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The Dalai Lama, All Quiet on the Western Front, Rain Man, The School of Life, and an African Proverb

The Dalai Lama, All Quiet on the Western Front, Rain Man, The School of Life, and an African Proverb

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on December 26, 2021

Sunday Supplement #33 (December 26th, 2021)

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:

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

– The Dalai Lama

Book of the Week:

All Quiet on the Western Front – Erich Maria Remarque

The German novel about World War I was written by veteran Erich Maria Remarque and published in serial form in Vossische Zeitung magazine in 1928.

All Quiet on the Western Front was released in America the following year in book form and became the best-selling work of fiction for that year.

The story focuses on a German perspective of the war. A room of schoolboys is encouraged by their schoolmaster to partake in the glorious war on behalf of their country. The boys are moved by the call of patriotism and sign up for the army. From the point of view of an ‘unknown soldier,’ the novel then explores the horror and disillusionment of life in battle.

I remember reading this book in high school, and it hit me how there are two sides to every story, even in war. At the time, I probably had most of my knowledge of Germany in war influenced by World War II films. I can think back now to my reading All Quiet on the Western Front as one of the early seeds planted for the curiosity of perspective and learning others’ stories.

The book was adapted to a movie fairly quickly in Hollywood and won the Best Picture Oscar at the Academy Awards in 1930.

I’m looking forward to re-reading this novel again, and I’d encourage anyone else interested to give it a chance.

Movie of the Week:

Rain Man

The 1989 Academy Awards had many great movies nominated for Best Picture, including Stand and Deliver (highlighted in Sunday Supplement #3), but it’s clear why Rain Main came away with the Oscar.

The story follows a selfish Los Angeles yuppie, Charlie Babbitt, as he learns his estranged father left his fortune to an autistic savant brother, Raymond, he didn’t know existed. Charlie then absconds with his brother and sets out on a cross-country trip to bring his brother back to Los Angeles in the hopes of gaining what he believes is his rightful fortune.

Tom Cruise played Charlie Babbitt, and Dustin Hoffman played Raymond. The film won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Barry Levinson, Best Writing – Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow, and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Hoffman.

In recent years, I’ve found that there aren’t many films, especially Hollywood movies, that have great depth outside of Independent Cinema. The ones that make it to mainstream attention are clearly worth watching, but many brilliant concepts and subjects get overlooked by the mainstream.

Rain Man is a remarkable film with tremendous character growth that gets depicted through a heartfelt and brilliant story. The movie is a classic, and one that stands remains relevant.

Brainfood of the Week:

Self Compassion — The School of Life

The School of Life is a YouTube channel consisting of psychologists, philosophers, and writers devoted to helping people lead calmer and more reliant lives. 

The channel shares ideas on understanding ourselves better, improving our relationships, taking stock of our careers, and deepening our social connections. Another aspect focuses on the outcome of finding serenity and growing more confident in facing challenges. 

The School of Life offers films, online psychotherapy, online classes, and a range of books, e-books, and games. They publish a new video on their channel every Wednesday and have an audience of over seven million subscribers.

This video goes over the importance of self-compassion and provides a routine that you can use to engage in self-care.

The recording explains how most humans survive by becoming highly adept at self-criticism for not working hard or being smart enough. This behavior is so we don’t fall behind in life, but the behavior can sometimes become excessive and harmful.

The antidote to being hard on ourselves is self-compassion. However, we can be suspicious of this balancing tool because it can often look like self-pity. 

A way to healthily combat depression and self-hatred is self-care.

The School of Life suggests taking time for a 15-minute self-compassion exercise or meditation. The aim is to adopt a kindly perspective on your life and correct the negative flow of your wort self-accusations. 

The video is an interesting look at how important self-compassion is and one way of actively engaging in supporting ourselves.

Give the video a watch and see if it clicks for you, but, regardless, make sure to be compassionate to yourself and make self-care a top priority.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“One who loves you loves you with your dirt.”

– African Proverb

A friend recently told me that things don’t need to be perfect to be good. 

I think we can get upset at times when we see something that is unfair, or we see something or someone that has the potential to be better.

When we focus on our thoughts of what could be better, we fail to validate the moment that is right in front of us.

When I read this proverb, I’m reminded of the meaning of unconditional love.

I don’t believe that means we need to validate bad behavior, but I hope to be able to see through the dirt more as I grow.

See if you can find a moment to be compassionate, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Thomas Edison, Atomic Habits, Bad Boys (1983), Sadhguru, and Matthew 7:12

Thomas Edison, Atomic Habits, Bad Boys (1983), Sadhguru, and Matthew 7:12

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on July 4, 2021


Sunday Supplement #8 (July 4th, 2021)

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 this post that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

– Thomas Edison

Book of the Week:

Atomic Habits – James Clear

James Clear is an expert on habit formation. The New York Times, Entrepreneur, and Time are a few of the many publications that featured his work. Clear’s work has also been used by teams in the NFL, NBA, and MLB. His website receives millions of monthly visitors where he writes about habits, decision-making, and continuous improvement.

Clear’s book, Atomic Habits, was a New York Times bestseller. The book helped me quit smoking and get back in shape. I accomplished both before, but I found myself burning out at various points. I would eventually use my willpower to push myself back to my best, but I struggled. Atomic Habits broke down concepts that made it easier to improve in areas of my life that I wanted to build up while letting go of things that weren’t good for me.

In the book, Clear goes over topics like identity, which help with starting good habits or breaking bad ones. For smoking, I always viewed myself as a smoker trying to quit smoking. He explains how that frame of mind is rooted in identity and makes it hard to stop. The shift of implementing the identity that I’m not a smoker was a simple concept with profound results.

There are many valuable strategies and systems that Clear explains in his book. One of my favorites is akin to the Edison quote above. Clear gives the metaphor of an ice cube melting to signify one’s dreams and goals. You can work for a long time to melt the ice cube. You can bring the temperature up to 31.9 degrees, and it will still be an ice cube. But you are so close to making water from your efforts. Don’t give up!

Atomic Habits is one of my favorite self-help/self-improvement books. It is an enjoyable read as well. There are many true stories from various inspirational people that will entertain and motivate. Check it out!

Movie of the Week:

Bad Boys (1983)

A Chicago youth Mick O’Brien plans to rob a rival’s drug deal. The heist goes horribly wrong, and O’Brien is sent to a juvenile detention center. He must face the consequences of his actions and decide if the path he’s currently on is one he wants to continue. The story gets more intricate as the film continues, but that is a quick summary without too many spoilers. 

Sean Penn stars as Mick O’Brien in his first film released after the iconic Fast Times at Ridgemont High. His role as Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High created the possibility of being typecast as a comedic actor, but Penn made the deliberate decision to go in a different direction with Bad Boys. Penn’s performance was assisted with a brilliant supporting cast. Reni Santoni, Jim Moody, Esai Morales, Ally Sheedy, and Clancy Brown are some of many who brought immense quality to the screen. 

Bad Boys was a small film and didn’t get too much recognition when it came out, but it received mostly favorable reviews. A testament to the quality of the script and Sean Penn’s performance is that actors like Tom Cruise and Kevin Bacon auditioned for the lead role.

It could have been a simple movie, but instead, it allowed for depth in the narrative, which resulted in complex characters and a powerful story. Even though the film isn’t well known, Bad Boys deserves to be recognized.

Brainfood of the Week:

A conversation with Sadhguru led by Angella Nazarian.

Sadhguru is an Indian yogi and bestselling author. He is a spiritual leader and founder of the Isha Foundation, a non-profit spiritual organization with over 9 million volunteers. Sadhguru’s YouTube page features many videos where he discusses spirituality, perception, and various other topics. His videos have just shy of 1 billion views in total.

Angella Nazarian is a philanthropist, bestselling non-fiction author, and conference organizer. She co-founded Looking Beyond, a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children and young adults with special needs, and Visionary Women, a non-profit community, focused on engaging conversations with innovative leaders and funding high-impact initiatives for women and girls.

In this video, Nazarian speaks with Sadhguru about vision, willingness, and joy. Sadhguru discusses how willingness can be tested when other people do not act in accordance with one’s beliefs. However, it ultimately our choice in how we respond or react. This culminates in a direct link with how we experience joy.

Sadhguru’s discussion is a great lesson and reminder of how we can shape our world.

Closing Spiritual Passage:

“Therefore whatever you desire men to do for you, you shall also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets.”

– Matthew 7:12

There are a few bible passages I can quote off the top of my head. Matthew 7:12 one of them. But I didn’t know about the final part— “for this is the law and the prophets.” This part reminded me of the law of attraction. The basic principle of the law of attraction is positive thoughts bring positive experiences, and negative thoughts bring negative ones.

It always sticks out to me when different religions or philosophies I come across repeat similar passages. More often than not, you can find the same messages in different religions or spiritual practices. However, quotes like think positively don’t always have a positive reception when I’m not doing well. That is something I want to change.

In my first Sunday Supplement, I quoted Matthew 22:39— “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” I discussed how if you don’t love yourself, you won’t be able to love your neighbor. I then talked about filling your cup so you can help others. Matthew 7:12 reminds me that assisting others in filling their cup can fill yours as well. I believe in this way, Matthew 22:39 is linked to Matthew 7:12.

Trying to balance the two and knowing when I’m balanced is the goal I’m setting for myself going forward. I also plan on re-reading Atomic Habits to help me with that objective.


Be kind to yourself and others, and have a blessed week ahead!

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Eleanor Roosevelt, Stephen King, Collateral, Cognitive Distortions, and an Atharva Veda Passage

Eleanor Roosevelt, Stephen King, Collateral, Cognitive Distortions, and an Atharva Veda Passage

Published by Drew Alexander Ross on June 6, 2021


Sunday Supplement #4 (June 6th, 2021)

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 this post that enriches your week ahead!

Quote of the Week:

“A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader. A great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.”

-Eleanor Roosevelt

Book of the Week:

Eyes of the Dragon – Stephen King

Eyes of the Dragon takes place in the medieval setting of Delain. The kingdom mourns the death of their king, who was murdered in strange circumstances. An evil wizard plots to see the king’s son, Peter, imprisoned for his father’s murder, which would put Peter’s irresolute younger brother in line for the throne. Peter is the only one who knows the truth, and only he can save Delain from the evil wizard’s plans.

On the cover jacket of the 1st edition, King stated, “Although I had written thirteen novels by the time my daughter had attained an equal number of years, she hadn’t read any of them. She’s made it clear that she loves me but has very little interest in my vampires, ghouls, and slushy crawling things.” He goes on to assure readers that it wasn’t a children’s book either— “I respected my daughter enough then – and now – to try and give her my best… and that includes a refusal to ‘talk down.’ Or put another way, I did her the courtesy of writing for myself as well as for her.”

The book wasn’t well-received by King’s following at the time, though. A few years later, he wrote Misery. Interestingly, Misery’s plot follows an author who tries to break free from his typecast by killing off the main character of his popular Romance series, only to be later taken captive by a deranged fan and forced to write another book in the series. I always thought Misery was a subtle (or not so subtle) jab at his followers for the reception of Eyes of the Dragon.

Stephen King is often unfairly labeled as just a horror author. There are actually many of his books that disprove this typecast. I didn’t read King for a long time because I didn’t like horror. However, I’m glad I gave his books a chance. There’s a reason he’s one of the most famous authors alive. And I believe there is a King book out there for everyone. Eyes of the Dragon is one for those who are fans of Fantasy.

Movie of the Week:

Collateral

The 2004 Drama/Thriller follows a cab driver grinding out shifts to make enough money for his own limo company. The audience is introduced to the driver, Max, and sees a pleasant exchange between him and a fare, Annie. His next fare turns out to be a contract killer, Vincent. Over the course of the night, Vincent forces Max to escort him to and from each of his hits. All of the dots end up connecting.

Jamie Foxx plays the cab driver, and Tom Cruise plays the contract killer. Both excel in their roles and drive the movie forward with captivating performances. Jada Pinkett Smith and Mark Ruffalo hold their own with significantly less screen time, and brilliant cameos from Javier Bardem and Barry Shabaka Henley round out the top-class acting. 

The screenplay is a perfect puzzle with no extra pieces. And each piece is a crucial element to the overall story. Director, Michael Mann, put the actors through the paces to bring the story to life. Months of prep work went into the character building, which only shows on the screen in the flow of the acting, but it was crucial for bringing out the intensity of the movie. The detail that went into creating the film’s world can be seen on the DVD extras in the making of the film. 

*If you want to see how months went into choreography, character building, scene prep, camera work, art direction, and the score of the film, check out the link— it gives a stunning inside look into how much work can go into the making of a movie.

Collateral has so much depth from a simple story because of the original script by Stuart Beattie. That framework allowed everyone involved to bring their expertise and talents to the table, which resulted in the powerful final product. The movie’s competence and quality in all departments are what makes it last in the annals of film history. It is certainly worth checking out for a future movie night.

Brainfood of the Week:

“Cognitive Distortions: 10 Examples of Distorted Thinking” – Healthline.com article

Cognitive distortions are thought patterns that promote inaccurate, usually negative, ways to view reality.

– Failing when trying something for the first time and assuming that you’re not good at it or that it’s not for you.

– Being able to cheer others’ accomplishments but not your own— Viewing what you did as not great and being subjectively negative about achievements. 

These are examples of cognitive distortions. They can occur as random thoughts or when you’re tired and stressed. But they can become habits if done often, which results in increased anxiety, depression, and difficulty interacting with others.

The Healthline.com article discusses the types of cognitive distortions, where they come from, and how you can change them. It is a useful article to review and can be a valuable tool for understanding these types of behavior. 

Whether cognitive distortions are something you experience or are something you see in the actions of others, being able to identify them is extremely helpful in recognizing and breaking out of the negative viewpoint.

Closing Prayer/Passage:

“Do not be led by others, awaken your own mind, amass your own experience, and decide for yourself your own path.”

– Atharva Veda

Something I’ve worked on over the past year is being present and being able to speak up and advocate for myself. It’s still a work in progress, but I believe listening to your heart is crucial in living your best life.

That doesn’t mean I’m always right, but it’s a good compass to go by, and I hope to always learn from my mistakes.

Have a blessed week ahead, and listen to your heart!

*P.S. My apologies to anyone who filled out a contact form on the Contact tab. There was an issue with the programming, and I did not receive your message. I have fixed the problem, and I will now be able to receive messages.

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2021 © Drew Alexander Ross