumbai teenager who’s a contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire as he gets accused of cheating after answering each question correctly.

While the teenager, Jamal, faces each question, he recalls portions of his life story that explain how he knew the answer.

The 2008 film won eight Oscars, including Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Achievement in Directing for Boyle, and Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay for Simon Beaufoy.

Leading man Dev Patel missed out on an Academy Award nomination for his performance, but moviegoers and film-lovers didn’t overlook his acting abilities. Patel has gone on to star in many acclaimed movies since his feature debut, including films like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Green Knight, and his Oscar-nominated performance in Lion.

Slumdog Millionaire shows the negativity, oppression, criticism, and bribery Patel faces in his stint on the famous show. The ultimate result of his perseverance is a reminder of the blessings of our life’s journeys and what they can teach us.

Brainfood of the Week:

TEDx Talks | Dare to Rewire Your Brain for Self-Compassion | Weiyang Xie 

Weiyang Xie is a Staff Psychologist at the University Counseling Center at Notre Dame. When she first came to the US as an international student, she faced adjustment issues, self-doubt, and struggled with anxiety. These issues carried over to her professional life. 

Xie’s negative self-talk took over and became overwhelming. She felt trapped in her anxiety and believed that she couldn’t reach her potential. Xie started to look into how this situation developed and found a common component in people’s anxiety being shame.

In this TEDx Talks, Xie discusses the causes and effects of shame in people’s lives and her journey of discovery in this field. She focuses on how neurobiological studies on shame revealed how neural pathways form from the repetition of habitual negative self-talk. 

Xie then explains how we can resolve the emotional status quo. Research proves that being compassionate to yourself improves emotional resilience and psychological well-being. This practice helps reduce cortisol levels and lower the levels of depression and anxiety.

Beginning practices like noticing negative self-talk and combatting it with self-compassion can remove the previous mental programming and replace it with healthier thought habits. Motivating yourself through positive self-talk and embracing being a work in progress helps bring positivity for the future.

Xie closes the talk by stating that whatever you are saying to yourself, you listen. Developing positive self-talk is crucial for mental health and well-being.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“The human body is the temple of God. One who kindles the light of awareness within gets true light. The sacred flame of your inner shrine is constantly bright. The experience of unity is the fulfillment of human endeavors. The mysteries of life are revealed.”

– A Rig Veda Passage

Many different religions and spiritual practices talk about the light within. For me, this passage from the Rig Veda exemplifies this notion and gives a roadmap for finding that brilliance.

The message starts with the acknowledgment of our bodies holding spiritual power. Whether you believe in God or not, or something else entirely, the body is a miraculous being.

The Rig Veda passage then reveals that listening to your heart and body allows for true light, true knowledge.

There are many ways to translate this passage or gain meaning from the words. It sparks recognition of following your heart and gut and doing your best. When I am in tune with these elements, I find myself happy and with no regrets.

Regardless of spiritual leanings, becoming attuned with your heart and body is something worth cultivating. This passage from the Rig Veda is a brilliant guide and reminder of this practice.

Listen to your heart, be kind to yourself, and have a blessed week ahead!

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