BOOK REPORT
TV: Churchill at War on Netflix
I’m in my “Churchill Era.” After finishing The Splendid and the Vile, I craved more about Winston Churchill and discovered this documentary series on Netflix. It is part documentary and part historical reenactment. It features many of Churchill’s famous quotes and the context from which they came. I’m a big fan, and I loved every episode.
When a book combines two of my favorite subjects, World War II and The Mafia, there is no way I can resist, and why should I? I had briefly heard of the story of Charles “Lucky” Luciano and his help with the war effort and the landing of the Allied soldiers at Sicily, but I didn’t know the true story. This book reveals all of the facts, and I was not disappointed. I sure wish they’d make it into a movie.
MOVIE: Midway (2019) on Netflix
I’m quite late to this party, but I came across this movie while looking through Netflix and decided it was about time I watched it. How can I call myself a World War II Media Junkie without adding this one to the list? I visited Pearl Harbor when I was about nine years old. My parents explained it to me, but I didn’t fully grasp the significance of the experience until many years later. I’ve also spent a lot of time in the last year learning about the war in the Pacific Theater, and I have a long way to go.
The Battle at Midway was pivotal in the war against Japan, and the story is fascinating. There are countless stories of soldiers, sailors and airmen and their heroic actions, but only a fraction of these stories have been told. This movie reminds us that the freedom we enjoy is not free, and it makes you want to jump on the couch and chant USA USA USA!
TV: Vietnam – The War That Changed America on Apple+
After finishing The Women by Kristin Hannah last month for Book Club, I can’t stop thinking about the Vietnam War. Sierra found this limited series on Apple+, an in-depth look at the war. The presence of photographers, film crews and the press in the combat zone during this time was unprecedented. The result is a visual documentary that profoundly tells the story. Survivors tell the stories of both sides of the conflict, and it is a dramatic, painful tale of world history.
COMMONPLACE
“If you understood him, it would not be God.” — St. Augustine
“Self is everywhere, shining forth from all beings,
vaster than the vast, subtler than the most subtle,
unreachable, yet nearer than breath, than heartbeat.
Eye cannot see it, ear cannot hear it nor tongue
utter it; only in deep absorption can the mind,
grown pure and silent, merge with the formless truth.
He who finds it is free; he has found himself;
he has solved the great riddle; his heart is forever at peace.
Whole, he enters the Whole. His personal self
returns to its radiant, intimate, deathless source.
As rivers lose name and form when they disappear
into the sea, the sage leaves behind all traces
when he disappears into the light. Perceiving the truth,
he becomes the truth; he passes beyond all suffering,
beyond death; all the knots of his heart are loosed.”
— Mundaka Upanishads, written more than 2,500 years ago
“On funerals, loss, grief, friendship, and support: It’s not about knowing what to say. It’s about being there when nobody knows what to say. The only thing people need to hear is, “You are not alone.” And that doesn’t require words. It just requires your presence.” — James Clear
“If you do not bend, you will break. The adaptable prevail. Determined, but flexible.” — James Clear
“If you make lists of lofty goals, it can be easy to leave them to accumulate, as happens sometimes, into a mountain of to-do’s and notes and half-forgotten plans. Dreaming alone is seductive, even a little sweet, since it lacks the pain of trying. So it feels proper to prize attempts more than dreams. You should have ideals, but you cannot only love an idealized future, you must cultivate a love of effort, too. If you really want something, then the soul must make demands of the body.” — Simon Sarris, Writer
“Spend today interpreting whatever people do in the most generous way. See if you feel better as a result.” — James Clear
“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it. The same is true of any endeavor: if the solution you seek doesn’t exist, create it.” — Tony Morrison
“Every act of conscious learning requires the willingness to suffer an injury to one’s self-esteem. That is why young children, before they are aware of their own self-importance, learn so easily; and why older persons, especially if vain or important, cannot learn at all.” — Psychiatrist Thomas Szasz
“There are two ways to live a longer life:
1) Biologically. Extend the timeline between your birth and your death.
2) Psychologically. Fit more lives into whatever time you are given.
Make each decade rich with experiences and perhaps you can live a handful of lives before you are done.” — James Clear