A great video about exploring the world, trying new things, and embracing curiosity! Really great short by CalArts third year film by Jeff Liu. via TKSST, CalArts Character Animation.
The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. -Alan Watts
Continuing on with works by Alan Watts, I found the above quote to be so simple, but so powerful. You can find out more about the life and work of Alan Watts here with a number of his lectures and essays here.
Alan Watts was an incredible thinker of his time, and spoke so much truth that still resounds in our day and age. This video in particular is still one of the most inspirational videos I’ve come across and reminds me of what’s important. What if money was no object? What would you end up doing?
| “Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing, than a long life that is spent in a miserable way.”
For the past couple years, I’ve been following The Buried Life in their journey of changing the world by getting others to dream big dreams, and they’ve become somewhat of an inspiration. These four regular guys came together with Invisible Children and Hanger Clinics to give a girl the opportunity to hug her dad for the first time, and the story is nothing short of incredible. Check it out!
Every now and then I think about the days before the Internet, and just exactly how we got along without the connectedness of the world. Pretty recently I came across this video that hit the idea on head. “Look Up” touches on the million different ways we try to connect with each other in our digital age, but are still so alone when it comes down to it.
| “This media we call social is anything but, when we open our computers and its our doors we shut.”
Insightful, to say the least.
I first came across the Holstee Manifesto a couple years ago and it’s still something that I come back to every couple months to remind myself what’s important. When I found out they made an actual video to go with the words, I couldn’t be happier. Check it out!
| The Holstee Manifesto is a call to action to live a life full of intention, creativity, passion, and community. The LifeCycle Film came about as a desire to bring the energy and passion behind the Manifesto to life through something we love–biking. As we seek to live mindful lifestyles that leave a positive impact on the people and world around us, biking has become a passion that is much more than a transportation alternative. It is a way of fully experiencing the city we love and all of its details.
See more here: www.holstee.com/manifesto
It’s always incredible when a video uses no dialogue whatsoever, but still manages to share an incredible and powerful message. The New York Times and filmmaker Jerome Thelia did an amazing job of capturing a man who turns garbage found around his hometown in the Congo, into a universal object: a soccer ball. In a part of the world that has been war-torn and ravaged with conflict, it’s incredible to see a side of the area that most aren’t exposed to in the media.
|“…children there still play with passion and joy – regardless of what kind of ball they are using.”
As graduation season comes to a close (high school included) I thought it was only right to share this incredible commencement speech by Admiral William H. McRaven at the University of Texas at Austin. Some tips on changing the world:
- If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed
- If you want to change the world, find someone to help you paddle.
- If you want to change the world, measure a person by the size of their heart, not by the size of their flippers.
- If you want to change the world, get over being a sugar cookie, and keep moving forward.
- If you want to change the world, don’t be afraid of the circuses.
- If you want to change the world, sometimes you have to slide down the obstacles headfirst.
- If you want to change the world, don’t back down from the sharks.
- If you want to change the world, you must be your very best in the darkest moments.
- If you want to change the world, start singing when you’re up to your neck in mud.
- If you want to change the world, don’t ever, ever ring the bell.