August 2023 - ERIC KIM ₿

BIG RACK PULL

LOOK BEYOND

Life is too short to be basic. My personal recommendation instead is to think beyond and look behind. What does that mean? That means don’t just be another basic human being; set yourself insanely audacious life goals. Ultimately it doesn’t really matter whether you achieve them or not, what is more critical is the vision and the attempt!

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PHILOSOPHY BY KIM

ZEN OF ERIC by Eric Kim Haptic Mobile Edition Download

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HOLD YOUR TONGUE

It takes more skill to hold your tongue than not?

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STOICISM 101

Become invincible:

The Stoic Masters

Learn from the master stoics:

See all philosophy >

Greater contrast!

What hides dirt the best?

GLEAMING LIKE A GOD

COMMAND!

Donâ€™t ask; command.

THE OVERMAN

Becoming an overmanâ€” Over Man, OverManâ€”

Man is the ultimate monster. Thus the goal isnâ€™t to become a monster, or a beast. Or a dragon. The goal is to become an overman.

My only enemy is physics?

LOOK BEYOND

Donâ€™t look at people, look beyond that; look into the distance, the mountains, over and beyond.

Static AND Dynamic.

Nameless?

The worst thing to do for you; being nameless?

Peak Health?

Flexibility is a flex?

Typically pain is a sign that a certain part needs to be stretched more.

The gym is my office?

In the gym nobody knows what car you drive.

How to Think Better

I think for myself, ultimately one of my greatest passions is thinking and thoughts. And also health. But the question is this; how does one actually think better, and also, towards what ends?

1. Outside?

Whenever I wake up, it is typically a slow start. It takes a while to get my thoughts going.

Typically I start off the day with ERIC KIM OMAKASE COFFEE, and I permit myself to have as many shots of espresso as I would like. I keep taking shots until I feel good.

Then I actually think the more critical component is just going outside, going outside in the direct sun, getting direct UV exposure, to the direct sun and the direct light.
Some theories:

First, I have a theory that man is not that different from plant, except we move quicker. Let us consider how plants and flowers bloom when the sun is out, and the shrivel when there is no sun.

Thereâ€™s a funny saying amongst gardeners that the most critical thing to grow plants is lots of love, sunlight, water, and good soil. I wonder if the same applies to humans?

The question is how much sun is enough sun? And how long should we be outside? I say just follow your gut; it is just a feeling. If I havenâ€™t had enough time outdoors, I spend more time outdoors. But if my skin is starting to hurt because the sun is starting to get too strong on my skin, I just go inside.

2. Your skin is the most important organ?

Another thought on health; Iâ€™ve discovered that actually, it seems that the best indicator of health is skin. That is, you could determine the health of somebody just by looking at the quality of their skin.

Also one thing that Iâ€™ve learned from one of my doctor friends, a past workshop student is that the best way to determine how old somebody is, to look at their hands. You can get lots of cosmetic surgery on your face and other parts of your body, but typically the hands tell all.

Even common gym dwellers; even though they may spend all day in the gym, and get impressive muscles and physique, typically bodybuilders before they get ready for a competition they either go out in the sun, and sunbathe a lot, or they get these fake dark brown spray tans to accentuate their muscles. But what I actually think what theyâ€™re trying to do is trying to show that theyâ€™re healthy by getting a fake spray tan.

This is tricky because there is a dosage issue here; too much time in the sun causes your skin to wear too quickly. If you are a poor migrant worker, and do not have any protective covering when youâ€™re in the sun all day, your skin will age poorly. So thereâ€™s a fine line here; you donâ€™t want to be the typical office worker or tech worker who is simply stuck indoors all day, without access to adequate sun or sunlight.

In fact, even going to some of the most elite shopping malls and places and looking at other humans, it is actually very rare that you could see somebody with healthy looking real skin, with healthy skin and a healthy tan.

Even a lot of people, I think they would look more beautiful if they spent more time outdoors in the direct sun, without a shirt on, getting a good tan.

3. Physical activity, walking and moving

Nietzsche one said, â€Trust no thought which doesnâ€™t come to you while walking outdoors!â€ Also, donâ€™t trust any thoughts while you are sitting. He had a funny Latin pun, in which the only sin against the Holy Spirit was sitting on your ass.

The last few days and week, Iâ€™ve been spending an inordinate amount of time driving in a car, and Iâ€™ve been away from the gym for about five days. As a consequence, I actually literally feel my ligaments, tendons, sinews, and body atrophying. My theory is that when you spend a lot of time sitting or sedentary, there is not as much an opportunity for your body to bear the weight of your body on your hips, your back, your knees, ankles feet etc. Therefore literally any time spent sitting is bad for you.

My personal theory on happiness is that happiness is walking. Any life or lifestyle which promotes walking is the greatest blessing.

4. Thinking and thoughts for the sake of what?

One of the greatest things on my mind is that ultimately, what is the point in desired end of thinking and thoughts?

The first of the hugely pragmatic one; often your thoughts manifest your desires and motivators etc.

For example, if youâ€™re always thinking about money, making more money, buying that new car, etc., then your real life activities will manifest in wasting lots of time to trying earn more money. But, what if a more effective approach instead would be to think; what is my personal philosophy of money? What do I want money for, what is the meaning of money, is this a worthwhile goal for me? And or how much time should I devote to trying to earn money? Also, how much money is enough?

Even Seneca once said,

What if right now, you already have too much money?

Nobody ever thinks this! Even back in ancient Roman times.

5. Ultimately, it comes down to philosophy?

Currently speaking, the most worshiped thing is business, economics, entrepreneurship, capital, capitalism, production, producerism, consumerism, media, or money and money accumulation.

However, perhaps a more interesting thing to consider is that philosophy is more critical.

For example, Elon Musk. Tesla and SpaceX. The underlying philosophical question is; should we strive to go to Mars or become an intergalactic species? Because in theory, I think if we took all the world resources, human talent and effort to create spaceships and stuff, we probably could do it.

Also with Tesla; the philosophical question is should we produce, drive, and operate electric cars? Certainly the execution of producing electric cars and putting them into existence is more difficult, but the first philosophical question is, should we do this?

6. What we eat, how we eat?

Currently speaking, my new favorite food may be beef intestines, specifically, large beef intestines. The other night Cindy and I went to our favorite all you can eat Korean barbecue restaurant, and after sampling and eating all of the foods, I think my personal favorite was the large beef intestine. It is so insanely rich, it feels like youâ€™re eating liquid gold. Similar and akin to bone marrow.
Maybe even better than beef liver?

I personally believe this to be critical. Why? I think a lot of the modern day philosophies on diet and nutrition is nonsensical. Example there is a strange quantification of calories, protein, carbs, sugar, etc. But I think maybe a more interesting thought is trying to be more critical about the substances we consume.

For example, let us say that we broke down beef intestines into a certain quantified measure, and compared it and measured it to some sort of fake vegetable supplement. Would it yield the same thing? No.

Or another example; is eating 4 pounds of ribeye beef steak equivalent to eating 4 pounds of pea protein powder a day? Assuming that the grammage of protein was the same? No.

My personal thought on the anti-meat conspiracy is that ultimately it comes down to economics; meat is not efficient. It spoils to quickly, itâ€™s not shelf stable, and also doesnâ€™t yield great profit margins.

Also, this strange modern day trend we have towards â€œanimal rightsâ€œ; for example, animals, pets, dogs and cats have just become another consumer item. For example, getting that pug or Shiba Inu is almost like buying a new Louis Vuitton bag, or a Cartier watch. Also social media; for the most part everyone likes cute dogs and pets and animals. They donâ€™t really offend anybody.

Cars are Art

The other day Cindy was asking me what I was doing to the car, to the Prius, and I said I was debadging it, waxing and polishing it, and also in the past historically Iâ€™ve touched up the paint a lot, spray painted certain components and parts of it, fixed rust, etc.

Cindy asked me what the point of it all was? I joked and said that I am an artist, that is what I do, I play with spray paint etc. It is almost like saying, to a painter, what are you doing spending all day putting paint on canvas? The car is a canvas, and paint is your art substance?

I think the difficult thing about art is that there is a bias that it needs to have some sort of economic payoff. A.k.a., you gotta make money from it. But what if this isnâ€™t your concern? What if you are in a life and a world beyond money?

What is man made for?

Ugly, Ugliness?

Just donâ€™t say nothing.

At this point life is all upside, no downside.

Just joke around with people!

Donâ€™t associate with people you donâ€™t like

Wealth and physique?

True Patriot

What use does man have of woman?

To beget children!

MY SON IS KING!

You know youâ€™ve made it when other people no longer interest you

You need me I donâ€™t need you.

Jay-Z; I said no to the Super Bowl.

Thought; you can see the worth of somebody based on what they say no to!

THE LOGIC OF MEAT EATING

What would the Ancient Greek heros do? Or sacrifice to the gods?

Oxen, hectacombs.

What did Achilles eat? Bone marrow!

BECOMING LESS WEAK

More maintenance, more problems.

IGNORE RATIONALITY

Just follow your gut, emotions and feelings instead!

I WANT TO DO IT ALL!

A thought while getting hyped up with ERIC KIM OMAKASE COFFEE:

I want to do it all!

EK MEDIA

Morning coffee routine VIDEO

YouTube morning routine

How and why?

I think for myself, entrepreneurship is in my veins. It is my passion, my lust, my personal interest, that which I am the most passionate about.

I think this is the great glory and gratitude and joy of America, being born in America, etc. Essentially the gist is that in America, you could do anything, become anything, create anything, attempt anything.

In America the nuance is that success or â€œmaking itâ€œ is not guaranteed or promised. In fact, in America, the only privilege you have is the freedom to attempt something, not to succeed.

How does this matter?

Several things to consider;

First, you are alive, and one day you will die.

Second, it seems that a lot of life is personal preferences, and also, you have the power to dictate a certain type of lifestyle approach.

For example, we all have certain preferences, and to some degree we can control where we want to live, what kind of work to do, what to spend money on, what not to spend our money on, etc.

I think the biggest thing in modern day times is in regards to media. The reason why I discourage any sort of consumption of watching of sports is that it is essentially prostituted athleticism.

Let us consider why we like to watch sports. Essentially what it is is we get a second hand adrenaline high from watching and consuming sports.

I think the best visual that I have is from battle Angel Alita, the manga comic, in which in this dystopic future, we can get a first hand, POV of other athletes fighting racing and doing other dangerous things. Essentially we literally put ourselves in the shoes of others.

Unstoppable!

Perhaps a good way to visualize things or how to think about it is this; there is a certain desired outcome that you have, and, there might be a certain things which get in your way.

But is this true?

I think not.

For example, I think the big problem is in todayâ€™s world, we simply donâ€™t know what we want in life.
The reason why I innovated Zen of Eric, or the why app is essentially a means to encourage people to think more critically about their desired outcomes in life.

Disregard foreign philosophies

It seems that a great downside of modern day times and living is that we believe that we must kowtow to some sort of other foreign authority. That we are not permitted to become our own authority.

For example, now that I critically think about it, maybe studying too much Taoism, zen, stoicism has been detrimental to myself.

I think aesthetically, to read philosophy is almost like reading practical and pragmatic philosophy. But ultimately we shouldnâ€™t take things too literally.

Also another strange bias; in modern day times we are indoctrinated that reading more books is more better for us. That is, to read 1000 pages a day is considered virtuous.

However what I believe in is the opposite. Perhaps actually we should read less, walk more, think more, contemplate more, go to the gym more frequently, use the hot sauna more, drink more fine robusta, lift more, one rep max more, etc.

Why thoughts, innovation is critical

I think the problem in modern-day society, America, most of the westernized world, capitalism and consumerism is that we have to purchase happiness, well-being, innovation etc. For example, Iâ€™m a huge fan of Tesla Musk, Tesla, electric cars, car culture design, aesthetics etc.

I think the reason why critical thinking is so useful is that it cut to the chase.

For example, a lot of people desire or lust after a certain car; a Mercedes-Benz AMG wagon, a Porsche GT3 RS, a certain model of Tesla, Ferrari Lamborghini etc. Often times people spend an inordinate amount of time thinking and considering these things whereas maybe the best timesaver is this:

What if I just took all of that time effort and money and just invested in my self in my own body, perhaps this would give me more happiness?

For example, the other day while househunting in LA, I walked down Rodeo Drive with Seneca, and trolled around Beverly Hills a bit, and I realize that in regards to cars, everyone is just following the same old memes.

Also a fun trick; instead of looking in the car, look really hard at who the driver is.

For example the typical trope I see is that a lot of these high powered big SUVs are driven by women with sunglasses on, or a lot of these convertible sports cars with the top down is driven with men for balding, old, often over-fat.

So the funny thing is in regards to cars, when we see impressive cars, the question is this:

Do you desire the car, or find the car fascinating? Or do you desire to become the person who is driving the car?

We want to be happy?

HAPPY?

We want to become insanely happy?

Most people are unwell. Most people have poor health, even people who go to the gym every single day. Health can be characterized by many things, some of it is mental health, some of it is physical health, but ultimately all of it is physiological. That is, happiness joy and health cannot exist outside of your human body.

I personally believe in a â€œmortalâ€ soul. That is, we all have a soul, which is essentially a metaphorical configuration of the blood, sinews, electric impulses, DNA, everything which is contained within this 3-D wire mesh which we call our human body. When we die our soul dies with us.

How are people unwell? People are unwell in regards to many things;

A lot of modern day people do not spend enough time outside, in the direct elements, in the direct sun. Therefore I wonder if a lot of people are lacking melanin in their skin.
A lot of people have weak legs, thighs, calves, hips, back, shoulders, feet. Even guys who go to the gym every single day, my simple heuristic is first to look at their legs and then look at everything else. If a man does not have calves or thighs or legs which resemble the Farnese Hercules, write them off.
The modern day mode of living is bad; too much time sitting, while sitting in a car stuck in traffic, sitting at a desk at the office, even a standing desk is bad in so far much as youâ€™re stuck in a static position. Even a walking standing desk treadmill desk is bad in so far much as the movement is too regular; a more optimal thing is perhaps walking in some sort of uneven terrain, like walking in some sort of park or natural place with random tree roots bulging out etc., maybe just walking around with your iPad Pro and voice dictating your thoughts. Or just doing work on your iPhone.
I think the modern day man, or even woman can be characterized as some sort of sick animal; domesticated, caged, both literally and metaphorically, and are essentially like little battery pods in the Matrix, in which metabolic energy is extracted for driving consumerism.
Over consumption of sugar, fake sugars, strange beverages, and anemic plants. For example, in terms of beverages, I truly believe that the best approach is to just stick to water, plain tapwater or filtered tap water is fine, and black coffee with nothing added to it. I prefer EK COFFEE, straight up. I donâ€™t drink any sort of alcohol, no beer, no wine, no whiskey, no spirits, nothing weird and foreign. I donâ€™t even smoke weed or do drugs.

What do I desire to do?

Currently speaking, there are a lot of things on the chopping block:

Coffee innovation: it seems that in modern-day times, most adults drink coffee every single day, often several times a day. I think it is actually one of the things which is the most overlooked; we are not critical about the coffee we consume, we just simply treat it as a thing that gives us more power and energy. Yet perhaps we should become more discerning; everyone seems to be obsessed about health, but how come nobody ever talks about health in regards to coffee? ERIC KIM OMAKASE FINE ROBUSTA as the first step.
Diet health and fitness; I believe this to be really really critical; Iâ€™ve been obsessed with diet health and fitness ever since I was a fat kid, a fat kid at 11 and 12 years old in Bayside Queens New York. Now at the age of 35, being born in 1988, Iâ€™ve experimented and gone through a lot of the exercise fads, food fads, etc. Why is diet health and fitness so critical? I think people want to feel good, to feel strong, abundant, healthy and strong. It seems that the most critical thing then to consider is this trifecta. What do you eat and what you donâ€™t eat, what you drink and what you donâ€™t drink, what you consume and you donâ€™t consume, when to eat, how much to eat, went to stop eating, went to start eating, etc. For example my recent visit to LA, going to Erewhon etc â€” LA people simply do not look well. They think it is â€œhealthyâ€œ, to consume strange juices, and also donâ€™t eat enough meat. It seems that nowadays the big moneymaker is beverages; some sort of miracle tonic, which promises a lot, but ultimately had some sort of fake sugar added to it. Also the reason why you should not trust a lot of these beverages which have â€œzero sugar addedâ€ is that they just put another strange chemical in it, which taste sweet. My personal theory is that even zero calorie sweeteners make you fat, because when your body senses or taste something sweet, your body will excrete insulin, which is one of the precursor to fat storage.
Weight lifting approaches â€” my one rep max atlas lift as example. Fitness is also another huge industry, and I think a lot of people follow fitness regimens like sheep. This is why I donâ€™t trust anyone who does CrossFit, yoga, or any sort of standardized way of exercise. Also I donâ€™t trust â€œpowerliftersâ€œ, or â€œbodybuildersâ€œ; a more robust term to use is weightlifter. Why? My joy and passion is simply lifting weights, I consider it very fun and enjoyable and interesting and thrilling. A lot of these other categories follow some sort of strange approach and regimen.
Innovative thinking, philosophy; I think at the end of the day, what a lot of people desire is discovering some sort of deeper meaning in life. This means, philosophy is the way.

WORKSHOPS

Iâ€™m super pumped to announce my first, insanely unique INTRODUCTION TO STOICISM WORKSHOP. This workshop is limited to only three passionate individuals, and it will take place in downtown LA, December 2, 2023. If youâ€™ve been curious about learning more about stoicism, or deepening your philosophical inquiry to life, this workshop is for you!

STOICISM WORKSHOP >

Also, I am very excited to go back to Philly, October 14th! Cindy is going to Philly for a conference, and concurrently I will also teach a CONQUER STREET PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP there!

PHILLY STREET WORKSHOP >

Also, November 4th I am also teaching a DISCOVER YOUR CREATIVE MISSION IN LIFE WORKSHOP in DOWNTOWN LA, NOVEMBER 4th. If you want to turbo charge your creativity and artistry, this workshop is for you.

Learn More >

Now what?

I encourage you to start your own blog! My new thought is donâ€™t limit yourself by anything. Permit yourself to talk about anything and everything your heart desires.

For example for myself, my passion not only for photography, street photography, but philosophy, life, entrepreneurship, and everything in between.

START HERE

When in doubt, start here.

More turbo thoughts to come!

And stay posted on the blog or newsletter, for more fire! Also, feel free to forward this to a friend!

WHY?

Think more with ZEN OF ERIC

WHY?

Cognitive dissonance

ERIC KIM INTRODUCTION TO STOICISM WORKSHOP DOWNTOWN LA, DECEMBER 2nd, 2023

This is the workshop we have all been waiting for:

Dear friend, if youâ€™re hungry to become the super stoic, I cordially invite you to my totally brand new and insanely innovative workshop, my INTRODUCTION TO STOICISM WORKSHOP this upcoming December 2, 2023 in Downtown LA:

The idea

The generalized concept is simple; to think through more critically your life path, your life goals, your desired ends and outcomes, and learning practical and philosophical techniques how to get there.

Also, learning both practical and philosophical techniques on conquering fear, hesitation, and overcoming life regrets; whether it be past, present, or future.

Essentially the goal is to upgrade your mind and soul. Imagine like before the workshop your brain is running on windows 95, and after the workshop, your brain is like the newest Apple iOS.

Why am I teaching this workshop?

I have a passion for knowledge, information, and wisdom. Iâ€™ve spent the last 20 years of my life trying to discover the optimal path to life, and I think Iâ€™ve discovered many practical and useful things which can benefit you. My great desire is to distill these things for you, and make it serve you.

Objectives for this workshop

Why attend this workshop, and how will it benefit you?

Some objectives and goals for this workshop:

Greater confidence, courage, and increased chutzpah for life.
Knowledge on the fundamentals of stoicism; distilled for you effectively.
The opportunity for creative ideation; the opportunity and chance for you to finally have the chance and opportunity to think more critically about your life, your life goals and desired ends, practical strategies on how to achieve them.
Philosophical life direction; if you have succeeded in life, but are still seeking something greater and further, this workshop should be a great opportunity for you to unfold, unravel, and advance the meaning of your life.
Conquer fear and hesitation; also, the chance for you to advance beyond certain past life annoyances, traumas, etc.
Creative reimagining ways to approach life! And discovering an innovative new life and lifestyle strategies and approaches.
How to become happy, both happier, and discovering the meaning of happiness.
Are an experience which will transform you, inspire you, and turbo charge you for your desired future.
Fun! An insanely fun experience, which is light hearted, joyful, and great.
Upgrading your soul.

The promise

Soul in the game (Nassim Taleb).

If after this experience you are not 100% transformed uplifted and empowered, just let me know and I will give you either a free credit to a future workshop, or 100% of your tuition and money back. Why? Soul in the game. I have such extreme pride in what I do that I have an imperative to ensure that you have the most phenomenal experience.

Not only that, but you work hard for your money, and money is a sign of pride and values. Therefore I want to respect you and your investment, both in terms of your time and money.

Bet on Yourself

I truly believe that the best investment is in yourself, your mind your abilities, upgrading yourself etc.

Tuition: 6750 USD, only 1999 USD if you submit your tuition before November 2nd, 2023

Normal Portal: 6750 USD Via PayPal here >

Early Bird Discount Portal: 1999 USD via PayPal here >

Limited Futures

This workshop is only limited to 3 intrepid individuals. Hurry up and sign up before all the spots fill!

The 411

Date: December 2nd, 2023: Saturday.
Time: 11am-4pm
Meeting Spot: ilcafe on 855 S Broadway, the same street as the wonderful ACE HOTEL (stay there!)
Parking: 840 south hill is a cheap and easy option! Typically $10 USD all day parking.
Where to stay? Stay at the 929 S Broadway ACE HOTEL â€” insanely great! Only around $250 a night â€” totally worth it!

What to prepare before the workshop

Once youâ€™ve submitted your full tuition for the workshop, your spot is 100% guaranteed. Just show up on the day of the workshop (11am on December 2nd 2023 at ilcafe) with motivation, excitement and an open mind!

About a week prior to the workshop, I will send you a personal email just saying hello!

Before attending the workshop, my suggestion is to just consider and think about your life purpose, your life goals, your creative and artistic goals etc.

Bring along your iPhone, iPad, camera, and a notepad, this experience will transform you!

What will the day look like?

We will spend some time at the coffee shop, getting to know one another, sharing our life goals and paths etc. Also there will be a fun walking around and photography component to things, even Steve Jobs believe that walking was the best way to converse.

Bring your camera, because we will also be making photos! If you want to travel light you could just bring your iPhone or smartphone as well.

How do I know if this workshop is right for me?

Honestly you donâ€™t need a background of anything; all you need is an open mind, curiosity, and passion.

Zero knowledge needed!

Now what?

If youâ€™re marginally curious, I said just submit your tuition for the workshop, and risk it! The best upside is instead of just buying a new camera, MacBook Pro laptop, car, tesla or a Lamborghini, just invest in yourself.

And once again, if youâ€™re not 100% happy with the experience, Iâ€™ll just give you your money back!

All upside, no downside!