moviewise

One documentary that demonstrates finding flow (happiness) in work is Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011), which is the story of Japanese master chef Jiro Ono, who is a Shokunin, an expert craftsman who strives for perfection and feels great fulfillment and joy from yearning to improve bit by bit. He explains it thusly,

"You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That’s the secret of success and is the key to being regarded honorably. […] . Even at my age, after decades of work, I don’t think I have achieved perfection. But I feel ecstatic all day. I love making sushi. That’s the spirit of the Shokunin."

From:

https://moviewise.substack.com/p/going-through-an-existentia...

Steve Jobs: One Last Thing (2011)

Woody Allen (2012)

SlingShot (2014)

With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story (2010)

Breaking the Maya Code (2008)

Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037 (2007)

From:

Six Films That Leave You Better Off

https://moviewise.substack.com/p/six-films-that-leave-you-be...

"Note that on average most people have fewer friends than their friends have, a phenomenon known as the friendship paradox, which means that one is unlikely to be friends with someone who has very few friends. In other words, building a larger social network is essential to making friends.

And how does one build a larger social network? By taking an interest in others, or taking an interest in something and finding likeminded others who will then seem interesting."

From: https://moviewise.substack.com/p/movie-wisdom-on-making-frie...

A home movie theater with a large screen, comfortable seating, and quality sound is very nice to have.

There is a documentary about the psychology of financial decisions (behavioral economics): Mind Over Money: Nova (2010) https://moviewise.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/mind-over-money-n...

"Emotion may lead you to make bad financial decisions. For example, people who feel sad will pay more, sometimes four times more, for a consumer product than those who do not feel sad."

The "Nash equilibrium" also delves a bit into the psychology of decision making: https://www.reddit.com/r/math/comments/1tc80g/is_the_explana...

"One way we can indirectly measure the amount of ventilation in a space is to use a carbon dioxide monitor. Humans exhale CO2 when we breathe, so levels of this gas provide a good proxy for how diluted the air is. Values below about 800 parts per million are potentially well ventilated."

Duke: “We’re all wired into a survival trip now. No more of the speed that fueled the ’60s. That was the fatal flaw in Tim Leary’s trip. He crashed around America, selling “consciousness expansion” without ever giving a thought to the grim meat-hook realities that were lying in wait for all those people who took him seriously—all those pathetically eager acid freaks who thought they could buy peace and understanding for three bucks a hit. But their loss and failure is ours, too. What Leary took down with him was the central illusion of a whole lifestyle that he helped create. A generation of permanent cripples, failed seekers who never understood the essential old-mystic fallacy of the acid culture: the desperate assumption that somebody, or at least some force, is tending the light at the end of the tunnel.“ From:

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

https://moviewise.substack.com/p/movies-that-are-frightening

There is a great documentary on Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway Personal Transporter, that I highly recommend: https://moviewise.wordpress.com/2015/12/07/slingshot/

My two cents about the main reason the Segway didn't take off is that many people attacked it out of fear that it would take over sidewalks and put pedestrians in danger. It doesn't fit comfortably in a shared sidewalk, or bike lane, or road with all the other transportation options available. And the high cost made it impossible for it to become the dominant alternative transportation form. However, it works well in warehouses and for policing/security.

You're a combination of a lucky, healthy, fast sperm AND an equally fast, healthy, and lucky EGG. One egg survives to ovulate out a handful because it outpaces and outgrows all the other eggs vying to ovulate. Without the egg, there is no you.

"Focusing on tragedy will make you miserable, and no matter what horror you have experienced, focusing on tragedy will only increase that horror."

From:

The Meaning Of Life

https://moviewise.substack.com/p/the-meaning-of-life

"Newsom’s draft proposal includes a potential forgivable loan for PG&E for up to $1.4 billion and would require state agencies to act quickly to clear the way for the reactors to continue running."

"Environmental groups depicted the move as a “dangerous” betrayal of the 2016 pact. “Legislators should reject it out of hand,” said a joint statement from Friends of the Earth, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Environment California."

"Ralph Cavanagh of the Natural Resources Defense Council said the plan would provide sweeping exemptions from environmental rules, including the California Environmental Quality Act."

> I see how little I saw before.

I have a similar feeling when I focus on drawing for animation. Suddenly you see all the detail, color, and beauty in a tiny insignificant flower growing around a parking lot that most people don’t even notice is there.

“Remember this adage developed by the U.S. Navy in 1960, KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid. Avoid unnecessary complexity.”

From:

KISS For Health, Wealth, and Happiness

Cats, Coca-Cola, And Documentary Movies That Show “Simple” Is A Force Of Good

https://moviewise.substack.com/p/kiss-for-health-wealth-and-...

“Bread should be stored in the original package at room temperature and used within 5 to 7 days. However, bread stored in the refrigerator will have a longer shelf-life due to delayed mold growth and may be firmer.”

"Tomatoes continue to ripen after harvesting and should be stored at room temperature."

"Removing the tops of carrots, radishes, and beets prior to refrigerator storage will reduce loss of moisture and extend shelf-life."

Because being surprised is funny.

This is the best way to get a laugh:

"You show the fat lady approaching; then you show the banana peel; then you show the fat lady and the banana peel together; then she steps over the banana peel and disappears down a manhole."

—Charlie Chaplin

Laughter is the reaction to being surprised in a safe environment.

From:

https://moviewise.substack.com/p/the-funniest-movie-scene

Thanks for the response!

Did you give them a whole orange without cutting the top off, for example, you just put a whole unpeeled orange in the cage and they chewed off part of the peel, but not too much, so they could crawl inside the shell? Any pictures?

There are a few prerequisites (proper sleep, nutrition, exercise) and many ways (social connections, meaningful activities, grateful attitude) to being happy.

From: Going Through An Existential Crisis? https://moviewise.substack.com/p/going-through-an-existentia...

I got some donations to my newsletter for this HN post: The Wisdom in Kung Fu Panda

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30778692

If there is a movie you found to have a personally meaningful message or life lesson you can be a Guest Writer on "moviewise: Life Lessons From Movies."

Many of the writers share their newsletters/blogs as part of their bios.

Here are all the published Guest Posts so you can see what that can look like: https://moviewise.substack.com/s/-guest-posts

You can take a vow to never get angry again

"If you think about it, isn’t anger the most pointless of the emotions? It’s beastly, isn’t it? When people act in anger, they really are betraying the animal within, all “red in tooth and claw,” as poet Alfred Lord Tennyson put it.

[...]

We have brains that, for the most part, we can control. We’re not just mindlessly going about our day being led astray by impulses that control us. We can learn ethics and have morals to guide our behavior so that we can always remember to never intentionally cause harm or discomfort to others.

We can have a say and make choices about what we experience and how we react. We can use our logic and reason to mitigate the effects of strong emotions in order to have better outcomes for ourselves and those around us."

From: https://moviewise.substack.com/p/a-vow-to-never-get-angry-ag...

Why not both? We can optimize for happiness and meaning:

"First, let’s disentangle the difference between feeling sad, empty, and dissatisfied with life, versus wondering that the purpose of life is all about. They are somewhat related in that people who are content with life and the opportunities it offers don’t generally feel bad when thinking about philosophical questions like, what is the meaning of life?"

From: Going Through An Existential Crisis? Some Advice On Happiness From A Few Good Movies https://moviewise.substack.com/p/going-through-an-existentia...

Plant more trees: https://trilliontrees.org/

But you could make small pits on the bottom of a pot with a metal drill bit, couldn't you? And this would increase the surface area contacting the water and heating it, right?

So thinning out the bottom of the pot with a metal drill bit won't work? Why not?

“First, you need to find some interests, some hobbies, some passions etc., so that you can contribute meaningfully to conversations. Meeting like-minded people then becomes very easy and very natural, since you can attend events (even virtual ones) where nearly everyone enjoys what you enjoy, and most will want to talk about it, or engage in some way.

But it turns out that it takes some work to discover these interests, hobbies, passions, etc.”

From: https://moviewise.substack.com/p/movie-wisdom-on-making-frie...

In Santa Cruz, California, where monarch butterflies roost in winter:

"The number of Natural Bridges’ overwintering butterflies is still down more than 95 percent since 1997, and the Tasmanian blue gum eucalyptus canopy that has sheltered generations of butterflies is falling apart."

"Eucalyptus trees have small leaves that are thin enough for monarchs to wrap their feet around. For longer than anyone can remember, those trees have also provided the butterflies a convenient food source and a haven during the winter months, like a warm blanket or an umbrella to protect them from the wind and rain."

https://www.goodtimes.sc/eucalyptus-grove-monarch-butterflie...

What you can do: Plant more eucalyptus trees in California

Monarch butterflies in California need eucalyptus trees for their winter roost https://milliontrees.me/2013/11/01/monarch-butterflies-in-ca...

Monarch butterflies in California need eucalyptus trees for their winter roost

https://milliontrees.me/2013/11/01/monarch-butterflies-in-ca...

You could try watching movies based on books: https://moviewise.substack.com/p/great-movies-based-on-books