started as a website, www.soulpancake.com (my username is bethcapstick, look me up if you join the website!) It was creator by actor Rainn Wilson (best known for playing Dwight Schrute on NBC's "The Office"). Basically, they have questions posted, and then the site users can answer those questions with their thoughts. Here's the description given on the website:
What is SoulPancake? Well, it’s more of a mission than a Web site...
We want to make discussions about Spirituality, Creativity, and Philosophy cool again. Were they ever cool? I have no idea. But it seems like a good idea. We want to engage the user to “Chew on Life’s Big Questions”™. (I was kidding about the ™ symbol; you can use that phrase however you want. Even to sell frozen taquitos.) Where do you go on the Interwebs if you want an irreverent, fun, and profound take on God and Art and the Soul and Faith and Beauty? Fox.com? Maybe. But maybe also here at SoulPancake.com.
We provide some rockin’ content (interviews, blogs, challenges, contests, features, and more), but it’s really all about having YOU—the SoulPancake community—bring this site to life. Say what’s on your mind. Be real. Talk about WHY WE’RE HERE. And if I say something that offends you, let me have it.
Just remember: Life is a rich, weird, difficult experience. So join us as we go on the spiritual and artistic journey that is SoulPancake.So, that's how it started. That website. But then, it became a book. A book with lots of questions, and ideas, and activities, and all sorts of good stuff. Here's the intro on the first page of the book (well, not as cool, cuz they have lots of cool pictures and designs and layouts, and I'm just typing it):
What is SoulPancake?
SoulPancake is a movement to chew on life's big questions. It's a space to tackle art, philosophy, creativity, and spirituality, and ultimately, SoulPancake is about you- the thinkers, artists, poets, and misfits who seek to stamp out stigmas, shake up truths, and redefine what it means to be human.
What's Inside?
Life's Big Questions: Questions that tackle what it means to be human + Mind-blowing art from around the world + Odd facts and quirky stats + quotes from a bunch of smart people (dead and alive) + a handful of related questions = Your brain brewing
Creative Challenges: Unusual activities that jumpstart your creative mojo and launch you into the world.
Explorations: Creative perspectives from some of the world's most fascinating minds.
Life's Little Lists: 1. Consider the topic 2. Write a short list 3. Elaborate as needed
Re-define: A mish-mash of words that could use a makeover. Dig in. Dissect them. Decide what they mean to you.
Wilson, Rainn, et al. (2010). SoulPancake: Chew on Life's Big Questions. New York: Hyperion.
So, hopefully that sort of gives you an idea of what SoulPancake is all about. It's hard to really describe it, you just have to read it for yourself, but it's definitely incredibly inspiring and thought-provoking, and I'm very excited to get started with it. If anyone wants to take a look at it, just ask me. I'd be more than happy to let you borrow it for a day or two :)
"Where Will You Be in Five Years?" by Dan Zadra both similar and different from SoulPancake. It focuses less on life in general and more on you specifically. I would say that "Where Will You Be Five Years From Today?" could almost be a chapter in SoulPancake. Anyway, this is a book that I found on www.uncommongoods.com (a really neat online store, I would definitely recommend checking it out!) It's more about figuring out what you want in your life and how to get it. It stresses that the time is now, that you'll never again have more time in your life than you do right this moment, so you need to seize the day and make the best of it, that sort of thing.
I'm going to be working with both these books to try to figure out who I am, what I believe, and what I want to do with my life. In an ideal world, I would be able to think about one question or try one activity from each book every day. However, I'm in my fourth semester of college and thus very busy with class, work, and homework, so it's just not realistic of me to set a goal to do one question every day (the questions and activities are big ones, and will take quite a bit of thought and time). If I can do one or two a week, I will be happy.
So anyway, that's what this blog is for. It's for me to keep track of my answers to the questions, my thoughts about what I'm doing. A place for me to record my reactions to the activities, how they make me feel. And maybe, if anybody ends up reading this, it will be able to inspire them to pick up these books, too, and try for themselves. And if no one ever reads this blog, I'll feel just the same as if a million people read it, because I'm doing this for me. I'm excited to start this new path in my life towards self-discovery and awareness.
-Beth
Note: If you really want to buy one of these books, and only want to buy one, I definitely recommend SoulPancake over "Where Will You Be Five Years From Now". While I love both books and think they're both beneficial, if you're only getting one, SoulPancake is the way to go. Many of the topics in "5 Years" are covered in SoulPancake.
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