Entries Tagged 'Entertainment' ↓

Tyler Durden: “We’re consumers. We are by-products of a lifestyle obsession. Murder, crime, poverty, these things don’t concern me. What concerns me are celebrity magazines, television with 500 channels, some guy’s name on my underwear. Rogaine, Viagra, Olestra.”

Narrator: “Martha Stewart. ”

Tyler Durden: “F*ck Martha Stewart. Martha’s polishing the brass on the Titanic. It’s all going down, man. So f*ck off with your sofa units and Strinne green stripe patterns. ”

The movie fight club is filled with memorable quotes like this one…But embedded in the movie are also some great lessons that can be applied to everyday life.

1. Listen to people…Don’t just wait for your turn to talk

There is a scene in fight club where Edward Norton’s character talks about the reason he goes to group sessions for people with cancer and other illnesses.  He says that “When people think you’re dying, they really, really listen to you, instead of just (waiting for their turn to speak)”  The sentence is finished by another character in the film.  What this shows you though is that people DO realize that you are not paying attention when they are talking to you.  Shut off the cell phone or blackberry, do not glance around the room for someone more interesting.  Stand there, make eye contact, and really listen to what someone is saying.

2. We are victims of consumerism

Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt’s character) states…”The things you own end up owning you. Right. We are consumers. We’re the bi-products of a lifestyle obsession”  We do not NEED all the things we think we need, and NEWSFLASH! when we get the things we think we need…they probably aren’t making us any happier.

3. Do something for someone else

There is a scene in the movie where Tyler Durden takes a young store clerk behind the store and puts a gun to his head.  He scares the shit out of the young guy, then he asks him what he wants to do with his life.  He ends up saying that he would like to be a veterinarian.  Tyler then tells him he is keeping his license and he is going to check in on the young man, if he isn’t on his way to becoming a veteranarean in a few weeks…Tyler will kill him.  A bit drastic agreed, but as Tyler Durden explains…”Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of Raymond K. Hessel’s life. His breakfast will taste better than any meal you and I have ever tasted. ”  You can bet that Raymond also probably enrolled in school…We should try to have an impact on someone else’s life.  Maybe a big life altering impact (but perhaps a little more subtle than a gun.)

4. Steer clear of major corporations

The small gang made up of the “fight club” has a major problem with corporations.  A good deal of their energy is spent trying to bring down these massively powerful corporations.  While this approach they take is rather primitive, it does reinforce a good point.  Corporations are becoming too powerful.  Everywhere you look you see nothing but chain restaurants, chain gas stations, and chain retial stores.  Forget the few dollars you will save at the chain…Give the mom and pop shop a try.  Chances are, you will get better tasting food, better quality products, and better service.

5. Seize the Day

“This is your life and it’s ending one minute at a time.”  This quote is a somewhat negative way to look at life, but the idea behind it is to live for the moment.  Don’t put off till tomorrow, what you could do today. 

6. Do that thing that you have always wanted to do

Tyler Durden is threatening a driving crash and he asks the people in their car what it is they will regret they hadn’t done before they died…two of the men have immediate answers “paint a self-portrait”, “build a house”.  Figure out the answer to this question, then go do it.

7. Accept things outside of your control

“I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say let… lets evolve, let the chips fall where they may.”  We do not have to do/have everything.  Accept your life.  Be proud of it.

8. Challenge the status quo

The question is raised…Why do they have oxygen masks on a plane?  The response…”Oxygen gets you high. In a catastrophic emergency, you’re taking giant panicked breaths. Suddenly you become euphoric, docile. You accept your fate. It’s all right here. Emergency water landing - 600 miles an hour. Blank faces, calm as Hindu cows.”  This is obviously not the rationale that is given, or even what would be accepted.  But…when you think about it…it seems like it could be possible.  Approach all situations creatively, the solution may not be what is obvious and apparent.

9. Persistence is key

Tyler tells Edward Norton’s character, “All right, if the applicant is young, tell him he’s too young. Old, too old. Fat, too fat. If the applicant then waits for three days without food, shelter, or encouragement he may then enter and begin his training.”  Sometimes we are tested by people or situations.  Be persistent, don’t let “quitter” define you.

10. Not everyone is a winner

The current generation that is being raised is a generation where every kid on the team is the “MVP”, everyone is picked for every team, everyone is special.  The real world is not like this.  There are winners and losers, and the people that learn from their losses are the ones who end up winners.  Much of what happens in life is a result of the hard work you put in, and the “luck” that you create.

11. Live your LIFE!

“If you are reading this then this warning is for you. Every word you read of this useless fine print is another second off your life. Don’t you have other things to do? Is your life so empty that you honestly can’t think of a better way to spend these moments? Or are you so impressed with authority that you give respect and credence to all that claim it? Do you read everything you’re supposed to read? Do you think every thing you’re supposed to think? Buy what you’re told to want? Get out of your apartment. Meet a member of the opposite sex. Stop the excessive shopping and masturbation. Quit your job. Start a fight. Prove you’re alive. If you don’t claim your humanity you will become a statistic. You have been warned”

Photo Credits: deep-focus.com

P.S. I have entered this post in a contest for “best title” being run at problogger.com

If you have a couple minutes head to his site to check out some other good blogs.  Thanks for reading.

We have all heard plenty about Michael Phelps and his domination of the pool, but what most people probably didn’t hear about is Matt Emmons.  Matt Emmons is considered one of the premier sport shooters in the world.  He’s won numerous events, but seems to choke at the Olympics.  In Athens in ‘04 on his very last shot he fired at the wrong target, resulting in a slip from 1^st to 8^th. In Beijing this year, looking for sweet redemption, on his last shot Matt’s finger slipped and pulled the trigger prematurely causing an errant shot and again costing him the gold.

What I highlight however is the fact that back in ‘04 Matt lost the Gold…but managed to pick up something else, The Girl.  He met his now wife Katerina Emmons while drowning his sorrows in a cold one at the bar in ‘04.  So despite the let down from years of preparation, Matt was still smooth enough to get the girl.  Kudos Matt.

Check out this TIME article for some more detail.

Man Trademark:

- Gets the girl, no matter what.

The first in the series of weekly lessons, The History of the Olympics, tells the story of how the modern games came to be…

The poet Pindar credits Heracles (Hercules) with creating the first Olympic games, in what is believed to have been 776.  The Olympics took place every 4 years as is still custom.  At the peak of the games there were approximately 20 events.  The Olympics in Ancient Greece had a strong Religious influence as most things did at that time period.  The games were held in honor of Zeus and sacrifices were made at the front of his 40 foot tall likeness (which is one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world).  If you have ever read The Iliad or the Odyssey than you are probably not surprised to see the mixing in of religion with life.

The games gained more and more popularity, peaking in the 5^th and 6^th centuries BC.  The games popularity declined as the Romans began gaining power in Greece..  Then they were eventually banned when Christianity was named the official religion in AD 393.

Various miniscule “Olympics” took place in the 1800’s in Europe, but it wasn’t until a wealthy Greek man named Evangelos Zappas sponsored the first modern Olympics in 1859 in Athens City Square.  He then refurbished an ancient stadium in Athens for the games in 1870.

The man responsible for what we call the Olympics today is probably Pierre de Coubertin; a Frenchman eventually formed the International Olympic Committee (IOC).  The first IOC Olympics had 250 athletes that competed in nine events: athletics (track and field), cycling, fencing, gymnastics, shooting, swimming, tennis, weightlifting, and wrestling.  It wasn’t until the second IOC games that women were allowed to compete.   From these first IOC games the Olympics have grown and grown into what we have now…except now the athletes wear clothes.   Maybe to make up for past injustices we should allow the women to have a few all-women nude games like the men got to have in ancient Greece…. Just an idea…

Interesting

• After Heracles built the Olympic buildings he walked out 400 strides and called it a “stadion” this is approximately 400M which is still used today as one lap of the track.
• The five rings symbolize the five significant continents and are interconnected to symbolize the friendship to be gained from these international competitions
• Olympic oath “In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules that govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams.”
• In 1912 the gold medals were in fact made of gold

Man Facts:

• Athletes in the ancient Olympic Games would participate in the nude.
• A referee in ancient wrestling corrected improper behavior by whipping the athlete
• Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) existed in the ancient Olmpics…It was known as Pankration - Here is a passage from a text “Arrhachion’s opponent, having already a grip around his waist, thought to kill him and put an arm around his neck to choke off his breath. At the same time he slipped his legs through Arrhachion’s groin and wound his feet inside Arrhachion’s knees, pulling back until the sleep of death began to creep over Arrhachion’s senses. But Arrhachion was not done yet, for as his opponent began to relax the pressure of his legs, Arrhachion kicked away his own right foot and fell heavily to the left, holding his opponent at the groin with his left knee still holding his opponent’s foot firmly. So violent was the fall that the opponent’s left ankle was wrenched from his socket. The man strangling Arrhachion … signaled with his hand that he gave up. Thus Arrhachion became a three-time Olympic victor at the moment of his death. His corpse … received the victory crown.” Source - Ancient Greek Athletics
• Winners of the ancient Olympic games received fame, money, sex, and parades

Sources:  Wikipedia, About.com, Ancient Greek Athletics,BSPCN.com,