Herring plays the saxophone.

COURTESY | Nathan Herring

 

Song 

“Just the Two of Us” by Grover Washington Jr., ft. Bill Withers  (1980) 

 

This is a song that my wife and I bonded over early in our relationship and became “our song.” For that reason, it will always have a special place in my heart. Fortunately, it’s  also a very interesting piece of music. The song effortlessly cheers me up and grounds my perspective when life is stressful. Also, it has a great sax solo!

 

Book

 “How to Read a Book” by Mortimer Adler & Charles Van Doren  (1940)

 

Mortimer Adler was an American philosopher who served on the board of editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. In this short text, Adler and his long-time collaborator Charles Van Doren outline a practical philosophy of reading which seeks to answer the seemingly innocuous question, “how/why do we read books?”. Even if one does not agree with all of the authors’ points, the text will cause you to think more critically and productively about how and why you read.

 

Movie

 “The Matrix” (1999)

 

There are better made movies than Larry and Andy Wachowski’s turn-of-the-millennium, sci-fi, action films. However, the ambition, originality, and cultural impact of this picture make it a landmark piece of cinema. I was an adolescent when I first saw the film with my father on a rental VHS, and I happen to love philosophy. Beyond the intellectual themes, for its time the action sequences were ground-breaking and inspired numerous parodies and knock-offs.