Zach Braff, the versatile actor known for his roles in Scrubs and Garden State, shares insights about his Stoicism-inspired film, A Good Person. He discusses how the philosophy of Amor fati has influenced his artistic expression amid personal trauma. The conversation touches on the importance of community support during grief and emphasizes the healing power of art. Braff also highlights how embracing life's challenges can foster resilience, blending humor and sorrow to create relatable narratives that inspire healing and connection.
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Personal Losses
Zach Braff experienced multiple losses in recent years, including his sister, father, and best friend, Nick Cordero.
Cordero's death during COVID lockdown deeply affected Braff and inspired his film, "A Good Person."
insights INSIGHT
Art as Solace
Artists can transform personal trauma into art, finding solace and purpose in their creative expression.
This offers a unique way to process grief and potentially connect with others facing similar struggles.
insights INSIGHT
Assigned Challenges
Life's challenges, even tragedies, can be seen as "assigned," implying a lack of choice in their occurrence.
This perspective emphasizes focusing on one's response rather than dwelling on the uncontrollable event.
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A Farewell to Arms is a semiautobiographical novel that captures the harsh realities of war and the pain of lovers caught in its sweep. The story follows Lieutenant Frederic Henry, an American ambulance driver on the Italian front, and his passionate relationship with Catherine Barkley, an English nurse. The novel interweaves themes of love, war, loyalty, and desertion, reflecting Hemingway's own experiences as an ambulance driver during World War I. The book is known for its vivid and deeply felt portrayal of war and its impact on individuals, as well as Hemingway's distinctive writing style that emphasizes immediacy and simplicity[2][3][4].
The obstacle is the way
Ryan Holiday
In 'The Obstacle Is the Way', Ryan Holiday presents a framework for turning obstacles into successes. Drawing from the philosophy of Stoicism and the writings of Marcus Aurelius, Holiday outlines three disciplines: perception, action, and will. He illustrates these principles with historical anecdotes from figures such as John D. Rockefeller, Amelia Earhart, Ulysses S. Grant, and Steve Jobs. The book emphasizes the importance of perception in shaping one's response to obstacles, the need for intentional and creative action, and the cultivation of will to persist through challenges. Holiday argues that by adopting these Stoic principles, individuals can transform their obstacles into opportunities for growth and success.
Ryan speaks with Zach Braff about his new Stoicism-inspired movie A Good Person, how the idea of Amor fati has helped him translate recent personal trauma into art, what he has learned about supporting people who need help in the wake of a friend’s tragedy, and more.
Zach Braff is an actor, voice actor, director, screenwriter, and entrepreneur. He is most known for his starring role on the TV comedy Scrubs (2001-2010), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series as well as for three Golden Globe Awards, and in his directorial debut Garden State (2004), which he also wrote and starred in. Zach has also directed a second feature film (Wish I Was Here in 2014) and the hit Apple TV show Ted Lasso (2021) for which he was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award. His new movie A Good Person is scheduled for release on March 24, 2023.
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