Time of the year for "the best of the year"

In a recent blog entry, I mentioned the movies released so far this year as well as those slated for release this month – namely, Avatar, The Lovely Bones, The Road and Broken Embraces - are not of the caliber of similar films that were contending for the Best Picture Oscar prize last year. Nonetheless, since writing that blog entry, a number of films have come to light that I, for one reason or another, overlooked, films that now seem like choose-ins, while films that had a lot of early buzz, such as The Lovely Bones, have only garnered lukewarm praise. Some of the films I overlooked, a number of which were featured prominently among the customary critics lists of “best films of year”, include The Hurt Locker, Coraline, Invictus, and Up in the Air. Indeed, if I were to pick the top four pictures, based on the critics’ lists released so far, I would include Precious, The Hurt Locker, Up in the Air and Avatar, with Up in the Air shaping up to be the favorite for Best Picture due to the emerging view that it captures the mood and atmosphere of the current economic environment like no other film currently in Best Picture Oscar contention.

Films were not the only form of entertainment receiving “best of” treatment. The New York Times released its list of most Notable Books of the Year and Ten Best Books of the Year. Metacritic has released its list of best Games of the year. Paste has released their list of best Music of the year, well, of the decade. But the most intriguing list I have seen is Time Magazine's Top Ten Everything of 2009, an exhaustive compilation of miscellaneous events, gadgets, entertainment. Inevitably I was drawn to the best movies, which had the usual suspects with a few independent choices thrown in, and the best books, which featured a book called Strength in What Remains: a Journey of Remembrance and Forgiveness by Pulitzer Prize winning author Tracy Kidder. The book borrows its title from the William Wordsworth’s Poem “Ode: Intimation of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood” (“Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, of glory in the flower; we will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind”), and tells the extraordinarily inspiring tale of a young African immigrant succeeding in the face of incredible odds, though aided by the kindness of strangers. The story from this book reminded me of another story I read in one of Nicholas Kristoff’s columns, called “Triumph of a Dreamer,” about a woman who, despite having five children and being in an abusive relationship, managed to earn a doctoral degree. Tracy Kidder’s book is definitely among the books I would like to read early next year.

Kindness as a Social Epidemic

When I saw this video, a wonderful story of kindness in action, I returned to something I have been thinking about on and off for the past couple months, that is what I would like this blog to be about. The idea for this blog did not germinate with the essay that is listed at the beginning but, rather, over the course of a couple years. The book I read recently, The Tipping Point, broaden my understanding a little by demonstrating the ways information and practices can spread. But what struck me from reading The Tipping Point - with its examples of how negative or questionable information and behaviors are spread - is that not all information and practices that could be spread should and, similarly, individuals who are capable of spreading information and practices are not always justified in doing so. In his Nobel Lecture a few days ago, which I will talk about later on, President Obama said, to paraphrase: people who toil year after year for worthy causes with little or no recognition were far more deserving of the honor given to him. I think this is a vital point, reminiscent of the quiet acts of heroic service to others that Arthur Ashe spoke of, exemplified by such phrases as “leading by example” and “being the change you wish to see in the world.” Demanding, yes; but it's the most compelling, enduring and just way to influence others. By the way, to avoid confusion about its meaning, I removed the “ripple effect” subtitle from my blog.