I yam what I yam

A year ago today due to horrific tragedies here in Richmond, I began think about how I wanted to live my life, what I wanted to get out of it, and what kind of legacy I would want to leave behind.

Also at that time, I thought about starting a blog to express my thoughts, to map out my projects, and to find like-minded people. I am so glad that I did that and I hope that in the new year I will be able to expand on accomplishing the goals that I made for myself back then. The next couple of posts will be about the things I've learned about myself and where I stand.

Today I want to list the movies and books that have influenced me and what lessons I have taken from them. I hope that they can also help others.

To Kill a Mockingbird (Film) (Book by Harper Lee) - Honor and Justice

Either see the movie or read the book. Both are excellent.

Inherit the Wind - Free Thought/ Anti-Censorship

I just saw this movie for the first time on New Year's Eve. Though a bit prejudiced in its portrayal of the religious figures in the town, it is still a great movie with a great message. Man has a right to question and make his own opinion, even when regarding religion.

The Girl in the Cafe - Domestic and Global Compassion

I LOVE this film. A young Scottish woman meets a man in a cafe and ends up interrupting the British Prime Minister's speech at the 2005 G8 summit in Reykjavik by clicking her fingers every 3 seconds to mark a child dying of extreme poverty in Africa. You must see this film.

What Should I do with My Life? by Po Bronson - Follow Your Dreams

Real life accounts of people who listened to their hearts and deviated their life paths to follow them. Some fought the seduction of $$$, what was expected of them, or staying the course of what they originally set out to be. All are incredibly brave people.

Any Jane Austen book - The Importance of Communication

The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - Sarcasm

It's also wickedly funny, while it plays upon the ideas of environmentalism, greed, bigotry, sloth, and spot on sarcasm.

"In the beginning, the Universe was created. This made a lot of people angry, and has been widely regarded as a bad idea."