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ERIC KIM

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THE UPSIDE OF TRAGEDY

A tragic life is a more meaningful and beautiful life.

A life with no pain and sorrow ain’t a life worth living

It seems we strive for eternal bliss, and no suffering. This is the Buddhist-Christian notion. But… is this desirable? If we could do nothing but be high on weed, play video games, stream Netflix, have fun, indulge in all the drugs-alcohol-sex we desired … is this a life worth living?

I say no. I would prefer to have a cruel, tragic, and suffering-led life (full of vigor, strength, courage and daring) than a life of ease.

PHILOSOPHY by KIM

Philosophical Essays

  • Satisfaction is a Sucker’s Game
  • Supreme Repose
  • WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LIFE? According to ERIC KIM
  • STUBBORN, FLEXIBLE
  • EVERYTHING HAPPENS AS IT *SHOULD* HAVE HAD HAPPENED
  • Good Addiction, Bad Addiction?
  • What is the Best Life?
  • The Philosophy of Thinking
  • The Philosophy of Conspiracies
  • Conspiracies
  • Growth
  • Skepticism.
  • What Do You Really Want Out of Life?
  • Seem or Be?
  • Learn Through Pain
  • Respect Yourself
  • In Praise of Elitism
  • Why Independent Thinking?
  • I Will Never Die
  • Bitter is Better
  • The Genesis of Nihilism and Existential Dread
  • The Ethics of Personal Enrichment
  • Good vs Not Good
  • Punished by Privilege
  • Abstinence Over Moderation
  • Just Leave Others Alone
  • You Can Only Critique that Which You Truly Understand and Love
  • ERIC KIM Critique of Metaphysics
  • Only Trust Philosophers Who Deadlift
  • Heuristic: If Someone Talks Shit About Others Behind Their Back, Most Likely They’re Also Talking Shit About You Behind Your Back
  • Virtue is a Privilege
  • What Are Your Life Goals?
  • Honesty
  • Why I’m Anti Moderation
  • No Spite, No Malice.
  • Ascending Life or Descending Life?
  • Double Edged Sword
  • Ignorance.
  • Why I Don’t Trust “Nice Guys”
  • Why You Must Share Your Opinion
  • Selfish Isn’t Evil
  • Wisdom is the Goal
  • YOU ARE KING.
  • MASTER YOURSELF
  • What is “Good” for You is Often what is Bad for You
  • Care.
  • BITTERSWEET
  • ONE REP MAX
  • Morality and Ethics is the Snare
  • BY HELPING YOURSELF, YOU BEST HELP OTHERS
  • Insanity is Good.
  • Think Deep.
  • PHILOSOPHY IS THE FUTURE.
  • Open Mind vs Closed Mind
  • ENTHUSIASM IS GENIUS
  • Towards a More Critical and Rigorous Line of Thinking
  • How to Encourage and a Foster Independent and Free Thinking
  • What is the Purpose of Life?
  • WHY PHILOSOPHY IS SUPREME.
  • Elitism.
  • I Cannot Form an Opinion About Somebody Until I’ve Met Them in the Flesh
  • ALL GENETICS ARE GOOD GENETICS.
  • Happiness vs Freedom
  • The Birth of a Hater
  • My Way Isn’t the Right Way
  • Walking as an Existential Thing
  • Why I’m So Tolerant
  • Mortal Gods
  • THE HUMAN SPECIES
  • Why I’m So Skeptical
  • Just Follow the Money
  • Why Selfish?
  • WHY WE CANNOT BLAME OTHERS
  • Why Are We So Anti Elitism?
  • What Actually Interests You?
  • How to Become Yourself
  • SELF HATE
  • Optimistic Fatalism
  • Death is the Ultimate Creative Constraint
  • FLUX.
  • How to Think for Yourself
  • FLESH
  • How to Live the Best Life
  • Why Live a Life Without Regrets?
  • Why Plato Ruined Art and Aesthetics for Us
  • Self Respect
  • Hypocrite vs Contradict
  • Ideals vs Reality
  • Spaceship Philosophy
  • What is Your Ideal Life?
  • MY EXTREME GRATITUDE TOWARDS LIFE AND BEING ALIVE!
  • Critique of Utilitarianism
  • Don’t Treat Others the Way You Want to Be Treated
  • The Eternal Recurrence of Tragedy and Joy in Life
  • Elite Asceticism
  • Why I Don’t Like Numbers
  • Action and Reaction, Cause and Effect
  • The Antidote to Nihilism: The Philosophy of Nothingness
  • ERIC KIM Notes on Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
  • EXPLOIT CHAOS.
  • WHY I DON’T BELIEVE IN GENETICS
  • Self-Wisdom
  • The Future Belongs to the Fearless
  • INDIVIDUALISM
  • Why Live Forever?
  • THIS TOO WILL PASS.
  • Why Education?
  • How to Become Yourself
  • Things Shouldn’t Go Back to the Way They Used to Be
  • Why Am I So Cruel?
  • The Great Joy of Existence
  • Virtue for the Sake of Virtue
  • NO DISDAIN.
  • INTELLIGENT IGNORANCE
  • A LIFE WITHOUT PAIN, DIFFICULTY OR TRAGEDY ISN’T A LIFE WORTH LIVING
  • BITTER IS BETTER.
  • EXPLOIT THE BEST FROM TRAGEDY AND LIFE 
  • DISREGARD FOR SELF-PRESERVATION
  • PAIN.
  • WHAT IF EVERYTHING IS NOT GONNA BE ALRIGHT?
  • Tomorrow is Never
  • Life is the Ultimate Creative Constraint
  • EMBODIED REALITY
  • BLACK SWAN
  • THINGS WILL NEVER GO BACK TO THE WAY THEY USED TO BE
  • What are you *really* afraid of?
  • HAPPINESS ISN’T THE GOAL
  • Philosophy is King
  • Why is Selfish Evil?
  • YOU’RE CONSTANTLY IN A STATE OF BECOMING
  • ENTITLEMENT A SIN?
  • NARCISSISM
  • BE BRUTALLY HONEST WITH YOURSELF
  • WHY FREE WILL?
  • OBEY YOUR OPINION
  • EGO IS GOOD.
  • WHY IT IS GOOD TO BE INTO YOURSELF
  • Seek the Good Pain
  • Anti-Perfection in Photography, Art, and Life
  • Can You Become an End into Yourself?
  • WHY I LIVE
  • Why I Hate Decline
  • Why I Eat
  • Why am I So Positive and Optimistic?
  • EFFORT IS ENJOYMENT
  • Never Stop Gaining
  • TRUST YOURSELF
  • A Life of Maximal Personal Independence
  • What Do You Desire to Become?
  • What Do I Want from Technology?
  • Stratified Society
  • Do You Love or Hate Reality?
  • On the Brian, Body and Mind
  • I’m Maximally Happy, Now What?
  • Care over Fame
  • ACTIVE NIHILISM
  • Never Stop Subtracting
  • How to Live a Happier and More Epic Life
  • A Risker Life is a Better Life
  • Only Work on Things You Can Imagine Doing for Eternity
  • How to Maximize Your Happiness
  • Influence
  • The Gladiator Makes His Plans once He Enters the Ring
  • Meditations on Meaning in Life
  • There is Nothing More Interesting than Human Beings
  • Is Hope a Vice?
  • EGO
  • Why Be Unique?
  • Happiness is Metabolism Health and Strength
  • You’re the Hero
  • Is Productivity a Virtue or Vice?
  • Why Do We Prize the Rare?
  • The Joy of Uncertainty
  • How Should I Best Use My Time and Life?
  • A Life Without Pain or Suffering Isn’t a Life Worth Living
  • Free or Unfree?
  • What Do You Really Care For in Life?
  • Anti-Satisfaction in Life
  • Why Think?
  • The Eternal Return
  • Only Do What is Best for You!
  • Truthiness
  • Why Be Happy?
  • Permissionless Living
  • In Praise of Unconventional Wisdom
  • Become the Change Which You Wish to See in the World
  • Happiness
  • Beyond Freedom
  • Idolize People, Not Stuff
  • What Makes You Stronger? What Makes You Weaker?
  • Why Hate?
  • The Secret of Happiness
  • You’re Constantly in a State of Becoming
  • Life is about Choices, Not Obligations
  • Anti-Nihilism
  • First, Do What is Best for You.
  • Live Dynamic
  • How to Prosper
  • Is the Point of Life to Be Satisfied?
  • SUPREME EFFORT OF WILL.
  • How to Become more Idealistic
  • Thrivival 101
  • Create Yourself
  • Non-Small
  • Inspiration
  • How to Live a Heroic Life: Dare the Heights!
  • Human Augmentation
  • Prune
  • Happiness: Do What You Want to Do (And Don’t Do What You Don’t Want to Do)
  • Avoid Vain (Empty) Pursuits in Life
  • Modern Slavery
  • Kill the Leeches
  • Wisdom Augmentation
  • Why We Need Friction in Life
  • Straight Line Philosophy
  • What’s Your End-Game in Life?
  • Create Your Own Happiness Today
  • Desire Both Pain and Pleasure in Life
  • Try the Impossible
  • SELF-RESPECT
  • Anti-Social Extrovert
  • Never Blame Anybody But Yourself
  • Human Flourishing
  • Simpler, Not Better.
  • How to be Free
  • Embrace the Extremes
  • Cultivate Your Own Culture
  • COURAGE.
  • Thrivival
  • Inner Power
  • How to Live a Purposeful Life
  • My Definition of Happiness
  • Why Change is Good
  • Why Work?
  • How to Live the Happiest Possible Life
  • The Two-Pronged Approach to Maximize Joy in Your Life
  • You Always Have Another Option!
  • INFINITISM
  • Never Stop!
  • What is Your Self-Directed Purpose in Life?
  • Live Today Like it Were Your Last
  • Do You Photograph to Live, or Live to Photograph?
  • ARTIST-PHILOSOPHER
  • Live Life to the Fullest!
  • In Praise of Selfishness
  • Why You Must Be a YAY-SAYER to Succeed in Entrepreneurship and Life
  • Why I Love Walking
  • Live Life Like a Video Game!
  • Simple Luxuries in Life
  • Treat Your Life Like a Fun Experiment!
  • Only Prove it to Yourself
  • You Don’t Always Need to Feel Joyful to Live a Fulfilling and Meaningful Life
  • Life is Too Short to Be Bored!
  • Money Cannot Destroy Boredom
  • How to Find Inspiration in Life
  • Why You Must Ignore Haters to Succeed and Win in Life
  • An Active Life is a Happy Life
  • My Simple Joys in Life
  • Never Stop Striving
  • How to Motivate Yourself in Life
  • How to Be Optimistic in Life
  • How to Dictate Your Purpose in Life
  • In Praise of a Dynamic Life
  • PURPOSE.
  • How to Enjoy Life
  • Photography Therapy
  • How to Conquer Regret
  • Take Your Play Very Seriously.
  • How to Prosper
  • Memento Vivere
  • Destroy in Order to CREATE
  • Trust Your Body More Than Your Mind
  • Make Photos to Make Meaning in Your Life
  • Seek Knowledge, Not Information
  • The Purpose of Human Life
  • How to Overcome Impedence
  • Why I Love Death
  • How to Be Centered in the Eternal Now
  • How to Be Happy
  • Why Do You Care What Others Think of You?
  • Why I’m Happy
  • Why?
  • Why I’m So Prolific
  • How to Reduce LAG in Life

Masters of Philosophy »

  • Seneca
  • Marcus Aurelius
  • Publilius Syrus

Personal Philosophy »

  • You Are the Light of the World
  • Your Soul is a Diamond in the Rough
  • Why Live?

Stoicism »

  • How to Be a Stoic Street Photographer
  • How to Use Photography as Self-Therapy
  • How to Free Your Soul From Disturbance

Zen Philosophy »

  • How to Be a Zen Street Photographer
  • Zen in the Art of Street Photography
  • How to Find Tranquility in Your Photography

Life Lessons »

  • How to Conquer Your Fears in Life
  • Conquer Yourself
  • How to Focus

Learn more: Start Here >

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