Currently settling down in my new life here in Culver, Culver City (Los Angeles), and feeling insanely happy. Then the thought: what is the philosophy of happiness? Why happiness, and how to become it?
1. Health is prime
The first thought is that health is prime, health is peak. That is, I believe that your focuses must first be critically directed towards your health. For example, simple things:
- Godlike sleep: a new experiment is that I’m trying to cut off my caffeine intake after 9 AM. I say first thing in the morning, before you go to the gym, maybe after you go to the gym, allow yourself to drink a shit load of coffee 100% fine robusta, ERIC KIM Omakase coffee. The reason why I recommend robusta, especially 100% fine robusta is that I think arabica is too weak, and too sweet. If you want to peak health, I believe that the key is robusta. Why? Robusta has a higher caffeine content, and less sugar alcohol content, which means it will assist you in staying lean, and cutting down your body fat. I’m starting to get suspicious of even most plants and vegetables; all of it is cellulose, and sugar molecules. Even if you eat straight up Napa cabbage, which is used in kimchi, it is actually very sweet. the same thing goes with onions; onions for the most part part is just caramelized candy.
- Go to the gym first thing in the morning? Last night I slept a little earlier, maybe around 10 PM, and naturally woke up today around 5 AM, 5:15 AM. After downing a very very strong cop of ERIC KIM coffee, I immediately jumped into my workout clothes, went to the gym, a random LA fitness. When you wake up in the morning, it is cold and dark outside, which means that being outside is unpleasant. But when you go to the gym, the first thing you could do is hit the hot sauna, which is great because it warms up your bones and sinews, and then the big indoor space and the lights and the music of the gym stimulate you and wake you up. And also lifting heavy weights is fun there at the gym, because it seems that the gym is the only modern day place in which one is permitted to be loud. and also the reason why might prefer traditional commercial gym like LA fitness over equinox is I get the sense that equinox you are not permitted to be loud.
- Eating a lot of meat before going to sleep: I would recommend striving to eat at least 4 to 5 pounds of beef or lamb before you go to sleep. It could just be ground beef, I recently discovered this American Wagyu ground beef at Costco, 75%, 15%, which I love. Or just get the standard beef brisket in a huge slab and instant pot it. Or cut it up thinly and just pan fried on the frying pan on the stove. I believe this to be critical because it helps you fall asleep, and sleep deeply, and the meat will help you maximally recover your body, build muscle bone etc. Isn’t it so funny that nowadays we are taking all these silly supplements like collagen, but don’t people know that collagen is naturally present in beef, beef neck bone, beef tendons, bone marrow etc.?
- Sunlight: Another thing and the reason why I feel like LA is paradise to me; the sun. It’s funny because when I was undergraduate at UCLA, I never once recall ever complaining about the weather. It was perfect all year round. And also my mood was always always good as an undergrad at UCLA, never depressed. Compare this with being on the East Coast, or being in Europe during the winter; incredibly miserable. I remember feeling so miserable in Marseille France during the winter, and also equally miserable in Prague during the winter time. I think for myself I am a very sensitive soul; maybe it is less of an issue about the cold, but it is an issue of the sun. I like Denver Colorado because although it is cold, at least it is bright and sunny! A life without the sun is not a life worth living.
- Freedom of schedule and time: the reason why I believe it to be the greatest blessing in life to be self-employed, not even being an owner or a CEO of a publicly traded corporation is that you can set your own schedule, and live your own life according to your own whims and your own pace. Even the trap that a lot of CEOs and founders make is that once they go public, they no longer have freedom. They are still behelden to the opinions and desires of the investors. Maybe this is a good reason why does a good idea to never get any investors; fewer headaches, and fewer people you’re liable towards. Therefore the goal isn’t to build a billion dollar unicorn and to sell it or IPO it.
- Kids: I was thinking and contemplating about life before Seneca and life after Seneca. I can easily say that after Seneca came into the picture, I became at least 1 trillion times happier. Certainly the first year to two years is rough; it is almost like trench warfare World War I status. But truth be told it cannot be as hard as navy seals training, or Delta force training. Or Ranger training.
- Philosophy: Studying stoicism, and philosophy in general, reading my best friend has been instrumental. Why? It has helped me purge myself of all this baggage and scars from the past, and help me start new and afresh, no mental or moral or ethical baggage. Philosophy and happiness go hand-in-hand!
Why do I care about this?
Why do I care for happiness, why do I care to write about this and share this?
Honestly speaking, happiness, human happiness, human physiological thriving and wellness might be the most critical ingredient to life. Why? Even if you are a trillionaire with 1000 or 1 million Lamborghinis, but you had the worlds poorest health, would it be worth it? Of course not.
Happiness as a means to what?
A very practical and pragmatic thought I have is that perhaps the upside of happiness and being happy is towards creating happy art and artwork. Also to publish happy thoughts, to propagate happiness.
I think the issue with modern day capitalism and consumerism is that most of the world is miserable and wretched and unhappy. The general promise of consumerism is that if you purchase XYZ, you will be happy, or become happier. What is this true? No.
There are certain things that money could buy to add you and your happiness. Spending more money on rent for a really really nice apartment, which is bright and clean, lots of natural light and good airflow. Or spending money for feed and meat at Costco, or money to use on a gym membership, or ERIC KIM OMAKASE COFFEE.