What is reality? Going outside.

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A concept I learned from Nassim Taleb I find very practical in thinking about life:

There will always be “freak accidents” (black swans, things that come out of nowhere) in reality.

The benefit of studying the past — realizing that so many people in the past are generally caught with their pants down before a crisis or calamity happens.

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What’s the best type of artwork? Artwork which motivates others, and yourself!

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How does one become rich or make money? Simple — add to economic activity, and take as much as you can (as long as you give more than you take!)

Also, add to the wealth of others. Wealth can be metaphorical (health wealth, physical wealth, mental wealth, creative wealth).

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We gonna be alright. Take away the fright and the scare. No need for faith weather, because you’re already seasoned and weather-proof. Gore-Tex it up, step it up.

You’re stronger than you think. Stronger than mink or the sword. You’re the lord and the ruler. Never judge yourself according to someone else’s yard; the point is to go HAM — go hella hard!

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Time for us to hunker down and prepare ourselves for this dystopian-esque ‘brave new society’:

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Death is nothing to us.

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You’re the judge.

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Time to go H.A.M. — hard as a motherfucker.

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Why am I so skeptical and suspicious of everything and everyone?

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What is my duty? What is my duty to myself, Cindy, my family, friends, society, and humanity?

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In uncertain times, best to take an insanely epic risk, and become an entrepreneur.

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I always get very suspicious when people engage in “virtuous” acts of valor, and highly broadcast it, and also sort of make you feel bad for not acting as virtuously as them.

Nassim Taleb calls it “virtue signaling”. I call it “virtue flexing”.

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It seems right now, sociology is one of the most important mental toolkits I’ve been using to understand and thrive in this current crazy brave new world.

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Why be optimistic? No downside to optimism; only upside.

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Enslave your fear; don’t become enslaved by your fear!

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My current critique of the media:

It is (mostly) fear porn.

What is fear porn? Let me explain:

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A thought —

Assuming traditional capitalism and consumerism is dead… what are our new goals for humanity?

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In today’s brave new economy — what’s the practical purpose of us as private individuals for money besides buying meat, buying coffee, and paying rent?

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Let us be honest with ourselves:

Even once this clears up, things will never be the way they used to be.

This is a good way to think. Why? It allows us to quickly adapt and move on with our lives!

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Photography Entrepreneurship 101 new concept:

The future will become DIGITAL.

Let me explain:

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Dear friend,

As the world seems like it is going to shit, let us remember:

RIGHT NOW IS THE PRIME TIME TO BE A STREET PHOTOGRAPHER!

My thoughts:

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I think we’re afraid of the fear associated (BEFORE) you die…not the actual death itself.

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NEVER YIELD

RELENTLESS
This means you’ve never bent less
You’re focused, hyper alert
You’re strong, insular, mentally yolked.

You got no fear, only cheer. You delight in the company of your inter-pares peers. You got the faith and confidence to steer.

You drive in this game of life. The strife and pain is what makes it great.

Do you got what it takes to conquer today? AK-47— pull the trigger, aim, and spray.

ERIC

What is stoicism. Why stoicism? My thoughts:

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We are currently in a brave new world, and I don’t think things will ever “go back to the way they used to”. The world is fundamentally changed. Some of my thoughts:

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Why I think I’m so exceptional:

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In praise of photographing trees:

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Now is your time to get hyper-buff (do YouTube workout videos, lift weights, intermittent fasting, etc).

How to grow your muscles >

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Dear friend,

We are currently going through a very epic time in human history. The question:

SHOULD I be out shooting photos right now?

Some thoughts:

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Simple thought in life:

Strive to motivate yourself (to move) to the maximum, and share your ideas/thoughts with others… to also encourage them to move and motivate themselves!

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If you’re stuck at home, iPad is a great creative device– to MAKE AND CREATE new art-works! Some ideas:

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In life, you can categorize almost everything into two categories:

Things which ENCOURAGE you, and things which DISCOURAGE you.

Then it seems the secret to life is this:

Cut out things from your life which DISCOURAGE you, and ADD MORE things to your life which ENCOURAGES YOU.

For example:

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I’ve always been curious about the ‘day of the life’ of other people. Here is my attempt to share my life:

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Tolerance:

Don’t be a tyrant unto me, and I also don’t be a tyrant unto you.

A more tolerant society is a better society. But what are the caveats?

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As a photographer, now is your chance to document and capture an insanely significant period of human history. Go out and shoot!

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A thought:

During these moments of calamity, do I somehow have a duty or obligation to feel afraid and scared? If not, am I somehow a bad person?

For example, I’m currently NOT afraid, but everyone else tells me that I SHOULD be afraid.

Why SHOULD I be afraid? Perhaps it is because if I’m not afraid, then I might get infected, and spread the infection to others, and others can die as a consequence of my negligence. Thus, it seems the rule is:

You SHOULD be afraid because it is for the benefit of the greater collective.

Or in utilitarian terms:

You as an individual aren’t as important as the greater mass of people.

But is this true, or should this notion be posited as truth?

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1. Humans to exist indefinitely, 2. Expression of human power, 3. Take human evolution to the next level.

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My theory:

Pain as the driver of growth!

Or in other words:

You cannot become stronger without pain.

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What’s the point of moving? To propel yourself. To MOVE. Move forward, move upwards… move to a higher level… a new plane!

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Question:

During times of calamity, why make art?

Why make photos? Drawings? Illustrations? Videos? Music? Poems? Writings? Why make anything?

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When we call something “scientific”, we mean to say it is supreme, irrefutable, and the apex. But can science ever prove anything? No. Science can only DISCONFIRM or FALSIFY wrong notions or ideas.

So what are we to do? Best to put more focus on philosophy — which asks:

Why is this even important in the first place? Should we concern ourselves with this matter? What are the potential negative consequences or downsides if we decide to act a certain way?

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Money is motivation. Motivation literally means “to move”.

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We all seem like we’re currently in a state of pandemonium. But what are we really afraid of?

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A thought from my friend Heraclitus:

A fun and noble life goal — strive to gain immortal fame amongst mortals and mankind!

A thought:

Happiness isn’t the goal of life… but to GENERATE and GIVE BIRTH (to new ideas, new art works, and new humans!)

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The great uplifting thought:

Anything in life (if we think about physics), IS POSSIBLE!

And with digital entrepreneurship — truly anything is possible now!

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Pain and suffering as the great stimulus for life!

What is the greatest threat we currently face? Boredom.

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Now is your chance. Your opportunity. This type of opportunity only comes once in (your) lifetime!

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Not everything in life happens for a reason, but we can dictate HOW we want to make it meaningful.

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Whats the apex field of study or pursuit? Philosophy.

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ARSBETA.COM — one of my great gifts to humanity. Without my team and squad (Kevin McKenzie, Cindy Nguyen, Annette Kim, Jun Goodhouse Kim, Ben Mills, Soren Zane), it wouldn’t be possible.

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Fear as the ultimate motivator. Fear as the ultimate filter in life. Fear — knowing that you can and will (eventually) die — you don’t do no bullshit in life and only work on what’s essential to you.

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Dear friend,

Shit is hard, but remember:

You’re stronger than you think you are.

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THE FUTURE BELONGS TO GENERATORS (those whom create, generate, and procreate)!

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Not a crazy thought —

What if you could never leave your own country ever again? Could you still live a happy, meaningful, hopeful, optimistic and great life?

---

The ancient greeks didn’t have any interest in traveling

Our new form of flexing your wealth and social class is travel. But what if we could never travel again? Could we still live a happy and meaningful life?

A future with closed borders?

Think the film ‘Children of Men‘. This dystopia of the future with closed borders. It ain’t impossible based on the state of the world right now.

Can we live a MORE meaningful life WITHOUT travel?

The interesting thing for myself:

Ever since everything is closed, I am actually MORE creatively productive and have been able to GENERATE MORE!

Why? So much of modern capitalism and consumerism is a distraction.

For example:

1. Coffee shops are distractions: Better to just work from your nice home apartment.
2. Better to cook your food at home. You can have more hearty meals, more meat, and get more “gains” [gain more muscle]
3. Archimedes lever: Stay in one spot, and you can move the world!

What I eat in my diet:

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What is the best way to live?

Expect the unexpected.

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Generate — genero, beget, produce, make.

As artists, it is our mission to generate. To make, to produce, to beget art works. To procreate!

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Notions of flourishing. A green shoot, a green sprout — the sign of growth!

Verdant [green and leafy and lush] pastures are good for growth. Humans like green, because it is beneficial for more food, and thus more human thriving?

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What is a steroid? It comes from “sterol” (same word as cholesterol).

Theory:

Foods with high cholesterol are good for muscle growth. Why? Increasing cholesterol increases our bodily steroid production, which increases our testosterone and human growth hormone.

Lesson:

To maximize muscular gains, eat lots of fatty meat (the fattier, the more cholesterol), the better.

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To drive: to thrust, force, act.

We need drive, we need the inner fire of being driven. Where does this come from? The desire to become stronger, to become more, to augment our ego!

The problem isn’t being “overweight”— it is about being “overfat”.

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Natty or not? Natural or not? What does this mean?

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The rules do not apply to you.

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How do I choose my photos?

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Black and white photos:

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One of the most creative things you can do while stuck at home:

Build your own website!

Register on bluehost.com and install wordpress.org. Only costs $4-10 USD a month. Cheaper than Netflix, and 100000x more productive!

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