Movies

My top 5:

The Matrix

Gandhi

Silence of the Lambs

District 9

Rocketman

I've seen every single one at least three times, and that matters because I don't rewatch a movie unless I think I'll get something more out of it by watching it a second time--and I've seen a ton of damn good movies.

I can't exactly pinpoint what makes a great movie in my opinion, but here is a start, which I think is true of all of my top 5: it has to say something fundamental or profound about human nature, and perhaps make me self-reflect in some meaningful way.

Great People in One's Life

I have come to realize something about the kind of people I admire, that they all possess two fundamental characteristics. They 1) try to live honestly and 2) are genuine people.

As a philosopher, those two characteristics are technical terms for me, that have very specific meanings, and are not terms I throw around lightly. It is an honor for me, when I am able to think about someone I know/know of, and describe them as such.

Ben Casnocha, one of my favorite bloggers, wrote a post a while ago dedicated to nine icons in his life. I definitely want to imitate the idea and write a similar post, and in fact I think it would make for an interesting annual habit, to reflect every year on the people one admires the most, and see how the list transforms over the years, as one grows and discovers more admirable people. I think the old saying was, "You are who you know," and the new saying should be. "You are who you want to know."