Strength, Skyfall and Theme Songs #atozchallenge #Monday #movie #meme

“Let the Skyfall. When it crumbles, we will stand tall. Face it all together.”

British singer Adele penned and performed one of my favorite songs of all time – “Skyfall.” Winner of an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song, it is the theme to the latest James Bond movie of the same name. I find it especially inspirational because the above lyrics from this tune could be used by anyone as a sort of mantra for getting through tough times.

In the last 60 days, I found out that at least two people I know lost a close family member, two more individuals have been in and out of the hospital for serious health issues and several others have faced technological, legal, financial, physical and personal problems. This isn’t anything new – at any given time we are all dealing with like 99 problems and counting. Just last summer, I met a dude with lung cancer (I think it was in the lungs…it’s been a while, so I forgot the location of the cancer) who told me that he wanted to blow himself away. What does this song have to do with the unrelated difficulties these strangers’ are dealing with? The common ground they have in shared setbacks.

On Saturday this past weekend, someone said to me “At least you woke up this morning,” after I mentioned having a very long and not-so-pleasant week. I’m all too familiar with that saying, as it’s been repeated by many people over the years. In fact, I have developed a rather strong aversion to it because I could never understand the point of it. I always thought “What’s so damn special about waking up in the morning; especially if you’re still in the same predicament (or worse) than you were in yesterday?" Fortunately, I’ve began to realize that I may be looking at it all wrong. The special sauce in waking up in the morning is your ability to get out of or go through your predicament. This can be done even quicker if you learn from someone else who has already done it or is doing it, which is where Adele comes in.

I perceive the lyrics to the “Skyfall” song to be a testament to the fact that no matter what you’re going through, regardless of how bad it is, there is someone else who has either dealt with the same problem or is currently facing it now.

Although the friends and family that many people look to for solace in whatever issues they have, is an awesome source of support, there is also a sense of unity in the fact that you can find strength in strangers.

Men, women and even children whom you would have probably never met otherwise had it not been for you stumbling in life are now a source of strength. This doesn’t just work one way either – you might be a source of support or inspiration for someone and not even know it.

So, maybe that’s what’s so special about waking up in the morning – you just might learn something about someone that makes you glad that you did wake up – or you just might be the person who makes someone else glad that he or she woke up in the morning. I suppose, when you look at it that way, there’s nothing like knowing you have the world on your side to stand tall with when it seems like sky is crumbling down. Keeping on topic, the theme for this week’s Monday Movie Meme is inspired by Adele, Stumbling Blocks and YOU: Inspirational Movie Theme Songs.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, the most inspirational movie theme songs that you ever heard. It would also help if you add why the song(s) inspire you. I already made it clear what one of my top selections for this week’s meme is; now it’s your turn!

What are some of the most inspirational movie theme songs YOU ever heard?

How do YOU cope with the falling skies in your life?

Freedom – What’s Your ‘Panther’ Factor? #atozchallenge

*A to Z Challenge Alert:

I’m playing catch-up today after being unable to post for Letter F on Saturday due to no internet connection, so my post for Letter G – including the Monday Movie Meme -- will be published later in the evening on Monday, April 8th.

A Vietnam veteran named Judge tells a neighborhood drug dealer to “Be part of the solution, not the problem” in Mario Van Peebles’ docudrama “Panther” starring Kadeem Hardison, Courtney B. Vance and Tyrin Turner. This scene got me thinking about how we could benefit by adopting the same position in our dealings with people who bring negative energy and vibes to us.

Everybody has problems – some more than others, but even if you have 99 problems like Jay-Z, a naysayer doesn’t have to be one of them. As much as I would like to believe that we live in a world where people do more good than harm, it is a naïve mindset to have, given the fact that many of us are surrounded by individuals who bring us down. That got me thinking about “Freedom,” which is among my most favorite movie theme songs, to date. Produced by Dallas Austin, it features over 50 various artists including En Vogue, MC Lyte, Salt-n-Pepa, TLC, Queen Latifah, Karyn White, Xscape and Patra, to name a few. There is also a Dirty Dozen remix for this song included on the soundtrack for “Panther” that is just as catchy as the main version.

“Panther” is about the formation of the Black Panther Party and the exercising of their constitutional right to bear arms and defend themselves against police brutality and other oppressive acts. This movie and its theme song, however, reminds me of how the people closest to us – family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. – make our lives more difficult than it has to be – especially when we allow them to do so. Sometimes, I think we need to exercise our right to bear arms – not with firepower and ammunition – but with distance and/or boundaries, to defend ourselves against the limitations that other people try to place on us. If you want more out of life, then you have you have to take back your freedom to fly, like a bird, in whatever direction is best for your purpose on earth – kicking naysayers to the curb.

“Turn us loose, set us free from all the chains that bind me. Let us run in our own direction.” – Mary J. Blige and Zhane

There are some people who deliberately try to belittle or even sabotage your interests and efforts made toward something new, different or more improved, because they aren’t doing anything significant with their lives. These are the people who want you to fail or feel guilty about the choices you make.

There are other people who bring you down unknowingly because they don’t seem to understand how their behavior is affecting your mental, emotional or spiritual well-being in a bad way. Then, there are those who bring you down because the force of their own general negative outlook or behavior is so strong that it clouds the sunshine of nearly everyone whom they come in contact with directly. Lastly, we also bring ourselves down indirectly by causing or enabling other people’s problems, instead of trying to be part of their solution.

During one of the meeting scenes in “Panther,” Huey P. Newton asks Judge “why is it that every time a black man goes to lift his head, there’s another black man right there to call him crazy.” Although Huey was focused on the crabs-in-a-barrel mindset plaguing minority communities in this film, I ask myself similar questions with regards to our society as a whole. Why is it that every time someone tries to better himself or herself, learn more, do more, expand his or her circle of friends, quit smoking, adopt a new way of thinking or find a way out of circumstances that he or she does not see as ideal, there is another person right there to shoot down their efforts?

Many women attack the parenting styles, lifestyle choices and other traits of females they don’t even know personally, some homeowners criticize their neighbor’s attempts to beautify one’s front lawn or restore one’s windows, there are people who shun their friends’ and relatives’ attempts to go to college or switch jobs or relocate to a different city, the list goes on and on. These are few of many problems indeed but the most detrimental aspect of them all is the point at which we start to believe, and even act in accordance with other people’s limiting beliefs and views on just about every subject known to man.

“Whoever said these are the things that you can do and the things you ain’t supposed to? So, am I further when I think I’m getting closer?” – Left-Eye

Unfortunately, there will always be people in the world who don’t want you to win – for if you do, that proves them wrong. It shows that the lies they tell themselves about what is and isn’t possible are just coping mechanisms for not having the guts or will to see what’s behind that wall of self-doubt.

It proves that you’re better – and more capable than they ever thought you were or could ever be. It says that the more effort they put in trying to hold you back, the less likely they are to bring themselves forward.

How you respond to other people’s cynicism, however, makes all the difference in the extent of which you’ll be all you can be. After all, if you don’t feel free enough to act on your interests and curiosities, then you won’t and as a result, will forever remain stagnant in a world where things aren’t working in your favor – all because you believe that there are no other options.

“You try to tell us that our lives don’t mean anything, but we know so much better, so we’re gonna take our freedom.”

There are plenty occasions when someone else will imply that you’re too old, you’re too young, you’re too fat, you’re too stupid, you’re too weird, you’re too unattractive, you’re too quiet, you’re too loud, and so on. That does not mean you have to accept their assessment of your abilities and then allow it to keep you down – even if this evaluation is coming from yourself. You can take back your freedom to fly – like a plane with runways or pads ready for landing, in many different places. Where you land isn’t as important as the exercising of your ability to soar, locate and then aim at those available landing spots, in the first place.

Are YOU a part of your own solutions, or are YOU a part of your own problems?

Can you describe a time when you felt constrained, like something or someone was hindering your freedom in one way or another?

What are Your Favorite Oscar Nominees for Best Original Song?

Over the weekend, The LAMB published an Oscars post that I wrote about the Best Original Song nominees. It was an opportunity to explain why the lead tune from “Chasing Ice” is worth a listen despite making the movie seem long and boring.

I also shared how the comedy “Ted” starring Mark Wahlberg allowed Norah Jones’ vocals and the musicians’ talents to work to its advantage but not enough to get my vote. After realizing that “Life Of Pi” didn’t have any memorable songs that stood out and “Les Miserables” just gets props by default, I think that the nominations are all over the place.

Still, everyone has their favorites, which brings me to the theme of this week’s Monday Movie Meme: Best Original Song.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, some of your favorite Oscar nominees for Best Original Song. The song can be from any previous Oscars season, so long as it was among the nominations. Here are my selections for this week’s Best Original Song theme.

Skyfall
This pick needs no explanation, especially since Adele already won a Golden Globe for her James Bond tune. The song is hot! Need I say more? If so, I have you covered -- see when I made a case for Skyfall winning the Oscar for Best Original Song.

I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing
Say what you want about “Armageddon” -- a lot of people think this movie is ass and other people (like me...thanks to Bruce Willis) enjoyed watching it. Regardless, Aerosmith did a fine job making “I don’t want to miss a thing,” which earned them an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song during the late 90s. Although Whitney Houston’s collaboration with Mariah Carey for the “Prince of Egypt” soundtrack eventually took home the golden statue, I would still bump Aerosmith’s track any day of the week!

Lose Yourself
I remember watching the 75th Annual Oscars that year when Eminem -- a rapper -- won for this inspirational track from the dramatic narrative “8 Mile.” The beat and lyrics are so dope, I dare you to claim that you still don’t believe you can take on the world after listening to this song.

What are YOUR favorite Oscar nominees for Best Original Song?