Stories and images that help us understand life, relationships, work, love, and happiness come in many forms: Books, movies, articles, poetry, paintings, photos, oral stories, philosophy, religion, architecture, and other arts of all forms. Toward that end, in addition to our discussions in the office, I recommend readings, movies, and other activities to those of you grappling to create happier more loving lives. I will create a list here, that I will modify from time to time, of items that I think may be helpful. It is important to remember that storytellers, artists, use symbols and metaphor to convey their messages. It is up to the reader, viewer, seeker to see the metaphor and make their own sense of the symbols.
Books
Becker, Ernest. The Denial of Death . New York: Free Press Paperbacks, 1973.
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave , Written by Himself . New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2001.
Hesse, Hermann. Siddhartha -- An Indian Tale . Translation by Joachim Neugroschel. New York: Penguin Classics, 1999.
Kumar, Satish. The Buddha and the Terrorist: The Story of Angulimala . London: Green Books, 2005.
Ruiz, don Miguel. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom -- A Toltec Wisdom Book . San Rafael,CA: Amber-Allen Publishing, 1997.
Williams, Mark. Mindfulness: An 8 Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World . New York: Rodale, Inc., 2011.
Movies (In Theatres or on DVD)
"Adam", 2009
"Adaptation", 2002.
"Crazy in Alabama", 1999.
"Defending Your Life", 1991.
"The Fifth Element", 1997.
"The Help", 2011.
"Little Buddha", 1993.
"The Matrix", 1999.
"Monsoon Wedding", 2001.
"Night Falls on Manhattan", 1997.
"Queen to Play", 2009.
Paintings
The National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC. Particularly pay attention to the brief bios along side the paintings of American slaves and Native Americans. What are the stories, as you see them? What do you take from them?
Podcasts
"Aubrey Ralph on Bipolar Disorder", To The Best of Our Knowledge, Wisconsin Public Radio, PRI, 5/29/2011
http://www.ttbook.org/book/aub...
"Be Here Now: Meditation for the Body and Brain". Science Friday, NPR, 1/20/2012.
http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201201202
"Stories of You". To the Best of Our Knowledge, Wisconsin Public Radio, PRI, 2/19/2012.
http://www.ttbook.org/book/sto...