Tuesdays with Muerte

Preface This preface is both a "thank you" and an apology. I'm excited you are interested enough to engage with the topic. I'm sorry this isn't a conversation. This is a bit heavier than most of my stuff. Please only read on if this interests you.  Where Did This Question Come From? I was exploring the topic of Campbell's The Hero's Journey when I came across a Disney ad that clearly suggested that  Jiminy Cricket  was  Pinocchio's mentor, but I wasn't so sure. The video's title was  Pinocchio | Sidekicks And Mentors | Disney+ . According to Campbell, sidekicks and mentors are two very different roles. I wondered why Disney couldn't commit to a single label for Jiminy .  "Is he a sidekick or mentor?" To be fair, they probably intended for Jiminy to serve both roles, like Timothy the Mouse from  Dumbo  (1941), but the question still got my wheels turning. "What about the Blue Fairy?" Meeting Pinocchio, the Blue Fairy, and...

Introduction I listened to the lyrics to the AJR song,  BANG!  for the first time today and immediately noticed its connection to suicide. Curious why this wasn't obvious to more people, I googled it and discovered that I may be  one of the few people who think this way. I'm not crazy, right? Pexels.com Song Analysis Listen to the chorus: "Everybody come hang (come hang). Let's go out with a bang. Bang! Bang! Bang!" These repeated words brought to my mind a couple of terrifying statistics:  Suicide is the SECOND leading cause of death for college-age youth and youth ages 12-18 ( CDC WISQARS ) The two leading methods of suicide (in high-income countries) are hanging and firearms ( The Parent Resource Program ). As I continued to examine the song lyrics, I realized EVERYTHING about the song supported my interpretation. This radio hit doesn't necessarily glorify suicide. It's more of a social commentary on the frustrating plight of American youngsters. It ...

Pexels Brigham Young University (BYU) students, like students anywhere else, are susceptible to the winter blues. Here are some common ways students might cope with the winter season: Outdoor Activities : Taking advantage of  winter intramural sports and activities  can be a great way to stay active and enjoy the season. Additionally, students might prefer going out on their own by taking advantage of local, world-class skiing or snowboarding resorts Alta or Snowbird , or simply taking a walk in the snow. Don't like the cold? Soak in the sunshine by heading to St. George for a day. Indoor Recreation : Keep up with exercise routines and plan weekly activities to break the winter routine. BYU and Provo offer indoor recreational facilities where students can engage in activities like pickleball, or  swimming at the Richards Building (RB), rock climbing at the Quarry, or playing indoor activities with friends during open court times at the RB gyms. Whatever indoor activit...

Why Djoker Will Win the 2023 Aussie Open I just finished watching Novak Djokovic's 4th-round, post-game, on-court interview, and I can just tell he will win. On top of all the other incredible things he has going for him, there is about his confident swagger and playful demeanor cinched it for me. Here's what he said in the interview:  Jim Courier: ' I'm not going to ask you HOW you beat him so convincingly; I'm gonna ask you WHY you beat him so convincingly. ' ― American tennis great Jim Courier said to Novak Djoker  Djokovic after the later dismantled his opponent Alex de Minaur in straight sets.  Djoker : ' Because I wanted to ,' Djoker calmly replied with a grin on his face.  *Mic drop* Did you catch it? Did you sense Djokovic's X-factor in the interview ?  It resides somewhere in the mental/emotional domain. This elusive element, combined with his physical preparation will make him unstoppable. I'm still unsure how to exactly define this X-...

James Clear by pxfuel My mom emailed me this great list of talks to read. I am currently reading them and would love for you to join me. Click the links below to jump to a specific speech. On each page, you'll find a full transcript of the speech as well as some additional background information, most of which was put together by  James Clear , author of Atomic Habits . Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,  “The Danger of a Single Story” Jeff Bezos,  “Statement by Jeff Bezos to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary” Jeff Bezos,  “What Matters More Than Your Talents” John C. Bogle,  “Enough” Brené Brown, “ The Anatomy of Trust “ John Cleese,  “Creativity in Management” William Deresiewicz,  “Solitude and Leadership” Richard Feynman,  “Seeking New Laws” Neil Gaiman,  “Make Good Art” John W. Gardner,  “Personal Renewal” Elizabeth Gilbert,  “Your Elusive Creative Genius” Albert E. N. Gray,  “The Common Denominator of Success” Bill Gurley,...

1. The Moral Roots of Liberals and Conservatives • Disabuse yourself of your natural self-righteous position by acknowledging that everyone believes they are right, and by being open to others' experiences. • Step out of the moral Matrix to which we are all connected. "If you want the truth to stand clear before you, never be for or against. The struggle between 'for' and 'against' is the mind's worst disease;” ― Jianzhi Sengcan (15:10) 2. How to Step Outside your Biases • The phrase, "man is the measure of all things," is a self-serving rationalization disguised as philosophy. Seek truth. not confirmation. (5:00) • It's seductive to believe that all your believes happen to be true. Being right feels good, which leads to seeking support your position and acting in bad faith. (5:58) • Social media (including Google) is designed to feed us information that cooresponds to beliefs we already espouse, re-inforcing our respective confirmat...