Page 4 July 15, 2021 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Check It Out
Stillness is the Key
by Ryan Holiday
By Desiree De La Cruz-Miller,
Library Assistant
Ryan Holiday is one of my favorite present
day thinkers. He is the author of bestsellers
The Obstacle is the Way and Ego is the
Enemy, each pulling from the writings of
stoic philosophers Seneca, Marcus Aurelius,
Epictetus, and others. Now with his latest,
Stillness is the Key, he once again presents
a variety of stoic philosopher’s notions and
connects the wisdom of these philosopher’s,
through the pursuit of reason, to today’s
times. Ryan Holiday suggests that when we
are able to live in stillness and find inner
peace, then we can find happiness and be
our best selves.
Ryan separates the book into three parts;
Mind, Spirit and Body. For mind, Ryan
makes suggestions such as “Limiting our
Inputs.” He suggests asking ourselves if the
information we are taking in is necessary.
At times our brains get overloaded with so
much information coming at us on a daily
basis, that we may feel as if we are drowning,
which brings unneeded stress. By limiting
the information we take in it can help reduce
brain overload.
Next, the Spirit, he suggests getting to the
point of “Enough.” He feels that to experience
stillness it is important to feel that you are
good with where you are in life and with
what you have. As individuals we tend to
want more and are never satisfied. He feels
that when we reach the point of being content
and feeling that it is enough we will have
peace and feel secure in ourselves.
Lastly, the Body, he suggests we “Take a
Walk.” He finds that walking is cleansing.
We tend to think when we walk, and some
of the greatest thinkers came up with their
greatest insights and ideas when they went
for a stroll. Men like Martin Luther King
Jr., Ernest Hemingway and Ulysses S. Grant
all walked to think; they experienced clarity
when they walked. Ryan suggests that
when we walk we do so in a “repetitive,
ritualized motion”; we walk for exercise
and often meditate during, which brings a
stillness within.
Ryan Holiday offers many more ideas to
achieve stillness which are a good guide if
you are looking to find peace in your life.
You will find this book in the philosophy
section in of our library. For help finding
this title or more titles on philosophy, please
visit our Adult Reference Desk and ask one
of our friendly librarians to point you in the
right direction. •
Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday
Desiree De La Cruz-Miller
Film Review
Visual Poetry Lights up
Los Angeles in Summertime
By Morgan Rojas for Cinemacy
When Amanda Gorman took the stage in
January at the 2021 Presidential Inauguration,
two things happened. One, she sparked
a meteoric rise of her own accord, landing
nationwide notoriety, book deals, and an IMG
modeling contract. She also–maybe more importantly–
normalized and encouraged younger
generations to explore spoken word poetry for
themselves, proving that age is not a factor
when it comes to self-expression.
In his latest film, director Carlos López
Estrada (Blindspotting, Raya and the Last
Dragon) shows how the streets of Los Angeles
are filled with inspirational youth who are
ready to speak their truth in the spoken-word
musical, Summertime. Like an indie version
of In the Heights for millennials (complete
with mixed races and various skin tones!),
Summertime, courtesy of Good Deed Entertainment.
Summertime is a feel-good film full of literal
visual poetry and promising artists of tomorrow.
The story of how Summertime came to be is
just as impressive as the film itself. Together
with López Estrada and Executive Producer
Kelly Marie Tran, twenty seven youth poets
workshopped their material over the course
of one Summer in Los Angeles. The result is
this feature film, a loose narrative structure
comprised of intersecting stories from the poets
themselves, all of whom make their feature
film debut as co-writers and stars.
Depending on the scene (and therefore the
dialogue), Summertime is a mix of emotional,
comedic, and nostalgic instances that reflect the
authenticity of the poets. One scene humorously
calls out the prices at trendy Los Angeles
eateries, and how a piece of avocado toast
costs the same as basic livelihood necessities
for lower income communities. Another scene
shows an empowered queer woman giving a
fierce monologue as she stands up for another
same sex couple on a metro bus. Perhaps the
most heart-wrenching scene comes in the form
of a formally insecure woman finally standing
up for herself to a manipulative ex-boyfriend.
I believe the success of Summertime comes
from untraditional factors. The overall narrative
and acting is fairly good, not outstanding,
but what makes this film unforgettable is the
outpouring of pure visual poetry (which outweighs
any nitpicky criticism). Dave Harris,
Mila Cuda, Olympia Miccio, Tyris Winter,
Amaya Blankenship, Bene’t Benton, Hanna
Harris, Marco Bizio, Raul Herrera, Bryce
Banks, Marquesha Babers, Walter Finnie Jr.,
Anna Osuna, Zach Perlmutter, Jason Alvarez,
Austin Antoine, Maia Mayor, Madyson Park,
Xochitl Morales, Paolina Acuña-González,
Marcus James, Gordon IP, Cyrus Roberts,
Pathum Madigapola, Nia Lewis, Daniel
McKinley, Khamal Iwuanyanwu, and Lukas
Lane: job well done. Thank you for sharing
your stories with us.
Distributed by Good Deed Entertainment.
Now playing in select theaters in Los Angeles
and New York. Expanding nationwide Friday,
July 16. •
Morgan Rojas
Douglass
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Police Reports from page 3
Two male adults were arrested at 1716
hours from the 1900 block of East Maple
Avenue for suspicion of grand theft auto.
A stolen vehicle report was taken at 1551
hours from the 1900 block of East Maple
Avenue. Taken was a 2005 Lexus LS430 sedan.
Thursday, July 8th
A burglary (vehicle) report was taken
at 0650 hours from the 500 block of East
Walnut Avenue. Unknown suspect(s) stole
miscellaneous tools.
A hit and run (no injuries) report was taken
at 0846 hours from Mariposa Avenue and
Pacific Coast Highway, vehicle versus vehicle.
One male adult was detained at 0953 hours
in the 600 block of North Pacific Coast
Highway and transported to Marina Del Rey
Hospital for 72-hour psychiatric evaluation.
A dead body report was taken at 1028 hours
from the 300 block of Standard Street. A
female adult passed away from natural causes.
One male adult was arrested at 1206 hours
from the 300 block of North Pacific Coast
Highway for petty theft. The theft occurred
at 500 North Pacific Coast Highway.
An ALPR hit resulted in a stolen vehicle
being recovered at 1334 hours from the 200
block of Main Street. A male juvenile was
cited for vehicle theft. Recovered was a 2014
Nissan Versa.
A missing juvenile was located at 1443
hours from the 200 block of Main Street.
Located was a male juvenile who was reported
missing out of San Bernardino County.
A male adult was arrested at 1945 hours
from LAPD for one outstanding ESPD WANT
for grand theft.
A traffic collision (with injuries) occurred
at 2257 hours on El Segundo Boulevard and
Nash Street, vehicle versus pedestrian.
Friday, July 9th
A missing person was located at 0724 hours
in the 100 block of Sierra Street. Located
was a male adult reported missing out of
North Carolina.
A courtesy identity theft report was taken
at 0956 hours from the 700 block of Indiana
Court. The victim lost two thousand dollars
during a fraudulent transaction.
A traffic collision (with injuries) occurred at
1109 hours in the 500 block of North Pacific
Coast Highway, vehicle versus pedestrian.
A missing person was located at 1743
hours in the 1800 block of East Sycamore
Avenue. Located was a male adult reported
missing out of El Segundo. •
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