I'm admittedly not a big movie buff, for better or worse. I watch them here and there (mostly comedies), and frequently find myself on the inept side of the conversation when film stars or popular titles get brought up. When it comes to action movies, you may as well ask a rock for their opinion. I think I've seen maybe one Hugh Jackman movie in my lifetime, which is probably a travesty to some or a miracle to others. I bring him up because he was featured on the latest episode of Tim Ferris' podcast, and the title and footnotes somehow sucked me in. So far the episode has been astoundingly good, much better than I had expected.
Right about where I paused it this morning, he told a story about him growing up in a strict Christian family (he still considers himself religious and even Christian, but in a much more Buddhist way). The story was about him talking with one of his mentors in regards to living a good Christian life. Discussing the Bible, sinning, how to honor God, etc. I'm not religious myself, but the line Jackman's mentor told him resonated with me much deeper than I would have expected:
Your religion should be in your actions.
I think this can be extrapolated to a broader crowd by replacing religion with intent. We all (hopefully) want to be people of good character who help others and make the world a better place. But it is not enough to want to do these things, or to follow/like positive accounts on social media that document the good that is happening in the world. Just as with religion and studying how a respective sector tries to honor their deity, the focus can sometimes be taken off the actions that the teaching intended to spark.
By no means am I calling religion a smokescreen for good deeds; I simply think we can spend too much time reflecting on what COULD be done, instead of actually taking action. This is a human issue, not a religious one. But I hope that whatever you believe, you can take more action in the future to reflect what you stand for. Our world can always use more good, in any form you're able to conjure. Don't let your words do the talking.
"A Single Seed" is my attempt to get out one idea every day that I've learned or accumulated over the years, with the hope that it may stick in someone else's memory bank as well. The idea may be related to fitness, business, life, or philosophy, but I think you'll find that many can change domains if you wish them to. With each seed planted, a new life awaits.
Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/evarinaldiphotography/8289847294