Strength, Skyfall and Theme Songs #atozchallenge #Monday #movie #meme

“Let the Skyfall. When it crumbles, we will stand tall. Face it all together.”

British singer Adele penned and performed one of my favorite songs of all time – “Skyfall.” Winner of an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song, it is the theme to the latest James Bond movie of the same name. I find it especially inspirational because the above lyrics from this tune could be used by anyone as a sort of mantra for getting through tough times.

In the last 60 days, I found out that at least two people I know lost a close family member, two more individuals have been in and out of the hospital for serious health issues and several others have faced technological, legal, financial, physical and personal problems. This isn’t anything new – at any given time we are all dealing with like 99 problems and counting. Just last summer, I met a dude with lung cancer (I think it was in the lungs…it’s been a while, so I forgot the location of the cancer) who told me that he wanted to blow himself away. What does this song have to do with the unrelated difficulties these strangers’ are dealing with? The common ground they have in shared setbacks.

On Saturday this past weekend, someone said to me “At least you woke up this morning,” after I mentioned having a very long and not-so-pleasant week. I’m all too familiar with that saying, as it’s been repeated by many people over the years. In fact, I have developed a rather strong aversion to it because I could never understand the point of it. I always thought “What’s so damn special about waking up in the morning; especially if you’re still in the same predicament (or worse) than you were in yesterday?" Fortunately, I’ve began to realize that I may be looking at it all wrong. The special sauce in waking up in the morning is your ability to get out of or go through your predicament. This can be done even quicker if you learn from someone else who has already done it or is doing it, which is where Adele comes in.

I perceive the lyrics to the “Skyfall” song to be a testament to the fact that no matter what you’re going through, regardless of how bad it is, there is someone else who has either dealt with the same problem or is currently facing it now.

Although the friends and family that many people look to for solace in whatever issues they have, is an awesome source of support, there is also a sense of unity in the fact that you can find strength in strangers.

Men, women and even children whom you would have probably never met otherwise had it not been for you stumbling in life are now a source of strength. This doesn’t just work one way either – you might be a source of support or inspiration for someone and not even know it.

So, maybe that’s what’s so special about waking up in the morning – you just might learn something about someone that makes you glad that you did wake up – or you just might be the person who makes someone else glad that he or she woke up in the morning. I suppose, when you look at it that way, there’s nothing like knowing you have the world on your side to stand tall with when it seems like sky is crumbling down. Keeping on topic, the theme for this week’s Monday Movie Meme is inspired by Adele, Stumbling Blocks and YOU: Inspirational Movie Theme Songs.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, the most inspirational movie theme songs that you ever heard. It would also help if you add why the song(s) inspire you. I already made it clear what one of my top selections for this week’s meme is; now it’s your turn!

What are some of the most inspirational movie theme songs YOU ever heard?

How do YOU cope with the falling skies in your life?

What Makes Us Right? – The Sean Penn Revolution #atozchallenge

*Language Alert: This post contains some explicit language. If you are among the faint at heart or sensitive to certain words, consider this advance notice.

“If I yell a little louder than you, does that make me right?” asks a U.S. diplomat named Joseph Wilson in the biography thriller “Fair Game” starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. This line occurs in the scene where Joseph’s (played by Penn) wife Valerie Plame (played by Watts) urges him to stop doing television appearances and talking to the press about war and government cover-ups. Their argument puts them at war with each other after White House officials leaked Valerie’s identity as a CIA operative, following Joseph’s editorial questioning the validity of the government’s claims of finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Valerie is pissed that Joseph has the audacity to battle with the White House -- an entity that has power to wreak havoc on their already tumultuous lives; he wants her to realize that there are bigger things at stake if they sit back and do nothing about the lies being spread by their government. Putting the subject matter of “Fair Game” aside, I am especially fond of this movie line because it applies to any situation and is food for thought when something just doesn’t seem – well, right.

It serves as a reminder that you do an injustice to yourself, your fellow man and future generations of people if you don’t stand up to entities that abuse their liberties just because they are in a position that allows this to happen. Our legal system from family court to criminal matters and so on is one of the best examples of how the truth gets bent, twisted around – or even fabricated to meet the needs of somebody’s (whether that be the prosecutors, police, judge, jury, those who testify or any other position related to a case) agenda. The justice system, however, is just the tip of the iceberg; there is foul play going on in our boardrooms, in our child welfare “protection” agencies, in our healthcare system, in our educational systems and in our backyards.

Families even fight each other over who gets entitled to what when a loved one dies, who gets to claim whom on income tax returns and who makes the decisions about medical care for relative who are incapacitated. I personally know of two instances where relatives started engaging in funny business over real estate and related assets.

From large corporations and government entities to communities with neighbors at war with each other over dogs urinating on someone else's front lawn or toddlers trampling a garden, people make up what they want to justify their planned course of action – whatever that may be. 

To me, Sean Penn’s (or Joseph Wilson – however you want to name him) question is about two things:

• Being right in the authenticity of information that you are either sending out or receiving.

• Being right about how you handle (or behave in the circumstance of) someone challenging said information.

Question everything, because even the most credible sources can be wrong. That means even if claims or information comes to you from your very best friend, your mother or father, the pope, Elton John, Beyoncé, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, PETA, Matt Lauer and even The White House etc. -- do not take everything that you read or hear or see, at face value. Also, don’t be afraid to call people on their bullshit if for at any minute, you suspect that there is some funny business going on.

Those in more prominent positions are no more (or no less) truthful than the little man. This is not only reflected in “Fair Game;” We saw it in “Gasland” and “Erin Brockovich” where the everyday Joe stood up to greed, health dangers and environmental pollution.

We saw it in “The General’s Daughter” and “A Few Good Men” where, though tragic, military officials with tormented pasts or dwindling reputations still managed to bring down the corruption of high ranking officers involved in murder, rape and intimidation tactics. We also saw it in “I am Sam” where a mentally disabled man and his ruthless lawyer challenge their state’s attempts to relinquish a father’s custody rights. Yes, arguments can be made against the premise of the latter example, but, I would request that you entertain the gist of the idea for the sake of this post.

When was the last time YOU stood up to something (or someone) that you believed wasn’t Right?

What are some indications that let YOU know you’re receiving the right information or treatment or service, etc.?

A Lesson on Quality from ‘The Lone Ranger’ #atozchallenge

“Forget the movie; I’d pay ten bucks just to look at this picture,” said David Letterman during his Johnny Depp interview for the upcoming action western, “The Lone Ranger.”

Letterman loves the still photo of a horse-riding scene where Depp plays a North American warrior named Tonto in the movie.

There is little room for error in the making and marketing of this $200+ million budgeted Disney flick. So, when an Emmy-winning talk show host like David Letterman delivers positive remarks about the smallest of details – a photo being just as worthwhile as the movie it represents -- you know the producers, cast and crew have done well by executing on one of key factors that makes all the difference in whether or not we live exceptional lives: Quality.

It is important to aim for quality in what you do as well as in the materials and services received from other people. This doesn’t mean you should meet or expect perfection always without fail; setting yourself up to get it right every time puts you in a better position to excel or come closer to doing so, right out of the gate.

• Put your best foot forward when participating in activities at home and at work. Don’t throw something together just to get it done. Do the kind of work that you’d be proud to share with others or at the very least, satisfied enough to want to repeat it or revel in it. 

• Put yourself in another person’s shoes and ask if you would pay for the work that you’ve done, the advice that you’ve given or the acts of service that you received. If the answer is yes, then chances are that it is of some quality. If the answer is no, then it’s time to go back to the drawing board to make improvements, or else you’ll be flirting with a state of mediocrity – and that does you no good.

• Give your undivided attention to the people who you interact with and the tasks you’re engaged in at the moment. Imagine how off-putting it feels to share a meal with someone who is so busy on his or her phone that the conversation between you two lacks substance. Think about how (not) fun it is to be in a car surrounded by drivers who are so busy texting, doing their makeup or participating in other distractions that they aren’t even looking at the road.

• Accept and use items that are built to last; cheap products and lots of mass-produced goods do not spell Q-U-A-L-I-T-Y. Buy local if you can.

While there is no guarantee that you will get high quality results in all areas of life that involve both short and long-term needs, refusing to settle for the easiest or most convenient options will likely backfire, eventually leaving you unfulfilled.

David Letterman considers Johnny Depp’s horse-riding photo from “The Lone Ranger” to be so fantastic that it “looks like a Charles Russell rendering,” especially since the actor looks like he knows what he’s doing on a pony.

Interestingly enough, Depp, who slipped, dropped and was almost “horrifically mangled” by this horse during one speedy obstacle run while shooting, told Letterman that the photo is the result of a few seconds before things went very sideways on set. Depp’s experience with what Letterman calls an “excellent” movie reminded me that while you don’t need to be perfect, you can find grand moments in the rubble of almost any circumstance to create, consume and engage in something of merit. This applies in the details of a thing; the pieces of a puzzle; not just in the main attraction.

What are one some of the things that affect YOUR Quality of life for better or worse?

Can YOU an item, product or service where you refuse to skimp on Quality?

When was the last time that YOU put convenience (or size, name, referral, color, price, familiarity, smell, texture, brand recognition, etc.) over Quality?