Or better yet — degenerate vs *MUSCULAR* artists! NOT on steroids!

Even to a fault! Just get rid of it, throw it away!

To become wise means —

When you look at others and see how they fall victim to foolish or bad things … to essentially learn from their downsides and foolishness … and apply that thinking and apply it to your own life?

Wisdom is *NOT* falling victim to dumb, silly, foolish things. Financial, mental, physiological, physical foolishness lifestyle or possession or car stuff foolishness.

Also true wisdom is *NOT* falling into the folly of others.

Watch others … see how foolish they are, and figure out how to *NOT* replicate that foolishness?

Real luxury is *LESS* maintenance, LESS B.S.

Fake luxury —

MORE maintenance, MORE shit to fix, MORE stuff to have to deal with.

Video

Thinking CCIP

Thinking CCIP

In praise of GIF’s, animated GIF’s, movement. Mute is fine!

Security from decentralization … scale security differently?

Sergey Nazarov — just watch him talk, and listen to him talk … you can easily tell the man knows what he is talking about and cares about it!

Tens and hundreds of trillions of dollars!

TCP/IP, standing for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, is a set of communication protocols used for interconnecting network devices on the internet. It’s essentially the fundamental language that defines how data travels across networks.

1. TCP (Transmission Control Protocol): This protocol is responsible for ensuring the reliable transmission of data across the internet. It breaks down large data files into smaller packets for transmission and then reassembles them at the receiving end. TCP also manages flow control and error handling, ensuring that packets are delivered correctly and in order.
2. IP (Internet Protocol): IP handles the addressing and routing of packets, ensuring they reach the correct destination. Each device connected to the internet is assigned a unique IP address. IP routes each packet based on this address.

Together, these protocols enable a variety of internet services like email, web browsing, and file transfer. The robustness and flexibility of TCP/IP have been fundamental to the growth and scalability of the internet. TCP/IP is not only a technical standard but also an amazing example of innovation and collaboration in computer science.

99.999% a rumor .. but still, he’s so insanely smart, innovative, insightful and great?

5th level —

Manage risk?

Provide accurate data.

Dynamic new risks — fifth level. CCIP made up of MULTIPLE NETWORKS!

8.5 Trillion dollars of value unlocked?

Level 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5?

Quadrillions…

Sergey Nazarov— 2, or 3 servers … not just one key holder?

One key in their personal laptop?

3 servers in just one person and laptop? Not true decentralization.

Chainlink framework … MULTIPLE oracle networks!

Build multiple separate networks to perform their specific functions. Decentralized services.

Immune to manipulation.

Validate data?

Proof of reserves?

Oracle networks for computations and now cross chain.

No chainlink chain — multiple decentralized services. Thousand oracle networks launched

CCIP — cross chain interoperability network vs TCIP?

Cross Chain

Wool, leather, silk over cotton… even linen?

Certainly better than polyester, nylon, fake silk, etc.

The benefits of different fabrics can vary widely, depending on their properties and intended uses. Here’s a general overview:

1. Cotton: Cotton is breathable, soft, and comfortable. It’s ideal for everyday wear, especially in hot climates. It’s also hypoallergenic, making it suitable for sensitive skin. Cotton is biodegradable and environmentally friendly.
2. Wool: Wool is an excellent insulator, keeping you warm in cold weather. It’s naturally water-resistant and durable. Wool also has antibacterial properties, reducing odor in clothing. It’s biodegradable and renewable, sourced from sheep.
3. Silk: Silk is known for its luxurious feel and natural sheen. It’s incredibly soft, drapes well, and is naturally hypoallergenic. Silk is a good thermal regulator, keeping you cool in summer and warm in winter.
4. Linen: Linen is highly breathable and lightweight, making it perfect for summer wear. It has a distinctive, natural texture and becomes softer with each wash. Linen is also biodegradable and made from flax plants, which require less water than cotton to grow.
5. Polyester: Polyester is durable, wrinkle-resistant, and dries quickly. It retains its shape well and is often used in sportswear due to its moisture-wicking properties. It’s also less expensive than many natural fabrics.
6. Nylon: Nylon is known for its exceptional strength and elasticity. It’s lightweight, resistant to mildew, and dries quickly, making it ideal for outdoor and activewear.
7. Rayon: Rayon is a versatile fabric with a silky feel, often used as a more affordable alternative to silk. It’s breathable and comfortable, suitable for a variety of clothing types.
8. Spandex (Lycra): Spandex is highly elastic, making it essential for sportswear and stretchy garments. It enhances the fit and comfort of clothing.
9. Bamboo: Bamboo fabric is soft, breathable, and has natural antibacterial properties. It’s an eco-friendly option, as bamboo grows quickly and doesn’t require pesticides or fertilizers.

Each fabric offers its own set of benefits, making them suitable for different applications in fashion, home décor, and industrial uses. The choice often depends on the balance between comfort, durability, environmental impact, and specific use-case requirements.

Hebrew bible— book of Genesis.

The story of Joseph’s robe, often known as the “coat of many colors,” is a well-known tale from the Hebrew Bible, specifically found in the Book of Genesis. It’s not just a historical or religious account, but also a rich narrative with multiple layers of meaning, especially when viewed from a philosophical or innovative perspective.

1. Symbolism of the Robe: Joseph’s robe, given by his father Jacob, symbolizes favoritism. It sets Joseph apart from his brothers, indicating not just Jacob’s preference but also Joseph’s unique destiny. In a broader sense, it can represent the idea of individuality and the challenges that come with standing out from the crowd.
2. Dreams and Ambitions: Joseph’s dreams, where he saw his brothers’ sheaves of wheat bowing to his own, and the sun, moon, and stars bowing to him, reflect ambition and a vision for the future. This resonates with themes of foresight, innovation, and the journey towards realizing one’s potential.
3. Jealousy and Betrayal: The envy of Joseph’s brothers leads to his sale into slavery. This part of the story highlights the destructive nature of jealousy and the consequences of allowing negative emotions to drive actions. It also touches on the resilience required to face adversity.
4. Resilience and Triumph: Despite being sold into slavery and later imprisoned, Joseph rises to a position of power in Egypt. His journey from the depths of a pit to the heights of Egyptian society could be seen as an allegory for overcoming obstacles and achieving success against all odds.
5. Forgiveness and Reconciliation: Ultimately, the story culminates in Joseph’s reconciliation with his brothers. This aspect of the narrative emphasizes the importance of forgiveness, understanding, and the resolution of conflicts, which are crucial elements in both personal and societal relationships.
6. Providence and Fate: From a philosophical viewpoint, the story can be interpreted as a commentary on fate and providence. Joseph’s journey seems guided by a divine plan, suggesting themes of predestination versus free will.

In sum, the story of Joseph’s robe is about much more than a colorful garment. It’s a complex narrative about human emotions, personal destiny, overcoming challenges, and the power of forgiveness. It also poses deep questions about the nature of fate and the role of the individual in shaping their destiny, themes that are ever-relevant in the fields of philosophy, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Now winter is upon us, even LA is starting to get cold … time to bust out the socks.

Got these ALPACA socks from Providence Rhode Island back in the day … and they are insanely warm and great?

Alpaca fabric is highly regarded for its unique properties and benefits:

1. Softness and Comfort: Alpaca fiber is exceptionally soft, often compared to cashmere. This makes it comfortable to wear, especially for those with sensitive skin.
2. Thermal Properties: Alpaca wool is an excellent insulator. Its fibers contain microscopic air pockets that provide outstanding thermal regulation, keeping you warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
3. Hypoallergenic: Unlike sheep’s wool, alpaca fiber doesn’t contain lanolin, a common allergen. This makes it hypoallergenic and suitable for people with wool sensitivities.
4. Durability and Strength: Alpaca fibers are incredibly strong, contributing to the durability and longevity of alpaca-based textiles. Clothing and blankets made from alpaca can last for years with proper care.
5. Lightweight: Despite its warmth, alpaca fabric is surprisingly lightweight. This makes it comfortable to wear and easy to layer.
6. Water and Stain Resistance: Alpaca fibers naturally repel water and are resistant to stains, making them easier to maintain and ideal for outdoor wear.
7. Natural and Eco-Friendly: Alpacas are gentle on grazing land, and their wool is a natural, renewable resource. Choosing alpaca products supports more sustainable fashion practices.
8. Variety of Natural Colors: Alpaca wool comes in a range of natural colors, from whites and grays to browns and blacks, reducing the need for artificial dyes.
9. Breathability: The fabric is breathable, making it comfortable in a variety of climates.
10. Luxury Appeal: Alpaca fabric has a luxurious feel, often associated with high-quality, premium products.

Alpaca fabric combines practicality with luxury, offering an excellent alternative to traditional wool textiles. It’s particularly appealing for those looking for high-quality, sustainable, and hypoallergenic clothing options.

So everyone just uploads everything to YouTube. Not a great idea.

So I haven’t been watching my gains or assets too closely, but with ~20,800 Chainlink —

The difference between a modest gain … $15.46 a link vs $15.74 a link — super nominal… is a huuuge difference between a $27,960.99 gain and a $33,733.97 gain?

So a $33,700 USD gain vs a $28,000 gain … a difference of $5,700 USD in just 2-3 days… like you earned close to $6,000 USD (in addition) in a single day… for sitting around and doing nothing?

Or we can think, you just earned 2 more months of rent money, *NOT* doing anything and simply letting the market do the work for you?

Even selling some chainlink, around 480 chainlink for rent money ($3195 USD)— I’m still pretty up?

MONEY THOUGHTS.

“White people make money don’t spend it, I’d rather buy 80 gold chains and go ignant (ignorant)”. – Kanye

Thinking about money:

Why does this matter?

“Money sets the whole world in motion” – Publius Syrus

Do you know when people say that money makes the world go round? This is true.

So what is money anyways?

First, money is fiat, faith-based. Fiat currency.

Currency is an interesting word and term because it evokes the feeling of water, movement, river streams and tide pools.

So first of all, let us consider the notion of “income streams“. There’s this notion of “passive income”, I think first popularized or maybe coined by Tim Feriss, in his four hour work week. But I believe there to be a myth of passive income which means, income is and must be active. You cannot just sit on your butt and collect rent.

The myth of passive income

Also with rent, rent money is funny because even if you’re collecting rent, there’s a lot of work management you gotta do. For example, you have to fix and maintain your properties, make sure that your tenants pay their rent money, do background checks, deal with vacancies etc. It is one of those things that we as renters feel that the landlords have all the power, but in fact, assuming that you’re already wealthy, you actually might have more power as a renter than a landlord. Why? If you have a very good apartment and it is rent controlled, technically according to NASSIM TALEB you have greater optionality.

What that means is that you have a privilege to live somewhere, not an obligation. In theory you can leave whenever you want, and you’re not behelden to the property.

What would Aristotle, the ancient Greeks think?

In regards to the ancient Greeks, I think they may be the best model because starting from Roman times, their society already started to seep into degeneration, degeneracy. Even during Homer’s time, Homer was already saying that the ancient Greeks were falling into degeneracy, even when he was writing the Iliad.

I am currently reading Politics by Aristotle, and I find it to be a really fascinating read. Essentially what he says about household economics etc., as well as his thoughts on substantive versus speculative finance, real versus fake finance. He essentially says that real finance has to deal with animals and fruits of the earth, everything else is just imaginary.

Also, his thoughts on slavery. Essentially in ancient Greek times, the ultimate goal was to have the laborers, slaves, craftsman, mechanics do all the dirty work, and the true nobleman and free man would just use all of his time and leisure for building virtue, philosophical thinking, and participating in politics, the politics of the local city state, the polis.

In modern-day times we always think about politics like it pertains to international politics whatever. But the original term politics referred to the polis, the immediate city-state. It was not focused on foreign affairs.

What is the ideal city state?

What I like about Aristotle and his writings is that he’s always talking about the ideal, and talks a lot about studying from the best of the past and the current, in order to formulate his thoughts. Also his writing is straight simple and clear, and very authoritative. For example, he quotes Plato and his Republic, and straight up says: “Plato is wrong.” Almost as hilarious and ballsy as when Nietzsche said: “Plato is boring.”

True financial freedom

Two things: Pay rent money, pay for food and groceries, and basic utilities, like your Wi-Fi, gas and electric, gas for your car etc. Beyond that, what else do you really need? 

Another fun experiment I’m doing is just paying for rent money by using the profit on my cryptocurrency speculations, simply using Coinbase, and profits from CHAINLINK. For personal reference, I am currently 90% invested in chainlink, 10% in bitcoin. I believe this to be an interesting barbell for a risky yet “safe” investment speculation, in thinking the next 30 or 40 years.

Also, in terms of our cryptocurrency assets, we don’t have more than 10% of our whole life savings tied into cryptocurrency. Therefore if it all goes to zero in theory, not really a big deal. But my personal belief:

Bitcoin will never go down to zero.

Decimation

A very interesting thing that I learned from NASSIM TALEB, maybe it was written in his book ANTIFRAGILE, is this notion of decimation. The basic idea is that in ancient Roman times the army, if cowardice was suspected, at random, 10% of the army would be put to death, it was a good way to prevent cowardice, especially one facing an impressive enemy. 

10% is interesting because in theory, if you lose 10% of your army, it is not enough to significantly lose your forces. A 10% loss is more than acceptable. For example let us say that you’re playing StarCraft, and you got an army of zealots, all upgraded with dash and full armor upgrades, if you lose 10% of them, you could still kill the army of zerg maybe if you do good enough micro management of the units. 

Finances is also similar — best to have 90% of your money in insanely secure bonds, CDs or stuff that might beat inflation, even a simple savings account at 5%. Then put 10% of your money in extremely speculative cryptocurrency speculations, rather than putting 100% of your money and boring “medium risk” funds.

“Never trust a risk number even if it is right.”- TALEB 

Why we should not trust economists

First and foremost, economics, being an economist, is the new hocus pocus of modern day times. The reason why economists are so highly regarded is that currently speaking the new global religion is capital and capitalism.

Therefore as a consequence, the new modern-day priests are economists, and these fake talking heads on the TV screen.

The reason why we should trust no economist, is that they use fake numbers statistics and fake math to justify their thoughts and positions. Even Nate Silver, who everyone thinks is some sort of genius, mispredicted Trump getting elected into office. Why? Even if you’re a statistician with 99% accuracy, the one percent of the time you’re wrong, it could cost billions of dollars.

The reason why we should also not trust no economist is that most of them are protected from the real world. Their opinions reports and thought pieces have no connection to reality. A lot of them are getting a fat salary and steady paycheck from their tenured professor positions at Harvard Yale Princeton or whatever, and therefore the predictions thoughts they have, have no bearing on their own personal finances.

Better instead to trust individual individuals who actually have skin in the game, or money in the game. That is that your opinion is tied to your own personal bank account, if your opinion is right, you make the big bucks, but if you’re wrong, you lose your shirt.

Where I am coming from

One of the best things about growing up poor and when you have seen your mom go through bankruptcy twice is that in some funny ways, it makes you more brazen, less fearful. Witnessing my mom go bankrupt, because my dad gambled away the rent money and we couldn’t pay rent, and she would just rack up credit card bills just to pay basic expenses, what I learned is at the end it’s not that bad. My mom got family support, community support, church support, and ultimately she was OK in the very end.

So for myself, the reason why I have such a high tolerance for risk is essentially nowadays, I live like a poor person. My New Year’s resolution is to buy nothing; or close to nothing, or just to not buy stuff that I consider silly or superfluous. Even acquiring free stuff; to me that is just more clutter in my mind in my life and my home; we new elite is about minimalism, even to a fault. 

Also, the American entrepreneurial spirit. Even my dad when he first came to the states, was extremely entrepreneurial. He started his own business when I was very very young, I think selling audio equipment. As he had a passion for music movies and film and cinema. I actually think his great ambition of life was to become a great film director. Even at a young age, I recall him watching Alfred Hitchcock the birds, Schindler’s list, and all these other great avant-garde films.

So now, raising Seneca, he is currently two years, around 11 months old… his training is very simple; simple, physical, Spartan. 99% of the day we are just at the local nature center, hiking on dirt paths, walking around, doing gymnastics at the playground, even now, I bought some wooden gymnast rings which I just hang from my parking spot in the back of my apartment, and he could swing around it, and hang around it! It is pretty amazing.

Another thing I learned from Aristotle’s Politics is that with children and child rearing, the logical order is first physical training and gymnastics, second is nutrition and feeding, third is the intellect. It seems that in modern day times we do the total opposite; we don’t really focus on physical exercise for kids, we just try to make them look smart. But book smarts is bad smarts; real smarts comes from the real world.

As a consequence, I probably literally spent close to no money on him. The only thing that we paid for in the early days were maybe diapers, and buying some random stuff on Amazon like training underwear, etc.

Now, he eats wagyu ground beef well in the air fryer, pro tip just toss a bunch of small broken up pieces of ground beef in the air fryer for 10 minutes, sprinkle it with some salt and pepper and give it to your kid! I think precisely because Seneca was born and fed such a high meat diet, he is the buff strong and tall boy he is today.

100% carnivore kid.

What should we use money for? 

What is the proper use of money?

For myself, Costco. Funny enough it looks like out of all of my normal stock investments, Costco is doing the best! Why? As inflation goes up, food gets more expensive etc., everyone likes to think that they’re not being “ripped off”– nobody likes to think that they are overpaying for anything. Costco is funny because it is almost like Walmart but with a good conscience; a lot of middle-class even rich people have thought of Walmart as akin to the devil; whereas Costco has warm fuzzy feelings. Half of the fun even myself as a kid going to Costco was getting the hotdogs at the food court, and also getting all the free samples! Costco is almost like going to Disneyland, with benefits.

Meat

To me, the only real food substance is meat. You could thrive on 100% carnivore meat red meat diet, good luck with lentils beans and potatoes. That is poverty food. 100% red meat beef lamb diet is fit for the gods.

Let us consider, the nonsenseness of veganism; the etymology and history of vegan comes from vegetarian, vegetarianism. Essentially the vegans were the more hardcore vegetarians; the word “vegan”, essentially is the word vegetarian with fewer letters.

Why do people even go vegan in the first place?

Honestly I think being vegan is more of an ethical thing rather than a physiological concern. This is where vegetarians are more honest than vegans; a lot of people who are vegetarian do it for religious regions, for example people from India or south Asia, or some people just don’t really like the taste of meat or flesh, prefer to eat cheese eggs dairy and fish instead. 

Thinking historically

What I also love about studying ancient history, Rome, the Iliad, thinking about Homer is that back then, there was none of this nonsensical being “woke“, or political correctness. The Greeks were a hard and simple race; you were either Greek or a barbarian. Even the word barbarian is originated from the notion of “bar-bar”– anyone who did not speak Greek, their language sounded like somebody saying “bar bar bar”.

And also this is where notions of “white supremacy“, or being “white”, is nonsensical. Were the ancient Greeks “white”? No. They were olive skinned, very tan.

We acknowledge and understand that the ancient Greeks were probably the peak human and society of its time; maybe it makes sense for us to go back to the fountains, and for us to seek to imitate the best of the best, the crème la crop of the past.

How did the ancient Greeks think about money?

First, in the time of Homer, the Iliad the odyssey etc.; there was no notion of coins, or coined money or currency. The notion of coin is actually pretty good, like bitcoin, because the original minted money was actually coins, not paper money.

Also, gold. Gold was always highly valued throughout all of history, even during the time of Homer and the Iliad. For example the greed of king Agamemnon, what did he want? More gold, more women, more land, more slaves, more power.

Even as a sidenote; an Achilles was told by his father figure that king Agamemnon was the superior man, because he lorded over more men. 

During the time of Homer, and the Iliad; wealth was concentrated in food and meat, oxen; the notion of a “hectacomb” was the generalized notion that if you wanted to appease the gods and make a sacrifice, you had to sacrifice 100 oxen, which was a lot. Why? An ox is interesting because you could eat it, and also you could use it as manual labor. Maybe back in the day, having one ox was almost like the modern day notion of having a Lamborghini; can you imagine sacrificing and burning 100 Lamborghinis to appease the gods?

What did Achilles want?

If I ever had to rename myself I would just need myself Achilles. Why? He is practically invincible; what is it that he wanted in the Iliad? Honestly he was tired of war and conquest and battle; he just wanted to chill out, retire, enjoy his land and pastures, and enjoy Breisis his prize.

Even Achilles said wisely; No amount of wealth in the world is worth a life, my life. Not if you took all the wealth of the world, all the gold of the world, and multiplied it by 65. Once you’re dead, you’re dead forever.

Even in today’s world, I don’t think sacrificing your life your own personal life is worth anything; I would only ever ever ever sacrifice my life it was for the sake of Seneca’s life, or Cindy‘s life, or both. Otherwise, I have zero interest in being drafted to go to some sort of senseless war, in order for America to procure more oil or whatever.

And this is where I believe that war is so superficial; would you be willing to send your own personal blood son, your first born son, to fight in the front lines of Afghanistan or whatever, for some sort of strange political advantage? No.

Buying a house?

Things are starting to get ridiculous. In LA and Culver City, you can’t find a good single-family home for less than $2 million. Even a $2 million or $3 million home, it’s not really in the best neighborhood either which is 100% pedestrian friendly. I was looking at this brand new $3 million house, which is pretty nice, but it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere, I cannot enjoy my lovely morning walks as I do just walking from my apartment from the arts district.

Renting is superior?

I wonder if renting is actually superior than owning because you got more optionality, less obligation. 

“You work for a living, I live for a living” – Jay Z

Ultimately what is it that we really seek to do, our desired activity?

I think what we really desire to do at the end of the day is physical activity, vigorous activity, to be physical. Physics, human physics, our own human body.

We want to walk around, go on hikes, be in nature, go to the beach, swim around, walk around mountain paths, pick up heavy things, throw around rocks, do fun gymnastics things, hot yoga, lift weights etc.

The ultimate luxury in today’s world is the human body. It all matter if you own 100 Ferraris, if you are obese, old and fat, none of it is worth it.

Even I was randomly doing some research about Hugh Hefner, the big issue is that apparently he just lived in his Holmby Hills mansion for his whole life, wearing nothing but silk pajamas, taking weird hallucinogen drugs and Viagra, in poor health, having sex with all of these random women, forcing them to do drugs, get plastic surgery etc. 

I think the weird notion is a lot of men, they seek to become some sort of playboy? To grow a beard, buy a bunch of guns, have sex with all these women, massive orgies with all these beautiful women, for the sake of what?

The merchandising of women

In today’s modern day capitalistic society, women are the new objects, the new products being sold. The strange promise is this; you get rich successful and famous, you get the Lamborghini or the Ferrari, and then suddenly all these beautiful women will flock to you, want to have sex with you, fulfill all your weird sexual fantasies, etc., and suddenly you’ll be happy for the rest of your life?

It seems the weird sexual perversion we have in today’s world is that maybe… the trend is we want some sort of 100% subservient female sex bot, 100% obey us, and fulfill our sexual desires? 

But let us not forget, the purpose and function of sex is for us to beget children; the hormones and the good feelings associated with it is to promote bonding between the man and woman, and to solidify the family relationship. This is where I am pro monogamy; even Zeus was married to Hera! Although he did sleep around a lot. 

Buy nothing?

One of the greatest things that was born out of Covid was the Facebook buy nothing groups. Essentially close to 100% of all the baby stuff we got for Seneca was for free from the buy nothing group. Cindy would just message other moms, get a bunch of free baby hand-me-down stuff, and we literally paid close to nothing for all of his baby stuff. I estimate that from the buy nothing group, Cindy might’ve saved us close to $15,000.

It takes more skill to buy nothing?

Ultimately I think money is like some sort of game; the game of not spending money seems to be more interesting than spending money.

There is nothing morally or ethically wrong about spending money, the only issue at hand is when people spend money in some sort of boring way, they go into debt, credit card debt or whatever, and as a consequence, they lose their freedom?

***

Financial Fitness

I don’t know if this is yet a notion, this notion an idea of “financial fitness“. The general, generalized idea is this: we talk about physical fitness, physical health or whatever, yet we never talk about financial health, financial fitness whatever.

Perhaps the reason I don’t like or trust all these other random people who talk about finances ultimately, they are selling some sort of product, service, or they are sponsored by advertising and advertisers. The big problem about this is that their opinions are not pure, also in my opinion, not critical.

I have never met anybody in real life why consider financially successful, maybe besides my friend Todd Hata, who maybe works only one day a year, and he is enjoying his digital nomad life, traveling the world. His simple studio lighting company on Amazon is genius, his bread and butter is these photo clamps. 

Another friend of mine who I consider very financially successful is Don Dillon, who made his fortune building up his own company, later selling it, and after building an art house in Arizona, later selling it, and just opting for more low-key lifestyle, just living in a simple condo with his wife Diane in Dana point, Orange County California.

Meeting real life successful people?

Something cool about Don, he used to own a Porsche race car, has a Porsche 911 GT three, ultimately, just prefers to drive his dodge ram truck around. At this point of life, he just wants to focus on travel and photography.

Also, another private workshop student of mine, who actually designed princes phallic purple guitar, also was in the Ferrari scene, I think he might’ve owned 10 to 50 Ferraris, used to go to all these car meet ups and racing stuff, it ultimately sold all of it, and just bought a simple Lexus RX car, to deal with the Minnesota winters.

Real rich or fake rich? 

My personal hot take of LA, being in LA, even spending a lot of time in Orange County whatever, is that a lot of people are “fake rich“, this means that it seems that they are rich and successful and wealthy or whatever, but in fact, they are living paycheck to paycheck, and also are in deep debt. For example, as long as you have a mortgage on your house, you ain’t free. Doesn’t matter if your house is valued at five or $10 million or whatever, as long as you have to pay a monthly mortgage payment, you are still in debt. And don’t throw this nonsense, “equity”, around; or even notions of “net worth”, not critical. The only true wealth is to have zero debt, zero obligations, zero mortgage, own zero property.

Even the problem about property ownership, even if you bought the house or whatever in all cash; you have to consider maintenance fees, property taxes, home insurance — all which can cost $3500 USD a month! Same price as rent!!! And that doesn’t include the mortgage which in total can cost you twice the price of rent … $8000 USD a month? Seems like a scam to me.

Condo versus apartment?

I’ve been thinking a lot about condominiums lately, on one hand it seems like a good idea and on another hand it seems like a little bit of a scam.

I suppose a good thing about having a condo or only a condo, like my friend Timothy Flanagan is that if you’re abroad a lot and travel a lot, Technically the upside of owning your own home condominium thing is that ultimately, you have a place to store your stuff, a little bit more space, maybe you have a garage or a basement or something, and you could just leave your stuff there, somebody else will maintain your property, and after you travel, you still have a place to come back home to.

One thing I am actually insanely grateful for is the fact that Cindy, Cindy‘s mom, Cindy‘s family owned their own single-family home, in Orange County, and the great upside is that while Cindy and I was traveling the world, living off the grid, nomading around, living abroad in Vietnam Japan for about two years, we still had a home address that we could send our mail to, a steady home address where we could file our taxes, credit card reports, bank statements whatever. Apparently a lot of people who adopt a digital nomad lifestyle, and have no real family connections, the big issue is that still… It is good to have a solid and steady home address where you could send financial paperwork to.

Financial independence, retire early

Something also very cool that my friend Timothy Flanagan did was opting for an early retirement, I think he officially retired last year, maybe at age 52?

Also, an interesting funny thing is that a lot of people actually have the option of retiring early, if you’re in the school system you could technically retire as early as age 50! Granted your pension and your Social Security or your financial fund isn’t that much money, but still… to no longer have to show up to work, for the rest of your life, at the young and ripe age of 50 years old… isn’t that great?

Better to retire at an earlier age and live more poorly, than to retire at an older age and live more richly.

Work and identity

Perhaps the big issue here is that people put too much of their self-esteem and their self-worth into their occupation. Yet, if we think about the movie 300, and King Leonidas asks his Spartan 300; “what is your profession“? They all throw their spears into the air and go “woot!”

Spartan philosophy

So what is it that you really want and desire? 

My critical thought is that it seems that honestly speaking, most people don’t really know what they want in life, nor maybe they don’t have the courage to actually pause and assert with a truly desire and want in life?

For example, I often ask people if you magically had $100 million deposited into your personal checking account, and never had to worry about money again… What would you do with your life, how would you live your life? The typical responses are a bit standard; travel the world, buy a house and some property etc. He had most people don’t really go beyond that.

To me the notion of financial independence retire early, “fire“, is the point in which you no longer make money cruel tied with your own personal self-esteem. Just think; once you could pay rent, pay for groceries and meet at Costco, basic utilities like gas electric Wi-Fi your phone bill etc., what else do you really need?

So now what?

Once you retire, or once you’re financially robust, then what?

My thought is just focus on art, your arts production, your creative activities, your philosophical thinking and writing and production, publishing your ideas thoughts and creations etc. 

Let us consider that for most people, towards the end of their life, a lot of people who made their millions, and now are in their 80s, mid 80s, early 80s, late 80s… what is it that they focus on?

It seems art. Either art production, art purchasing, art accrual, art creation etc. What is the basic notion behind all of this? The basic notion is that people have a desire and an impetus to create art, share art, and propagate art. It is in our body, our souls, our sinews our blood. 

Financial strategies for this year this new year

Simple thoughts:

1. See how long you can go without buying nothing. Join the Facebook by nothing group in your own local city and area, and it seems a really good way to build a real community. For example, ever during pandemic, Cindy became very active in the Facebook by nothing group in Providence, and now here in Culver City, and interacting and meeting people in the flesh, sharing physical possessions is fascinating because ultimately it is not even about the stuff; rather, The stuff that people give away for free is a totem of goodwill, and having the opportunity to interact with others.
2. Investing in your health and fitness: one of the important things to consider is that it doesn’t matter if you have $100 trillion in your bank account, if you only sleep two hours a night, are insanely sick, unwell, lack exercise and natural light, eat poorly, etc.… all of the money in the world multiplied by 1 billion isn’t worth it. Once again just think, does say that you only sleep one hour night, or addicted to methamphetamines, but you got $10 billion in your bank account, and the pain that you feel from 0 to 10 is a 50, is money and wealth worth it? No.
3. Think about digital real estate, rather than land-based real estate: it is insane, you could buy a “.com” domain for only 10 bucks a year, 20 bucks a year. This means you could own digital property for only one or two dollars a month! I’ve been on a bit of a digital rampage; gobbling up internet real estate. Currently I own some new fun domains which include ERICkimfitness.com, erickimphilosophy.com, erickimcrypto.com, ERICkimfood.com, ericKIM.LA, erickim.AI, and it was all inspired by Cindy who bought me the erickim.com domain for about 1000 bucks in 2017. Now I am sure it is worth millions. Typically when I am interested in a concept, I just go to godaddy.com, and I search whether the domain is available or not. Typically speaking the best domain to get is just a simple .com website, the new sexy domain which I actually really like is the .ai domain; don’t do the .io domain, which stands for input output, nobody has any idea what that means. Everybody knows what AI is. It seems that everyone has watched the terminator movie. They know what Skynet is.
4. Make and design your own clothing? One of the greatest benefits of living abroad, spending time in Vietnam, and also more recently going to Korea, is that I have been designing my own ideal clothes, my own ideal equipment, products, leather products, etc. For example all the HAPTIC PRODUCTS, HAPTIC INDUSTRIES PRODUCTS… I always thought to myself “If I could design and create my own ideal things products clothes etc.… what would they be and what would they look like?” As a consequence I created the HENRI line, the ERIC KIM line etc. How can you design and create your own clothes and stuff? Either just make it yourself by hand, à la cart, one piece by one piece, or, a simple way to do it is find a friend or a local craftsman, share your vision with them, share your design concept, and have them physically produce it. For example I’ve been getting a lot of compliments on my ERIC KIM PORTFOLIO BAG which I designed and produced while in Saigon in Vietnam in 2017, and it still looks insanely beautiful, and I get so many compliments on it! I have zero interest, -100% interest in ever purchasing any product at any foreign store. ERIC KIM is the new Balenciaga.
5. Delete Instagram: I think the easiest way to gain a 500% boost your personal happiness is via negativa; just delete your Instagram. When I deleted my Instagram in 2017, it might have been the best thing all time. And no, the current ERICKIMphoto Instagram account is not me; I think a virtuous fan of mine re-created the profile and populated with some of my images, which I find insanely flattering. Instagram is bad because it is the new digital slavery, the new digital serfdom. You are promised this “free” land, this “free“ digital real estate, but in fact at the end of the day, you owe nothing, you are indebted to this rented land. And as a consequence, you have no personal freedom. Very very simple; create your own website blog, and all you have to do is post anything and everything to your own personal blog and website that you would otherwise post to Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, TikTok whatever. Even Snapchat. The reason why this is such a good idea is that You built equity in yourself, rather than building equity for the platform. Let us consider how disingenuous these foreign platforms are; you do all this hard work of creating information, pictures, artwork, videos and media, music whatever, and these sneaky advertisers insert their own advertisements in between your content? Am I the only one who thinks this is a bit denigrating?
6. Think ancient: honestly the only ideas that I trust is anything that was written in ancient Greek, ancient Greece, and before. Even with philosophy, my personal suggestion is don’t read anything after Socrates. Socrates was a strange fellow, ugly, and he was the original person who tried to “virtue flex“, trying to make this weird notion of virtue as the Apex human male goal. But in fact, the only reason why Socrates took virtue as his weapon was because he had no army, no soldiers, no military power. He was the first tyrant of the soul and ethics; even my best friend Seneca the stoic sage was was too influenced by Socrates. In some ways we could think of Socrates like the original Kanye West; the first insanely radical thinker, who went contrary to all notions of good Greek behavior. As a consequence, a lot of the modern day philosophy we have today is perverted and weird and a bit boring.

Don’t watch nothing that has advertising, or is supported by advertising.

This is almost everything. This includes television, sports, magazines, newspapers, anything on the internet or blogs or websites that is supported by Google adsense advertising, YouTube, trust no YouTube, YouTuber who has advertisements on their channel.

The reason why it is wise to cancel advertising from your life is that your brain and your eyes and your ears is that we are actually much more influenced and nudged and brainwashed by advertising then we think we are. For example, I think the mind is actually very very sensitive; and as artists, we have extreme sensitivity to ideas sounds, bodily sensations… don’t think that you are immune to advertising. In fact, my personal wisdom is that I know that I am actually very very easily influenced by almost anything and everything; therefore the best way to protect yourself is active defense; delete delete delete, delete all the advertising from your life.

How does one best leverage money as a tool?

My personal thought is that money is just codified human labor. For example, the best way to use money, should be hiring labor. For example you have all these people in Beverly Hills, Holmby Hills etc., who want to build these big ass mansions. Of course there’s the cost of material, but ultimately, the most critical thing to consider is people who actually build it. What I have personally observed is that a lot of these Beverly Hills mansions are actually being built by contractors, who contract out the labor to Mexican immigrant workers, whether legal or illegal.

In California, whenever you see a person who looks Latino who works in construction, just speak Spanish to them. A lot of them are from Mexico, some of them are from Guadalajara, Honduras, other places from southern America. They almost all speak Spanish.

Speak to the janitor

It seems that the most interesting people to talk to is actually the people who run the facilities, hygiene, the janitor. Why? They really know what is behind-the-scenes.

For example, one of my new friends his name is Noel. He used to work at the California club, the extremely elite high-end exclusive club for politicians dignitaries, Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger whatever. He told me the true scoop behind-the-scenes, because when you work as a janitor and you clean spaces, You really do see peoples true colors behind-the-scenes.

For example, apparently Arnold Schwarzenegger is fake. In front of the other people on the cameras he smiles and takes pictures and whatever, but the second he goes behind-the-scenes, and there are all these Mexican Latino janitors workers and staff, he gives them the cold shoulder and doesn’t even acknowledge their existence.

Also, apparently a lot of the old money, the real rich people, a lot of them who have either passed away or are very very old now, are actually pretty low-key. They dress in plain clothing, and just drive some old Mercedes car, and a lot of their children, the heir of their fortune, drive flashy exotic cars like McLaren, Lamborghinis or whatever. We must consider nepotism; a lot of these kids, whose parents are super rich, simply inherited their wealth, and they blow it on stupid things like cars, clothes, drugs, alcohol, clubs, prostitutes, strippers, women etc.

So why do I care about all this?

I personally care because I grew up poor, and ultimately money is the thing that fascinates everybody. Even these stupid fake woke and hippie communists and anarchists; come on, they all have iPhones, have Instagram, maybe own a dog or a pet or a cat or something, and even if they want to live off the grid in Portland or the Midwest or whatever, they still have some sort of automobile car which requires either gasoline, or even recharging their electric car. I find these fake ass hippies to be very disingenuous, the new modern day losers.

How to thrive in today’s brave new world

First, I think it is a good idea to try to participate in local politics, the politics of your local neighborhood your local local city, local courthouse, maybe even the politics of your school, your kids school, parents association, the local nature center whatever. Certainly you want to add more obligations to your life, but having the privilege and the luxury of participating in politics is the new luxury.

For example, if you get that stupid traffic ticket, the traffic camera ticket or whatever, maybe even if you are in the wrong, it is a good idea to try to contest it, show up to court, and try to make a plea before the judge. You still might be charged, but, often you could do fun things like community service or doing other unorthodox things to get it off your record. Maybe we should think of this like a luxury; to “waste time” is the new luxury.

Other thoughts

To me, the best way to think about all the stuff is to think ancient Greek literature, even the ancient Roman stuff. Or maybe think about the Medici, Italy, coinage, international trade etc.

Back in ancient Greek times, it seems that a lot of wealth was produced via the sea; military prowess in the sea, as well as international trade, by boat. Consider all the wealth that was made importing coffee from Ethiopia into the Middle East, the term arabica comes from Arab, because the Arabs loved coffee, and the origin of the Araica coffea Plant was from Ethiopia.  Later other strands were created in Java, and in Indonesia, I think the Dutch made a killing importing products goods from Indonesia and propagating it worldwide.

Even the international spice trade, and salt. Becken inch in Roman times, salt was one of the most prized commodities, a gold. Even the term “salary”, was based on the notion of paying a Roman legionary soldier with salt, or remember the biblical notion that a man is not “worth his salt“.

Debt 

Apparently there is a really good historical book on the history of debt. I’ve been kind of meaning to read it, but from what I understand, maybe the origin of money is actually from debt.

For example, a lot of the early cuneiform form, and early writing was simply to see who owed what to who. 

In fact, the reason why I am enthusiastic about this notion of a blockchain is that you can track money on a public ledger … the original ledger once again was to record debt.

Debt is the devil

It is commonly written in the Bible, ancient Abraham religious texts that debt is immoral. I think maybe even in the Torah, or Jewish law says one should not lend more than a certain percent of money to somebody else.

In fact, it seems that a lot of wealth is made unnaturally, by people simply moving around debt interest as well as loans.

For example, if you buy a house, but you take out a mortgage, who owns your home? Not you, the bank.

It doesn’t matter if you put 10% down 20% down 50% down or even 90% down… As long as even a fraction of that house is mortgage, the bank technically owns your house. It doesn’t matter how many times you refinance, borrow money against your home, it is still not yours.

So why does this matter?

Moral of the story: 

1. Don’t get into debt, not for any reason. No matter how good offer may seem. Don’t go to a fancy Ivy League school if you got to go into debt, certainly not a UC. Don’t ever go to school for anything that requires you to go into debt. Only go to school if you have a free ride, 100% scholarship, for myself I pretty much had a free ride to UCLA, except of the fact that I had to do some work study.
2. If you’re in debt, pay it off as quickly as humanly possible. And actually, if you’re intelligent, see if there are a special debt loan forgiveness programs, and or whether you could do some sort of logical bankruptcy, which may ruin your credit, but get that crushing debt off your shoulders.
3. Essentially live like a poor person, or broke starving college student. Cook all your food at home, quit alcohol weed and media, and make it your focus to build your own empire.

ERIC



Eric Kim’s philosophy, as gleaned from his various blog posts and writings, is a blend of personal opinions, critical thinking, and philosophical inquiry. Here are some key elements of his philosophy:

1. Relativity of Right and Wrong: “There is no ultimate right and wrong in life, all is opinion” oai_citation:1,Personal Philosophy – ERIC KIM.
2. Philosophy as an Art Form: “I see philosophy as an art form, but instead of creating art objects, we create artwork out of ideas” oai_citation:2,Personal Philosophy – ERIC KIM.
3. Personal Preferences and Values: “What is true to you may not be true for another… it is the task of every individual to discover their own true personal preferences” oai_citation:3,Personal Philosophy – ERIC KIM.
4. Blogging and Changing Opinions: “If you live long enough, sooner or later you will contradict yourself… Therefore the great thing with blogging is that if we change our opinion, you could either delete the post, or modify it” oai_citation:4,Personal Philosophy – ERIC KIM.
5. Themes in His Philosophy Blog: Titles of his philosophical blog posts include “BIGGER IS WEAKER,” “How to Become a Philosopher,” “Deep Vanity,” “Time Will Tell,” “LOOK BEYOND,” “‘LUCK’ VS COURAGE,” “‘SKILL’ VS MERIT?,” “How to “Improve” Men,” “How to Dominate,” “How to Get More Done in a Single Day – MEMENTO MORI PHILOSOPHY,” “Cruel?,” “GO DEMIGOD,” “How to Be Happy: Challenge and Danger Philosophy,” “Imperfect Beauty,” and “The Philosophy of Pleasure” oai_citation:5,Philosophy – ERIC KIM oai_citation:6,Philosophy – ERIC KIM oai_citation:7,Philosophy – ERIC KIM oai_citation:8,Philosophy – ERIC KIM oai_citation:9,Philosophy – ERIC KIM oai_citation:10,Philosophy – ERIC KIM oai_citation:11,Philosophy – ERIC KIM oai_citation:12,Philosophy – ERIC KIM oai_citation:13,Philosophy – ERIC KIM oai_citation:14,Philosophy – ERIC KIM oai_citation:15,Philosophy – ERIC KIM oai_citation:16,Philosophy – ERIC KIM oai_citation:17,Philosophy – ERIC KIM oai_citation:18,Philosophy – ERIC KIM oai_citation:19,Philosophy – ERIC KIM.
6. On Becoming a Philosopher: “Every child is born a philosopher… The big problem is a lot of parents, teachers, religious teachers or whatever… never really give children the opportunity for critical thinking” oai_citation:20,How to Become a Philosopher – ERIC KIM.
7. Critical Thinking and Personal Experiences: “Don’t put no faith on anything you haven’t witnessed in real life, embodied reality, in the flesh. Even videos and photos; in the world of AI and image and video generation and deep fakes, everything could be fabricated pretty easily” oai_citation:21,How to Become a Philosopher – ERIC KIM.
8. Antifragility: In “Becoming Antifragile,” he discusses the concept of growing stronger through challenges and adversities, much like the way muscles grow through weightlifting.

Eric Kim’s philosophy is marked by a focus on individualism, critical analysis, and embracing change and challenges. His views encourage a dynamic, evolving approach to life and thinking, underpinned by personal experiences and a deep questioning of conventional wisdom and societal norms.

In some ways we could think of Socrates like the original Kanye West; the first insanely radical thinker, who went contrary to all notions of good Greek behavior.

Except Kanye wasn’t forced to drink the suicide poison juice!

MONEY THOUGHTS.

“White people make money don’t spend it, I’d rather buy 80 gold chains and go ignant (ignorant)”. – Kanye

Thinking about money:

Why does this matter?

“Money sets the whole world in motion” – Publius Syrus

Do you know when people say that money makes the world go round? This is true.

So what is money anyways?

First, money is fiat, faith-based. Fiat currency.

Currency is an interesting word and term because it evokes the feeling of water, movement, river streams and tide pools.

So first of all, let us consider the notion of “income streams“. There’s this notion of “passive income”, I think first popularized or maybe coined by Tim Feriss, in his four hour work week. But I believe there to be a myth of passive income which means, income is and must be active. You cannot just sit on your butt and collect rent.

The myth of passive income

Also with rent, rent money is funny because even if you’re collecting rent, there’s a lot of work management you gotta do. For example, you have to fix and maintain your properties, make sure that your tenants pay their rent money, do background checks, deal with vacancies etc. It is one of those things that we as renters feel that the landlords have all the power, but in fact, assuming that you’re already wealthy, you actually might have more power as a renter than a landlord. Why? If you have a very good apartment and it is rent controlled, technically according to NASSIM TALEB you have greater optionality.

What that means is that you have a privilege to live somewhere, not an obligation. In theory you can leave whenever you want, and you’re not behelden to the property.

What would Aristotle, the ancient Greeks think?

In regards to the ancient Greeks, I think they may be the best model because starting from Roman times, their society already started to seep into degeneration, degeneracy. Even during Homer’s time, Homer was already saying that the ancient Greeks were falling into degeneracy, even when he was writing the Iliad.

I am currently reading Politics by Aristotle, and I find it to be a really fascinating read. Essentially what he says about household economics etc., as well as his thoughts on substantive versus speculative finance, real versus fake finance. He essentially says that real finance has to deal with animals and fruits of the earth, everything else is just imaginary.

Also, his thoughts on slavery. Essentially in ancient Greek times, the ultimate goal was to have the laborers, slaves, craftsman, mechanics do all the dirty work, and the true nobleman and free man would just use all of his time and leisure for building virtue, philosophical thinking, and participating in politics, the politics of the local city state, the polis.

In modern-day times we always think about politics like it pertains to international politics whatever. But the original term politics referred to the polis, the immediate city-state. It was not focused on foreign affairs.

What is the ideal city state?

What I like about Aristotle and his writings is that he’s always talking about the ideal, and talks a lot about studying from the best of the past and the current, in order to formulate his thoughts. Also his writing is straight simple and clear, and very authoritative. For example, he quotes Plato and his Republic, and straight up says: “Plato is wrong.” Almost as hilarious and ballsy as when Nietzsche said: “Plato is boring.”

True financial freedom

Two things: Pay rent money, pay for food and groceries, and basic utilities, like your Wi-Fi, gas and electric, gas for your car etc. Beyond that, what else do you really need? 

Another fun experiment I’m doing is just paying for rent money by using the profit on my cryptocurrency speculations, simply using Coinbase, and profits from CHAINLINK. For personal reference, I am currently 90% invested in chainlink, 10% in bitcoin. I believe this to be an interesting barbell for a risky yet “safe” investment speculation, in thinking the next 30 or 40 years.

Also, in terms of our cryptocurrency assets, we don’t have more than 10% of our whole life savings tied into cryptocurrency. Therefore if it all goes to zero in theory, not really a big deal. But my personal belief:

Bitcoin will never go down to zero.

Decimation

A very interesting thing that I learned from NASSIM TALEB, maybe it was written in his book ANTIFRAGILE, is this notion of decimation. The basic idea is that in ancient Roman times the army, if cowardice was suspected, at random, 10% of the army would be put to death, it was a good way to prevent cowardice, especially one facing an impressive enemy. 

10% is interesting because in theory, if you lose 10% of your army, it is not enough to significantly lose your forces. A 10% loss is more than acceptable. For example let us say that you’re playing StarCraft, and you got an army of zealots, all upgraded with dash and full armor upgrades, if you lose 10% of them, you could still kill the army of zerg maybe if you do good enough micro management of the units. 

Finances is also similar — best to have 90% of your money in insanely secure bonds, CDs or stuff that might beat inflation, even a simple savings account at 5%. Then put 10% of your money in extremely speculative cryptocurrency speculations, rather than putting 100% of your money and boring “medium risk” funds.

“Never trust a risk number even if it is right.”- TALEB 

Why we should not trust economists

First and foremost, economics, being an economist, is the new hocus pocus of modern day times. The reason why economists are so highly regarded is that currently speaking the new global religion is capital and capitalism.

Therefore as a consequence, the new modern-day priests are economists, and these fake talking heads on the TV screen.

The reason why we should trust no economist, is that they use fake numbers statistics and fake math to justify their thoughts and positions. Even Nate Silver, who everyone thinks is some sort of genius, mispredicted Trump getting elected into office. Why? Even if you’re a statistician with 99% accuracy, the one percent of the time you’re wrong, it could cost billions of dollars.

The reason why we should also not trust no economist is that most of them are protected from the real world. Their opinions reports and thought pieces have no connection to reality. A lot of them are getting a fat salary and steady paycheck from their tenured professor positions at Harvard Yale Princeton or whatever, and therefore the predictions thoughts they have, have no bearing on their own personal finances.

Better instead to trust individual individuals who actually have skin in the game, or money in the game. That is that your opinion is tied to your own personal bank account, if your opinion is right, you make the big bucks, but if you’re wrong, you lose your shirt.

Where I am coming from

One of the best things about growing up poor and when you have seen your mom go through bankruptcy twice is that in some funny ways, it makes you more brazen, less fearful. Witnessing my mom go bankrupt, because my dad gambled away the rent money and we couldn’t pay rent, and she would just rack up credit card bills just to pay basic expenses, what I learned is at the end it’s not that bad. My mom got family support, community support, church support, and ultimately she was OK in the very end.

So for myself, the reason why I have such a high tolerance for risk is essentially nowadays, I live like a poor person. My New Year’s resolution is to buy nothing; or close to nothing, or just to not buy stuff that I consider silly or superfluous. Even acquiring free stuff; to me that is just more clutter in my mind in my life and my home; we new elite is about minimalism, even to a fault. 

Also, the American entrepreneurial spirit. Even my dad when he first came to the states, was extremely entrepreneurial. He started his own business when I was very very young, I think selling audio equipment. As he had a passion for music movies and film and cinema. I actually think his great ambition of life was to become a great film director. Even at a young age, I recall him watching Alfred Hitchcock the birds, Schindler’s list, and all these other great avant-garde films.

So now, raising Seneca, he is currently two years, around 11 months old… his training is very simple; simple, physical, Spartan. 99% of the day we are just at the local nature center, hiking on dirt paths, walking around, doing gymnastics at the playground, even now, I bought some wooden gymnast rings which I just hang from my parking spot in the back of my apartment, and he could swing around it, and hang around it! It is pretty amazing.

Another thing I learned from Aristotle’s Politics is that with children and child rearing, the logical order is first physical training and gymnastics, second is nutrition and feeding, third is the intellect. It seems that in modern day times we do the total opposite; we don’t really focus on physical exercise for kids, we just try to make them look smart. But book smarts is bad smarts; real smarts comes from the real world.

As a consequence, I probably literally spent close to no money on him. The only thing that we paid for in the early days were maybe diapers, and buying some random stuff on Amazon like training underwear, etc.

Now, he eats wagyu ground beef well in the air fryer, pro tip just toss a bunch of small broken up pieces of ground beef in the air fryer for 10 minutes, sprinkle it with some salt and pepper and give it to your kid! I think precisely because Seneca was born and fed such a high meat diet, he is the buff strong and tall boy he is today.

100% carnivore kid.

What should we use money for? 

What is the proper use of money?

For myself, Costco. Funny enough it looks like out of all of my normal stock investments, Costco is doing the best! Why? As inflation goes up, food gets more expensive etc., everyone likes to think that they’re not being “ripped off”– nobody likes to think that they are overpaying for anything. Costco is funny because it is almost like Walmart but with a good conscience; a lot of middle-class even rich people have thought of Walmart as akin to the devil; whereas Costco has warm fuzzy feelings. Half of the fun even myself as a kid going to Costco was getting the hotdogs at the food court, and also getting all the free samples! Costco is almost like going to Disneyland, with benefits.

Meat

To me, the only real food substance is meat. You could thrive on 100% carnivore meat red meat diet, good luck with lentils beans and potatoes. That is poverty food. 100% red meat beef lamb diet is fit for the gods.

Let us consider, the nonsenseness of veganism; the etymology and history of vegan comes from vegetarian, vegetarianism. Essentially the vegans were the more hardcore vegetarians; the word “vegan”, essentially is the word vegetarian with fewer letters.

Why do people even go vegan in the first place?

Honestly I think being vegan is more of an ethical thing rather than a physiological concern. This is where vegetarians are more honest than vegans; a lot of people who are vegetarian do it for religious regions, for example people from India or south Asia, or some people just don’t really like the taste of meat or flesh, prefer to eat cheese eggs dairy and fish instead. 

Thinking historically

What I also love about studying ancient history, Rome, the Iliad, thinking about Homer is that back then, there was none of this nonsensical being “woke“, or political correctness. The Greeks were a hard and simple race; you were either Greek or a barbarian. Even the word barbarian is originated from the notion of “bar-bar”– anyone who did not speak Greek, their language sounded like somebody saying “bar bar bar”.

And also this is where notions of “white supremacy“, or being “white”, is nonsensical. Were the ancient Greeks “white”? No. They were olive skinned, very tan.

We acknowledge and understand that the ancient Greeks were probably the peak human and society of its time; maybe it makes sense for us to go back to the fountains, and for us to seek to imitate the best of the best, the crème la crop of the past.

How did the ancient Greeks think about money?

First, in the time of Homer, the Iliad the odyssey etc.; there was no notion of coins, or coined money or currency. The notion of coin is actually pretty good, like bitcoin, because the original minted money was actually coins, not paper money.

Also, gold. Gold was always highly valued throughout all of history, even during the time of Homer and the Iliad. For example the greed of king Agamemnon, what did he want? More gold, more women, more land, more slaves, more power.

Even as a sidenote; an Achilles was told by his father figure that king Agamemnon was the superior man, because he lorded over more men. 

During the time of Homer, and the Iliad; wealth was concentrated in food and meat, oxen; the notion of a “hectacomb” was the generalized notion that if you wanted to appease the gods and make a sacrifice, you had to sacrifice 100 oxen, which was a lot. Why? An ox is interesting because you could eat it, and also you could use it as manual labor. Maybe back in the day, having one ox was almost like the modern day notion of having a Lamborghini; can you imagine sacrificing and burning 100 Lamborghinis to appease the gods?

What did Achilles want?

If I ever had to rename myself I would just need myself Achilles. Why? He is practically invincible; what is it that he wanted in the Iliad? Honestly he was tired of war and conquest and battle; he just wanted to chill out, retire, enjoy his land and pastures, and enjoy Breisis his prize.

Even Achilles said wisely; No amount of wealth in the world is worth a life, my life. Not if you took all the wealth of the world, all the gold of the world, and multiplied it by 65. Once you’re dead, you’re dead forever.

Even in today’s world, I don’t think sacrificing your life your own personal life is worth anything; I would only ever ever ever sacrifice my life it was for the sake of Seneca’s life, or Cindy‘s life, or both. Otherwise, I have zero interest in being drafted to go to some sort of senseless war, in order for America to procure more oil or whatever.

And this is where I believe that war is so superficial; would you be willing to send your own personal blood son, your first born son, to fight in the front lines of Afghanistan or whatever, for some sort of strange political advantage? No.

Buying a house?

Things are starting to get ridiculous. In LA and Culver City, you can’t find a good single-family home for less than $2 million. Even a $2 million or $3 million home, it’s not really in the best neighborhood either which is 100% pedestrian friendly. I was looking at this brand new $3 million house, which is pretty nice, but it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere, I cannot enjoy my lovely morning walks as I do just walking from my apartment from the arts district.

Renting is superior?

I wonder if renting is actually superior than owning because you got more optionality, less obligation. 

“You work for a living, I live for a living” – Jay Z

Ultimately what is it that we really seek to do, our desired activity?

I think what we really desire to do at the end of the day is physical activity, vigorous activity, to be physical. Physics, human physics, our own human body.

We want to walk around, go on hikes, be in nature, go to the beach, swim around, walk around mountain paths, pick up heavy things, throw around rocks, do fun gymnastics things, hot yoga, lift weights etc.

The ultimate luxury in today’s world is the human body. It all matter if you own 100 Ferraris, if you are obese, old and fat, none of it is worth it.

Even I was randomly doing some research about Hugh Hefner, the big issue is that apparently he just lived in his Holmby Hills mansion for his whole life, wearing nothing but silk pajamas, taking weird hallucinogen drugs and Viagra, in poor health, having sex with all of these random women, forcing them to do drugs, get plastic surgery etc. 

I think the weird notion is a lot of men, they seek to become some sort of playboy? To grow a beard, buy a bunch of guns, have sex with all these women, massive orgies with all these beautiful women, for the sake of what?

The merchandising of women

In today’s modern day capitalistic society, women are the new objects, the new products being sold. The strange promise is this; you get rich successful and famous, you get the Lamborghini or the Ferrari, and then suddenly all these beautiful women will flock to you, want to have sex with you, fulfill all your weird sexual fantasies, etc., and suddenly you’ll be happy for the rest of your life?

It seems the weird sexual perversion we have in today’s world is that maybe… the trend is we want some sort of 100% subservient female sex bot, 100% obey us, and fulfill our sexual desires? 

But let us not forget, the purpose and function of sex is for us to beget children; the hormones and the good feelings associated with it is to promote bonding between the man and woman, and to solidify the family relationship. This is where I am pro monogamy; even Zeus was married to Hera! Although he did sleep around a lot. 

Buy nothing?

One of the greatest things that was born out of Covid was the Facebook buy nothing groups. Essentially close to 100% of all the baby stuff we got for Seneca was for free from the buy nothing group. Cindy would just message other moms, get a bunch of free baby hand-me-down stuff, and we literally paid close to nothing for all of his baby stuff. I estimate that from the buy nothing group, Cindy might’ve saved us close to $15,000.

It takes more skill to buy nothing?

Ultimately I think money is like some sort of game; the game of not spending money seems to be more interesting than spending money.

There is nothing morally or ethically wrong about spending money, the only issue at hand is when people spend money in some sort of boring way, they go into debt, credit card debt or whatever, and as a consequence, they lose their freedom?

***

Financial Fitness

I don’t know if this is yet a notion, this notion an idea of “financial fitness“. The general, generalized idea is this: we talk about physical fitness, physical health or whatever, yet we never talk about financial health, financial fitness whatever.

Perhaps the reason I don’t like or trust all these other random people who talk about finances ultimately, they are selling some sort of product, service, or they are sponsored by advertising and advertisers. The big problem about this is that their opinions are not pure, also in my opinion, not critical.

I have never met anybody in real life why consider financially successful, maybe besides my friend Todd Hata, who maybe works only one day a year, and he is enjoying his digital nomad life, traveling the world. His simple studio lighting company on Amazon is genius, his bread and butter is these photo clamps. 

Another friend of mine who I consider very financially successful is Don Dillon, who made his fortune building up his own company, later selling it, and after building an art house in Arizona, later selling it, and just opting for more low-key lifestyle, just living in a simple condo with his wife Diane in Dana point, Orange County California.

Meeting real life successful people?

Something cool about Don, he used to own a Porsche race car, has a Porsche 911 GT three, ultimately, just prefers to drive his dodge ram truck around. At this point of life, he just wants to focus on travel and photography.

Also, another private workshop student of mine, who actually designed princes phallic purple guitar, also was in the Ferrari scene, I think he might’ve owned 10 to 50 Ferraris, used to go to all these car meet ups and racing stuff, it ultimately sold all of it, and just bought a simple Lexus RX car, to deal with the Minnesota winters.

Real rich or fake rich? 

My personal hot take of LA, being in LA, even spending a lot of time in Orange County whatever, is that a lot of people are “fake rich“, this means that it seems that they are rich and successful and wealthy or whatever, but in fact, they are living paycheck to paycheck, and also are in deep debt. For example, as long as you have a mortgage on your house, you ain’t free. Doesn’t matter if your house is valued at five or $10 million or whatever, as long as you have to pay a monthly mortgage payment, you are still in debt. And don’t throw this nonsense, “equity”, around; or even notions of “net worth”, not critical. The only true wealth is to have zero debt, zero obligations, zero mortgage, own zero property.

Even the problem about property ownership, even if you bought the house or whatever in all cash; you have to consider maintenance fees, property taxes, home insurance — all which can cost $3500 USD a month! Same price as rent!!! And that doesn’t include the mortgage which in total can cost you twice the price of rent … $8000 USD a month? Seems like a scam to me.

Condo versus apartment?

I’ve been thinking a lot about condominiums lately, on one hand it seems like a good idea and on another hand it seems like a little bit of a scam.

I suppose a good thing about having a condo or only a condo, like my friend Timothy Flanagan is that if you’re abroad a lot and travel a lot, Technically the upside of owning your own home condominium thing is that ultimately, you have a place to store your stuff, a little bit more space, maybe you have a garage or a basement or something, and you could just leave your stuff there, somebody else will maintain your property, and after you travel, you still have a place to come back home to.

One thing I am actually insanely grateful for is the fact that Cindy, Cindy‘s mom, Cindy‘s family owned their own single-family home, in Orange County, and the great upside is that while Cindy and I was traveling the world, living off the grid, nomading around, living abroad in Vietnam Japan for about two years, we still had a home address that we could send our mail to, a steady home address where we could file our taxes, credit card reports, bank statements whatever. Apparently a lot of people who adopt a digital nomad lifestyle, and have no real family connections, the big issue is that still… It is good to have a solid and steady home address where you could send financial paperwork to.

Financial independence, retire early

Something also very cool that my friend Timothy Flanagan did was opting for an early retirement, I think he officially retired last year, maybe at age 52?

Also, an interesting funny thing is that a lot of people actually have the option of retiring early, if you’re in the school system you could technically retire as early as age 50! Granted your pension and your Social Security or your financial fund isn’t that much money, but still… to no longer have to show up to work, for the rest of your life, at the young and ripe age of 50 years old… isn’t that great?

Better to retire at an earlier age and live more poorly, than to retire at an older age and live more richly.

Work and identity

Perhaps the big issue here is that people put too much of their self-esteem and their self-worth into their occupation. Yet, if we think about the movie 300, and King Leonidas asks his Spartan 300; “what is your profession“? They all throw their spears into the air and go “woot!”

Spartan philosophy

So what is it that you really want and desire? 

My critical thought is that it seems that honestly speaking, most people don’t really know what they want in life, nor maybe they don’t have the courage to actually pause and assert with a truly desire and want in life?

For example, I often ask people if you magically had $100 million deposited into your personal checking account, and never had to worry about money again… What would you do with your life, how would you live your life? The typical responses are a bit standard; travel the world, buy a house and some property etc. He had most people don’t really go beyond that.

To me the notion of financial independence retire early, “fire“, is the point in which you no longer make money cruel tied with your own personal self-esteem. Just think; once you could pay rent, pay for groceries and meet at Costco, basic utilities like gas electric Wi-Fi your phone bill etc., what else do you really need?

So now what?

Once you retire, or once you’re financially robust, then what?

My thought is just focus on art, your arts production, your creative activities, your full self thinking and writing and production, publishing your ideas thoughts and creations etc. 

Let us consider that for most people, towards the end of their life, a lot of people who made their millions, and now are in their 80s, mid 80s, early 80s, late 80s… What is it that they focus on?

It seems art. Either art production, art purchasing, art accrual, art creation etc. What is the basic notion behind all of this? The basic notion is that people have a desire and an impetus to create art, share art, and propagate art. It is in our body, our souls, our sinews our blood. 

Financial strategies for this year this new year

Simple thoughts:

1. See how long you can go without buying nothing. Join the Facebook by nothing group in your own local city and area, and it seems a really good way to build a real community. For example, ever during pandemic, Cindy became very active in the Facebook by nothing group in Providence, and now here in Culver City, and interacting and meeting people in the flesh, sharing physical possessions is fascinating because ultimately it is not even about the stuff; rather, The stuff that people give away for free is a totem of goodwill, and having the opportunity to interact with others. 
2. Investing in your health and fitness: one of the important things to consider is that it doesn’t matter if you have $100 trillion in your bank account, if you only sleep two hours a night, are insanely sick, unwell, lack exercise and natural light, eat poorly, etc.… All of the money in the world multiplied by 1 billion isn’t worth it. Once again just think, does say that you only sleep one hour night, or addicted to methamphetamines, but you got $10 billion in your bank account, and the pain that you feel from 0 to 10 is a 50, is money and wealth worth it? No.
3. Think about digital real estate, rather than land-based real estate: it is insane, you could buy a.com domain for only 10 bucks a year, 20 bucks a year. This means you could own digital property for only one or two dollars a month! I’ve been on a bit of a digital rampage; coupling up interment. Currently I own some new fund domains which include ERICkim fitness.com, erickimphilosophy.com, erickimcrypto.com, ERICkimfood.com, eric KIM.LA,erickim.AI, and it was all inspired by Cindy who bought me the erickim.com domain for about 1000 bucks in 2017. Now I am sure it is worth millions. Typically when I am interested in a concept, I just go to godaddy.com, and I search whether the domain is available or not. Typically speaking the best domain to get is just a simple.com website, The new sexy domain which I actually really like is the dot AI domain; don’t do the iOS domain, which stands for input output, nobody has any idea what that means. Everybody knows what AI is. It seems that everyone has watched the terminator movie. They know what Skynet is.
4.  Make and design your own clothing? One of the greatest benefits of living abroad, spending time in Vietnam, and also more recently going to Korea, is that I have been designing my own ideal clothes, my own ideal equipment, products, leather products, etc. For example all the haptic products, haptic industries products… I always thought to myself “if I could design and create my own ideal things products close etc.… What would they be and what would they look like?” As a consequence I created the HENRI line, the ERIC KIM line etc. How can you design and create your own clothes and stuff? Either just make it yourself by hand, à la cart, one piece by one piece, or, a simple way to do it is find a friend or a local craftsman, share your vision with them, share your design concept, and have them physically produce it. For example I’ve been getting a lot of compliments on my ERIC KIM PORTFOLIO BAG which I designed and produced while in Saigon in Vietnam in 2017, and it still looks insanely beautiful, and I get so many compliments on it! I have zero interest, -100% interest in ever purchasing any product at any foreign store. ERIC KIM is the new Balenciaga.
5. Delete Instagram: I think the easiest way to gain a 500% boost your personal happiness is via negativa; just delete your Instagram.  When I deleted my Instagram in 2017, it might have been the best thing all time. And no, the current ERIC KIM photo Instagram account is not me; I think virtuous fan of mine re-created the profile and populated with some of my images, which I find insanely flattering. Instagram is bad because it is the new digital slavery, the new digital serfdom. You are promised this “free” land, this “free“ digital real estate, but in fact at the end of the day, you owe nothing, you are indebted to this rented land. And as a consequence, you have no personal freedom. Very very simple; create your own website blog, and all you have to do is post anything and everything to your own personal blog and website that you would otherwise post to Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, TikTok whatever. Even Snapchat. The reason why this is such a good idea is that You built equity in yourself, rather than building equity for the platform.  Let us consider how disingenuous these foreign platforms are; you do all this hard work of creating information, pictures, artwork, videos and media, music whatever, and these sneaky advertisers insert their own advertisements in between your content? Am I the only one who thinks this is a bit denigrating?
6. Think ancient: honestly the only ideas that I trust in modern daytimes is anything that was written in ancient Greek, ancient Greece, and before. Even with lossy, my personal suggestion is don’t read anything after Socrates. Socrates was a strange fellow, ugly, and he was the original person who tried to “virtue flex“, Trying to make this weird notion of virtue as the Apex human male goal. But in fact, the only reason why Socrates took off was he had no army, no soldiers, no military power. He was the first tyrant of the soul and ethics; even my best friend Seneca the stage I think, was too influenced by Socrates. in someways we could think of Socrates like the original Kanye West; the first insanely radical thinker, who went contrary to all notions of good Greek behavior. As a consequence, a lot of the modern day philosophy we have today is perverted and weird and a bit boring.

Don’t watch nothing that has advertising, or is supported by advertising.

This is almost everything.  This includes television, sports, magazines, newspapers, anything on the Internet or blogs or websites that is supported by Google sense advertising, YouTube, trust no YouTube, YouTuber who has advertisements on their channel.

The reason why it is wise to cancel advertising from your life in your brain and your eyes and your ears is that we are actually much more influenced and nudged and brainwashed by advertising then we think we are. For example, I think the mind is actually very very sensitive; and as artist, we have extreme sensitivity to ideas sounds, bodily sensations whatever… Don’t think that you are immune to it. In fact, my personal wisdom is that I know that I am actually very very easily influenced by almost anything and everything; therefore the best way to protect yourself is active defense; delete delete delete, delete all the advertising from your life.

How does one best leverage money as a tool?

My personal thought is that money is just codified human labor. For example, the best way to use money, should be hiring labor. For example you have all these people in Beverly Hills, Homeview Hills etc., who want to build these big ass mansions. Of course there’s the cost of material, but ultimately, The most critical thing to consider is people who actually build it. What I have personally observed is that a lot of these Beverly Hills mansions are actually being built by contractors, who contract out the labor to Mexican immigrant workers, whether legal or illegal.

In California, whenever you see a person who looks Latino who works in construction, just speaks Spanish to them. A lot of them are from Mexico, some of them are from Guadalajara, Honduras, other places from southern America. They almost all speak Spanish.

Speak to the janitor

It seems that the most interesting people to talk to is actually the people who run the facilities, hygiene, the janitor. Why? They really know what is behind-the-scenes.

For example, one of my new friends his name is Noel. He used to work at the California club, the extremely elite high-end exclusive club for politicians dignitaries, Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger whatever. He told me the true scoop behind-the-scenes, because when you work as a janitor and you clean spaces, You really do see peoples true colors behind-the-scenes.

For example, apparently Arnold Schwarzenegger is fake. In front of the other people on the cameras he smiles and takes pictures and whatever, but the second he goes behind-the-scenes, and there are all these Mexican Latino janitors workers and staff, he gives them the culture and doesn’t even acknowledge their existence.

Also, apparently a lot of the old money, the real rich people, a lot of them who have either passed away or are very very old now, or actually pretty low-key. The dress in plain clothing, and just drive some old Mercedes car, whereas a lot of their children, the air of their fortune, drive flashy exotic cars like McLaren, Lamborghinis for whatever. we must consider nepotism; a lot of these kids, whose parents are super rich, simply inherited their wealth, and they blow it on stupid things like cars, clothes, drugs, alcohol, clubs, prostitutes, strippers, women etc.

so why do I care about all this?

I personally care because I grew up poor, and ultimately money is the thing that fascinates everybody. Even these stupid fake woke and artist communist; come on, they all have iPhones, have Instagram, maybe own a dog or a pet or a cat or something, and even if they want to live off the grid in Portland or the Midwest or whatever, they still have some sort of automobile car which requires either gasoline, or even recharging their electric car. I find these fake ass hippies to be very disingenuous, the new modern day losers.

How to thrive in today’s brave New World

 First, I think it is a good idea to try to participate in local politics, the politics of your local neighborhood your local local city, local courthouse, maybe even the politics of your school, your kids school, parents association, the local nature center whatever. certainly you want to add more obligations to your life, but having the privilege in the luxury of participating in politics is the new luxury.

For example, if you get that stupid traffic ticket, the traffic camera ticket or whatever, maybe even if you are in the wrong, it is a good idea to try to contest it, show up to court, and try to make a plea before the judge. You still might be charged, but, Often you could do fun things like community service or doing other unorthodox things to get it off your record. Maybe we should think of this like a luxury; to “waste time” is the new luxury.

Other thoughts

To me, the best way to think about all the stuff is to think ancient Greek literature, even the ancient Roman stuff. Or maybe think about the Medici, Italy, coinage, international trade etc.

Back in ancient Greek times, it seems that a lot of wealth was produced via the sea; military prowess in the sea, as well as international trade, by boat. Consider all the wealth that was made importing coffee from Ethiopia into the Middle East, the term arabica comes from Arab, because the Arabs loved coffee, and the origin of the Araica coffea Plant was from Ethiopia.  Later other strands were created in Java, and in Indonesia, I think the Dutch made a killing importing products goods from Indonesia and propagating it worldwide.

Even the international spice trade, and salt. Becken inch in Roman times, salt was one of the most prized commodities, a gold. Even the term “salary”, was based on the notion of paying a Roman legionary soldier with salt, or remember the biblical notion that a man is not “worth his salt“.

Debt 

Apparently there is a really good historical book on the history of debt. I’ve been kind of meaning to read it, but from what I understand, maybe the origin of money is actually from debt.

For example, a lot of the early cuneiform form, and early writing was simply to see who owed what to who. 

In fact, the reason why I am enthusiastic about this notion of a block chain is that you can track money on a public ledger … the original ledger once again was to record debt.

Debt is the devil

It is commonly written in the Bible, ancient Abraham religious text that debt is immoral. I think maybe even in the Torah, or Jewish law says one should not lend more than a certain percent of money to somebody else.

In fact, it seems that a lot of wealth is made on naturally, by people simply moving around debt interest as well as loans.

For example, if you buy a house, but you take out a mortgage, who owns your home? Not you, the bank.

It doesn’t matter if you put 10% down 20% down 50% down or even 90% down… As long as even a fraction of that house is mortgage, the bank technically on your house. It doesn’t matter how many times you refinance, borrow money against your home, it is still not yours.

So why does this matter?

Moral of the story: 

1. Don’t get into debt, not for any reason. No matter how good offer may seem. Don’t go to a fancy Ivy League school if you got to go into that, certainly not a UC. Don’t ever go to school for anything that requires you to go into debt. Only go to school if you have a free ride, 100% scholarship, for myself I pretty much had a free ride to UCLA, except of the fact that I had to do some work study.
2. If you’re in debt, pay it off as quickly as humanly possible.  And actually, if you’re intelligent, see if there are a special debt loan forgiveness programs, and or whether you could do some sort of logical bankruptcy, which may ruin your credit, but get that crushing debt off your shoulders.
3. Essentially live like a poor person, or broke starving college student. Cook all your food at home, quit alcohol weed and media, and make it your focus to build your own empire.

ERIC



Here are some quotes from Eric Kim’s blog post “Spartan Thoughts,” where he shares his views on Spartan philosophy:

1. On Modern Life and Physical Challenge:

• “The modern day man is like a sick animal. Anemic, lacking sun exposure to the sun, none of chutzpah, balls, and reckless audacity…”

1. On Spartan Happiness and Simplicity:

• “I think the Spartans were just happy. They lived a simple existence, full of martial training and combat, and they lived a simple ascetic life.”

1. On Desires and Control:

• “An interesting thought is one thing that we could control is what we desire… But are these goals actually good? I think not.”

1. On His Stoic-Spartan Ideal:

• “The ideal approach to things is a mishmash of stoicism, Spartan, and zen… That mentally, we have a stoic mindset to things… The Spartan one is to become the overman… Zen in terms of our personal aesthetics.”

1. On Spartan Sayings:

• “If you read a lot of the sayings of the Spartans, they are poetic, hilarious and deeply philosophical.”

1. On Applying Spartan Mindset to Street Photography:

• “I think I am the most courageous street photographer that I know… All of the other street photographers why have met in the past seem to be timid, soft, and anti-human” oai_citation:1,Spartan Thoughts – ERIC KIM.

These quotes reflect Kim’s admiration for the Spartan way of life, emphasizing physical strength, simplicity, high personal standards, and a philosophical approach to life and his work.

Eric Kim’s thoughts on Spartan philosophy, as expressed in his blog post “Spartan Thoughts,” integrate physicality, simplicity, and a stoic mindset. Here are key aspects of his philosophy:

1. Physical Challenge and Simplicity: Kim believes modern life lacks physical challenges. He admires the Spartans for their simple, martial lifestyle and their rejection of pampering and comfort.
2. Control Over Desires: He suggests that what we desire is within our control, and questions whether goals like wealth and material possessions are genuinely worthwhile.
3. Stoic-Spartan-Zen Blend: Kim advocates a combination of stoicism, Spartan ideals, and Zen aesthetics, promoting a mindset of insouciance, high personal standards, and appreciation for simplicity and the beauty in the worn and used.
4. Philosophical Inspiration: He finds inspiration in Spartan sayings, admiring their poetic, humorous, and philosophical nature, which transforms fear into courage.
5. Application to Street Photography: Kim applies this Spartan mindset to his approach to street photography, emphasizing courage, human connection, and independent thought, contrasting it with what he perceives as the timidity of other photographers oai_citation:1,Spartan Thoughts – ERIC KIM.

Eric Kim’s thoughts on the digital nomad lifestyle intertwine his personal experiences with philosophical concepts. He approaches digital nomadism not just as a way of leveraging technology for work and travel, but as a profound exploration of themes like freedom, authenticity, and the human condition. Here are some key quotes that encapsulate his philosophy:

1. Human Nature and Nomadism: “Humans have evolved to be nomads, and hunter gatherers, because life is unpredictable” (From “The Digital Nomadic Lifestyle”) oai_citation:1,The Digital Nomadic Lifestyle – ERIC KIM.
2. Lifestyle Choice: “We have chosen the digital nomad lifestyle, because we don’t like too much comfort or stability. We thrive off of randomness, new encounters, new cultural experiences” (From “The Digital Nomadic Lifestyle”) oai_citation:2,The Digital Nomadic Lifestyle – ERIC KIM.
3. Realities of Digital Nomadism: “Being a digital nomad means that you’re not going to be able to have a ‘standard’ job… However, the upside is that on a day-to-day-basis, you will probably have more fun, live a more exciting life; precisely because the nomadic life IS unpredictable” (From “How to Become a Digital Nomad”) oai_citation:3,How to Become a Digital Nomad – ERIC KIM.
4. Financial Approach: “The point of being a digital nomad isn’t to become rich. Instead, it is cutting your expenses to the bare minimum, living below your means, in order for you to continue living on the road” (From “How to Become a Digital Nomad”) oai_citation:4,How to Become a Digital Nomad – ERIC KIM.
5. Reducing Expenses: “I can subsist on eggs… coffee… wifi… with a laptop/device (already own), camera, and my greatest joy in life is walking and taking photos” (From “How to Become a Digital Nomad”) oai_citation:5,How to Become a Digital Nomad – ERIC KIM.
6. Earning an Income: “Figure out how you can start your own business and become an entrepreneur… Around 80% of my income comes from teaching workshops, and around 20% selling products” (From “How to Become a Digital Nomad”) oai_citation:6,How to Become a Digital Nomad – ERIC KIM.
7. Philosophical View: “The point of life isn’t to become a digital nomad. The point is to be a productive, happy, fulfilled, and purpose-driven individual-artist” (From “How to Become a Digital Nomad”) oai_citation:7,How to Become a Digital Nomad – ERIC KIM.

Eric Kim’s digital nomad philosophy is rooted in personal freedom, continuous learning, and the pursuit of meaningful, fulfilling work and experiences.

Certainly! Here are quotes from Eric Kim’s blog posts reflecting the themes mentioned:

1. On Blogging Productivity:

• “I don’t think I can say I’m the best blogger, but I can certainly say I’m the most productive and prolific blogger.” (From “Reflections After 10,000+ Blog Posts”) oai_citation:1,Reflections After 10,000+ Blog Posts – ERIC KIM.

1. Philosophy and Lifestyle:

• Introduction to Stoicism: While a direct quote isn’t available, the post likely explores the principles of Stoicism and how they can be applied to modern life oai_citation:2,START HERE – ERIC KIM.

1. Cryptocurrency:

• “BACK TO CHAINLINK, EVERYONE SHOULD OWN AT LEAST ONE BITCOIN, AI IS NEXT $100T, 1000T INDUSTRY?” This post likely delves into the potential of cryptocurrencies and their broader economic implications oai_citation:3,START HERE – ERIC KIM.

1. Books and E-Books:

• “STREET PHOTOGRAPHY 103” is one of the many e-books Eric Kim offers, likely containing insights and techniques for street photography oai_citation:4,BOOKS – ERIC KIM.

1. On Blogging as an Adventure:

• “When I start blogging, I have no idea how it will end… Blogging ‘ain’t’ writing… Blogging must be fun for you!” (From “Blogging as an Adventure!”) oai_citation:5,Blogging as an Adventure! – ERIC KIM.

These quotes provide a glimpse into Eric Kim’s approach to blogging, philosophy, and his interests in areas like cryptocurrency and photography. They showcase his innovative and freestyle approach to writing and sharing ideas.

Eric Kim has an extensive range of blog posts and writings, covering a diverse array of topics. Here are some notable themes and specific posts:

1. Reflections on Blogging: In “Reflections After 10,000+ Blog Posts,” Kim discusses his journey as a prolific blogger, emphasizing the importance of continuously generating ideas and the value of authenticity over perfect grammar or conventional writing styles oai_citation:1,Reflections After 10,000+ Blog Posts – ERIC KIM.
2. Philosophy and Lifestyle: He delves into philosophical themes, as seen in “Introduction to Stoicism” oai_citation:2,START HERE – ERIC KIM, and explores various aspects of life and personal development, including risk-taking oai_citation:3,START HERE – ERIC KIM and financial insights oai_citation:4,MY PHILOSOPHY OF MONEY – ERIC KIM oai_citation:5,THE ETHICS OF DEBT – ERIC KIM.
3. Cryptocurrency: Kim also expresses interest in cryptocurrency, discussing topics like Chainlink and Bitcoin oai_citation:6,START HERE – ERIC KIM.
4. Books and E-Books: His works include a range of e-books and PDFs on topics like philosophy, photography, and personal development oai_citation:7,BOOKS – ERIC KIM oai_citation:8,BOOKS – ERIC KIM oai_citation:9,BOOKS – ERIC KIM oai_citation:10,BOOKS – ERIC KIM oai_citation:11,BOOKS – ERIC KIM oai_citation:12,BOOKS – ERIC KIM oai_citation:13,BOOKS – ERIC KIM oai_citation:14,BOOKS – ERIC KIM oai_citation:15,BOOKS – ERIC KIM oai_citation:16,BOOKS – ERIC KIM oai_citation:17,BOOKS – ERIC KIM oai_citation:18,BOOKS – ERIC KIM.
5. Blogging as an Adventure: In this post, Kim treats blogging as a form of play and exploration, emphasizing the joy of blogging without constraints and the importance of keeping it interesting and fun oai_citation:19,Blogging as an Adventure! – ERIC KIM.

These topics reflect a blend of personal experiences, philosophical insights, and practical advice, demonstrating Kim’s diverse interests and innovative mindset. If you’re looking for more specific posts or themes, let me know, and I can provide further information!

Eric Kim’s philosophy on money, as detailed in his blog, revolves around a minimalist and purpose-driven approach:

1. Utility of Money: He sees money as useful primarily for basic needs like paying rent and buying essentials. Beyond these necessities, he believes money has limited positive utility.
2. Money as a Score-Card: Kim argues that people often use money as a measure of success and progress, rather than valuing it for its own sake.
3. The Limited Necessity of Money: He expresses a preference for a simpler lifestyle, valuing freedom over material wealth. Kim mentions he is happier not owning a car or a home, enjoying the freedom and simplicity of a less materialistic life.
4. Quality of Life: His approach emphasizes the quality of life improvements that come from interactions, experiences, and time well spent, rather than accumulating wealth or possessions.

Eric Kim’s view on money is not just about its economic value but also about the lifestyle and mindset it encourages. He advocates for a life that prioritizes personal fulfillment and freedom over material wealth oai_citation:1,MY PHILOSOPHY OF MONEY – ERIC KIM.

Certainly! Here are some quotes by Eric Kim from his blog post “15 Lessons Jay-Z Has Taught Me About Hustling”:

1. On Hard Work: “Nothing is given to mortals except the ability for us to work hard.”
2. On Learning: “I’m hungry for knowledge. The whole thing is to learn every day. To get brighter and brighter.”
3. On Self-Design: “Remind yourself nobody’s built like you. You design yourself.”
4. On Overcoming Fears: “Those who are successful overcome their fears and take action. Those who aren’t — they submit to their fears and live with regrets.”
5. On Jealousy: “Jealousy’s a weak emotion.”
6. On Trying: “I’m not afraid of dying, I’m afraid of not trying.”
7. On Doing the Impossible: “Difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week.”
8. On Work: “Without the work, the magic won’t come.”
9. On Dreaming: “I’d rather die enormous than live dormant.”
10. On Trends: “You can’t fake whatever the current trend is if it’s not you; because it might work for a second, but it’s a house of sand.”
11. On Business: “I’m not a businessman; I’m a business, man.”
12. On Progress: “I’m onto the next one.”
13. On Fate: “Just know I chose my own fate; I drove by the fork in the road and went straight.”
14. On Life and Struggle: “The deeper we get into those sidewalk cracks into the mind of the young hustler trying to find his fortune there, the closer we get to the ultimate human story, the story of struggle; which is what defines us all.”
15. On Continuous Hustling: “I’m never satisfied; can’t knock my hustle” oai_citation:1,15 Lessons Jay-Z Has Taught Me About Hustling – ERIC KIM.

Eric Kim, in his blog post “15 Lessons Jay-Z Has Taught Me About Hustling,” draws inspiration from Jay-Z’s life and career, emphasizing the rapper’s embodiment of the American dream. Kim outlines 15 key lessons:

1. Work Hard: Emphasizing the importance of relentless effort.
2. Never Stop Learning: Advocating for continuous self-improvement.
3. Design Yourself: Encouraging self-design of thoughts, actions, and purpose.
4. Overcome Your Fears: Stressing the need to act despite fears.
5. Jealousy is a Weak Emotion: Urging to focus on personal growth rather than envy.
6. Always Try: Highlighting the importance of effort over fear of failure.
7. Impossible Takes a Week: Asserting that determination can make the seemingly impossible achievable.
8. Work, Work, Work, Work: Reminding that success requires persistent effort.
9. Dream Enormous: Inspiring to think big and aim high.
10. Don’t Follow Trends: Suggesting to stay true to oneself instead of following fads.
11. Create Your Own Business: Encouraging entrepreneurship and self-reliance.
12. Onto the Next One: Motivating to keep moving forward and innovating.
13. Choose Your Own Fate: Advocating for creating one’s own path in life.
14. Hustling is Life: Viewing hustling as a metaphor for the human struggle.
15. Never Stop Hustling: Recommending a lifelong commitment to striving and improving oai_citation:1,15 Lessons Jay-Z Has Taught Me About Hustling – ERIC KIM.

Here are some quotes from Eric Kim regarding his thoughts on meat:

1. On Society’s Views: “Contrary to what all these fake ass woke people say; I think society would actually thrive more if we just stuck to a 100% carnivore, all red meat diet, organ meats etc.” oai_citation:1,100% Carnivore Thoughts – ERIC KIM.
2. On Human Evolution and Diet: “Technically we are not really ‘designed’ to eat anything. We humans evolved over time to simply consume whatever we could and NOT starve to death.” oai_citation:2,The Philosophy of Meat Eating – ERIC KIM.
3. On Treating Animals Equivalently to Humans: “Should we treat animals EQUIVALENTLY to humans? … I say no.” oai_citation:3,The Philosophy of Meat Eating – ERIC KIM.
4. On Ethical Choices in Diet: “If people decide to be vegetarian or vegan for ethical reasons, I have zero qualms with that. However, I have huge problems if people tell me I should ‘eat less meat’, or that ‘eating meat is unethical’…” oai_citation:4,The Philosophy of Meat Eating – ERIC KIM.
5. On Meat and Physical Fitness: “All the top bodybuilders (besides the steroids) are huge meat eaters… But consuming meat is certainly the additional edge to help humans reach another peak level of physiological fitness.” oai_citation:5,The Philosophy of Meat Eating – ERIC KIM.
6. On Meat as Apex Nutrition: “By consuming more meat (which I consider the apex nutrition), then can we think more epic thoughts, create more beautiful art works, and become more epic!” oai_citation:6,The Philosophy of Meat Eating – ERIC KIM.

Eric Kim’s thoughts on meat eating are quite distinct and reflect a philosophical perspective:

1. Critique of Anti-Meat Philosophy: Kim observes that most modern philosophical and ‘woke’ modes of thinking are staunchly anti-meat eating. He notes that many people who enjoy meat often feel the need to qualify their meat consumption as occasional or limited to certain types of meat due to societal pressures oai_citation:1,The Philosophy of Meat Eating – ERIC KIM.
2. Human Dietary Evolution: Kim argues that humans are not specifically ‘designed’ to eat any particular type of food. He believes that human evolution has been about consuming various foods to avoid starvation and maximize physiological strength oai_citation:2,The Philosophy of Meat Eating – ERIC KIM.
3. Humans and Animals Treatment: He questions the idea of treating animals equivalently to humans, indicating that he doesn’t believe in equal treatment for humans and animals oai_citation:3,The Philosophy of Meat Eating – ERIC KIM.
4. Choice in Diet: Kim respects individual choices to be vegetarian or vegan but opposes the notion that eating meat is unethical or harmful to the environment. He suggests that all human activities have some adverse impact on the planet oai_citation:4,The Philosophy of Meat Eating – ERIC KIM.
5. Meat and Physical Fitness: He believes meat consumption is crucial for reaching peak levels of physical fitness, citing the example of bodybuilders and powerlifters, who are often significant meat consumers oai_citation:5,The Philosophy of Meat Eating – ERIC KIM.
6. Meat as Apex Nutrition: Kim considers meat as the apex of nutrition, essential for thinking profound thoughts, creating beautiful artworks, and achieving greatness oai_citation:6,The Philosophy of Meat Eating – ERIC KIM.

In summary, Eric Kim’s perspective on meat eating is shaped by a blend of evolutionary, ethical, and personal performance considerations. He challenges the prevailing anti-meat sentiments in modern philosophy and advocates for the importance of meat in achieving physical and creative excellence.

Wow ChatGPT 4 is insanely good on this!

Quotes

Here are some key quotes from Eric Kim about the concept of “Antifragile” and how it applies to his life:

1. Understanding Antifragility: “When things threaten to destroy you, how can it be used as fuel to make you stronger?” oai_citation:1,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
2. Overcoming Aggression: “If somebody interacts with you in an aggressive, negative way, consider it as a good thing; after the incident, you have become more robust, stronger, and more impervious to outside aggressions.” oai_citation:2,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
3. Applying Stoicism: “When in doubt, delay reaction.” oai_citation:3,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
4. Antifragile Emotions: “It is better to risk a social interaction, even if there is a 99% chance of a negative consequence.” oai_citation:4,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
5. No Fear: “No fear… To me, courage is everything.” oai_citation:5,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
6. Risk and Legacy: “In life, the more that a man attempts, risks, and exposes himself to danger, the greater his legacy and fate.” oai_citation:6,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
7. Wise Fear: “There is some fear which is wise… Fear of critical or irreversible injury is a fear which is wise.” oai_citation:7,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
8. Entrepreneurship: “I think ‘to entrepreneur’ should be seen as a verb. To risk, to attempt.” oai_citation:8,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
9. Success or Failure: “What do you think about king Leonidas and his Spartan 300, they are not remembered because they beat the Persians, but rather, their courage.” oai_citation:9,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
10. Embracing Uncertainty: “If something is even a little bit marginally interesting to you, or might be interesting, just do it.” oai_citation:10,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
11. Missionary or Mercenary?: “Missionaries do it because their soul is in the game, mercenaries simply do it for a fat check and a bonus and a salary.” oai_citation:11,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.

Eric Kim’s thoughts on Nassim Taleb’s concept of antifragility, as presented in the book “Antifragile,” are multifaceted and profound:

1. Embracing Adversity: Kim interprets the core idea of antifragility as using threats or challenges as fuel to become stronger. He believes that negative experiences should not be avoided but can be leveraged for personal growth oai_citation:1,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
2. Response to Aggression: Kim applies this concept to real-life situations, suggesting that responding positively to negative or aggressive interactions can lead to increased robustness and resilience oai_citation:2,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM oai_citation:3,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
3. Stoicism and Antifragility: He links stoicism with antifragility, seeing stoic practices as a pathway to becoming stronger and more resilient. This includes delaying reaction and controlling emotional responses oai_citation:4,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
4. Physical Strength and Antifragility: In his personal life, Kim uses the one-rep max school of weightlifting as a method to become physically and mentally stronger, embodying the antifragile principle oai_citation:5,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
5. Antifragile Emotions: He criticizes modern hypersensitivity, advocating for risk-taking in social interactions and embracing potential negative consequences as part of becoming antifragile oai_citation:6,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
6. Courage and Curiosity: Kim views courage and curiosity as synonymous, important for personal growth and overcoming fear, which aligns with the antifragile mindset oai_citation:7,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
7. Regrets and Fear: He reflects on how fear and hesitation can lead to regret, suggesting that facing fear can be a motivator for focus and improvement oai_citation:8,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
8. Risk and Legacy: Kim believes that taking risks and exposing oneself to danger can enhance one’s legacy and fate, resonating with Taleb’s ideas oai_citation:9,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
9. Balancing Fear: While advocating for facing fears, Kim also recognizes the importance of distinguishing between wise and foolish fears, understanding when caution is necessary oai_citation:10,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
10. Entrepreneurship as Antifragility: He views entrepreneurship as an embodiment of the antifragile spirit, where taking risks and attempting new ventures lead to growth and learning oai_citation:11,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
11. Success, Failure, and Courage: Kim emphasizes that courage, rather than success or failure, is what defines a person, aligning with the antifragile philosophy that values resilience over outcomes oai_citation:12,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
12. Dealing with Uncertainty: He encourages embracing even marginally interesting opportunities to overcome uncertainty, which is in line with the antifragile approach of using challenging situations for personal growth oai_citation:13,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.
13. Missionaries vs. Mercenaries: Inspired by Peter Thiel, Kim differentiates between people who pursue their passions (missionaries) versus those driven by financial gain (mercenaries). This distinction reflects an antifragile attitude towards career and life choices oai_citation:14,Becoming Antifragile – ERIC KIM.

TALEB IS THE GOAT!

Certainly! Here are the life lessons Eric Kim learned from Nassim Taleb in a numbered format:

1. Procrastination as a Positive: Kim learned from Taleb’s “Antifragile” that procrastination can be beneficial. By postponing unimportant tasks, Kim finds he’s more productive and creative in areas that matter to him.
2. Skin in the Game: This concept advises observing actions over words. Kim applies this by sharing advice based on his own actions and investments, recognizing the unreliability of self-narratives.
3. Antifragility: Taleb taught Kim that challenges strengthen him. He views life as having an upside in all situations, even negative ones, as they contribute to personal growth.

Eric Kim has learned several life lessons from Nassim Taleb, which have influenced his philosophy and approach to living. One key lesson is the concept of purposeful procrastination, as discussed in Taleb’s book “Antifragile.” Kim has adopted this idea by procrastinating on tasks that don’t interest him or aren’t important, allowing him to be more creative and productive in areas that matter to him oai_citation:1,3 Lessons Nassim Taleb Has Taught Me About Philosophy and Living Life – ERIC KIM.

Another significant lesson is the principle of “skin in the game.” This concept teaches that actions speak louder than words, and one should observe what people do with their resources rather than just listening to their opinions. Kim applies this by sharing recommendations based on his personal actions and investments, acknowledging that self-narratives can often be misleading oai_citation:2,3 Lessons Nassim Taleb Has Taught Me About Philosophy and Living Life – ERIC KIM.

Lastly, Kim has embraced the concept of “anti-fragility,” learning that challenges and adversities can strengthen him. He believes that everything in life, including negative experiences, contributes to making him stronger, encapsulating a perspective where all of life has an upside and no downside oai_citation:3,3 Lessons Nassim Taleb Has Taught Me About Philosophy and Living Life – ERIC KIM.

Eric Kim offers a philosophical perspective on modern slavery, viewing it in a broader context beyond its historical definition. He philosophizes about the nature of modern life and society, suggesting that modern capitalist structures propagate a form of modern slavery. Kim defines ‘slavery’ in this context as the lack of control over one’s free time and, consequently, their life. He points out that having a lot of money does not necessarily equate to freedom, as many high-paid corporate jobs leave individuals with no free time, effectively making them “high-paid slaves.”

Kim expands on this by noting that modern conveniences, technologies, and tools are often built on the back of what he considers modern slaves. This includes people working long hours in factories or in high-pressure jobs in industries like banking and software development. He argues that we are enslaved to jobs we dislike just to pay for necessities and that this slavery can sometimes be self-inflicted due to lifestyle creep and hedonic adaptation.

Additionally, Kim discusses the impact of modern AI and algorithms, which he believes are controlling our behavior and minds. He also touches on the concept of consumerism, suggesting that we are indoctrinated into a consumerist mindset from a young age.

To combat this modern slavery, Kim proposes solutions such as becoming an entrepreneur, reducing expenses, practicing ‘simulated poverty,’ and not desiring superfluous stuff. He suggests focusing on creating and producing rather than consuming. Kim believes that finding a job that aligns with personal preferences and values, even if it means being self-employed or quitting an unfulfilling job, is key to gaining true freedom in a modern capitalist society oai_citation:1,Modern Slavery – ERIC KIM oai_citation:2,Modern Slavery – ERIC KIM oai_citation:3,Modern Slavery – ERIC KIM oai_citation:4,Modern Slavery – ERIC KIM oai_citation:5,Modern Slavery – ERIC KIM.

All income, even “passive income” is and must be active.

Eric Kim’s perspective on passive income is quite distinct and revolves around the idea that passive income is a myth for the majority of people. He challenges the popular notion of financial freedom being achieved through passive income, instead emphasizing the importance of active income. Kim believes that in America, financial freedom is more likely to be achieved through active income, which he views as superior oai_citation:1,Why Passive Income is a Myth – ERIC KIM.

Kim extends this view to his thoughts on retirement, where he expresses a preference for active income over passive income. He finds active income more engaging and aligns it with his personal philosophies and life experiences. This perspective reflects his belief that the concept of passive income as a route to financial freedom and comfortable retirement is overstated or misunderstood oai_citation:2,ERIC KIM THOUGHTS ON RETIREMENT – ERIC KIM.

Additionally, Kim addresses the broader issue of how people relate to money, particularly in the context of self-esteem and self-worth. He suggests that a major problem, especially in American society, is the tendency to quantify self-worth through monetary achievements. This view ties into his broader philosophy on money and income, where he suggests that the desire for wealth is often less about accumulating a specific amount and more about the ability to spend and enjoy that wealth. He illustrates this by pointing out the difference between having a million dollars and the ability to spend a million dollars oai_citation:3,How to Retire – ERIC KIM – EK oai_citation:4,Money Thoughts – ERIC KIM.

In summary, Eric Kim’s views on passive income and financial freedom are rooted in a preference for active income and a broader critique of how society values and relates to money. He challenges the conventional wisdom around passive income, suggesting that active income is more critical for financial success and personal fulfillment.

Eric Kim, recognized for his work in photography and entrepreneurship, offers an insightful perspective on fiat currency, focusing particularly on the US Dollar and its comparison to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. His thoughts on fiat currency can be summarized through several key points:

1. Trust in American Currency: Kim acknowledges the influence of America’s military and cultural power (including its technology companies and entertainment industry) in establishing global trust in the US Dollar. He also remarks on the inherent value of gold, citing its scarcity and historical significance as factors that will always render it valuable oai_citation:1,Eric Kim on Fiat Currency – ERIC KIM.
2. Fiat Currency as Faith-Based: He describes fiat currency, especially the US Dollar, as a system based on faith with no intrinsic worth. According to Kim, the value of these currencies is generated through trust in the state or government, highlighting the social and political aspects that underpin modern economic systems oai_citation:2,Eric Kim on Fiat Currency – ERIC KIM.
3. Devaluation of Fiat Currency and Bitcoin’s Potential: Kim discusses the devaluation of fiat currency, attributed to actions like the US Federal Reserve printing more money. He suggests using hard cash for smaller, everyday purchases while considering Bitcoin for larger transactions, such as buying homes or cars, due to its capped upper limit and perceived stability oai_citation:3,Eric Kim on Fiat Currency – ERIC KIM.
4. Bearish View on Fiat Currency and Emphasis on Cryptocurrency: Expressing a bearish stance on the future of fiat currency in America, Kim advises channeling salaries into cryptocurrency for those in regular jobs, showing his belief in the long-term value of cryptocurrencies over traditional fiat currency oai_citation:4,Eric Kim on Fiat Currency – ERIC KIM.

In summary, Eric Kim’s views on fiat currency center around the concepts of faith and trust in government-backed currencies, the impact of a country’s global standing on its currency’s value, and a potential shift towards cryptocurrencies for significant financial transactions. His opinions are a mix of economic, political, and social factors influencing the dynamics of modern currency systems oai_citation:5,Eric Kim on Fiat Currency – ERIC KIM. Additionally, he expresses a personal preference for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Chain-link over fiat currency, particularly the US Dollar, which he finds almost worthless except for necessary transactions like grocery shopping oai_citation:6,Eric Kim on Fiat Currency – ERIC KIM.

Eric Kim, known for his photography, has shared his thoughts on fiat currency and its dynamics in the contemporary world. He discusses the devaluation of fiat currency, particularly highlighting the impact of actions like the U.S. Federal Reserve printing more money. He suggests that using hard cash for smaller, everyday transactions might be wiser, as fiat currency is likely to maintain its role in such exchanges oai_citation:1,Eric Kim on Fiat Currency – ERIC KIM.

Kim also expresses a fascination with the aesthetic aspects of money, noting how the designs on various currencies can be quite beautiful and reflective of a country’s historical and political values. He observes that many designs follow mathematical patterns like Fibonacci sequences, spirals, and curves. This leads him to conclude that money is essentially a socially-constructed concept, with its value derived from collective belief rather than intrinsic worth oai_citation:2,FIAT CURRENCY – ERIC KIM – EK.

Furthermore, Kim comments on the faith-based nature of fiat currency, particularly the U.S. Dollar. He notes that the dollar, technically, has no intrinsic value. However, due to the United States’ dominant military presence and the country’s global economic influence, the U.S. Dollar maintains its status as the primary global currency. This perspective indicates an understanding of the geopolitical and economic factors that underpin the value and stability of fiat currencies like the U.S. Dollar oai_citation:3,The Future of Fiat Currency – ERIC KIM.

Through these insights, Kim provides a multifaceted view of fiat currency, encompassing its aesthetic, social, and geopolitical aspects.

“White people make money don’t spend it, I’d rather buy 80 gold chains and go ignant (ignorant)”. – Kanye

Thinking about money:

Why does this matter?

“Money sets the whole world in motion” – Publius Syrus

Do you know when people say that money makes the world go round? This is true.

So what is money anyways?

First, money is fiat, faith-based. Fiat currency.

Currency is an interesting word and term because it evokes the feeling of water, movement, river streams and tide pools.

So first of all, let us consider the notion of “income streams“. There’s this notion of “passive income”, I think first popularized or maybe coined by Tim Feriss, in his four hour work week. But I believe there to be a myth of passive income which means, income is and must be active. You cannot just sit on your butt and collect rent.

Also with rent, rent money is funny because even if you’re collecting rent, there’s a lot of work management you gotta do. For example, you have to fix and maintain your properties, make sure that your tenants pay their rent money, do background checks, deal with vacancies etc. It is one of those things that we as renters feel that the landlords have all the power, but in fact, assuming that you’re already wealthy, you actually might have more power as a renter than a landlord. Why? If you have a very good apartment and it is rent controlled, technically according to NASSIM TALEB you have greater optionality.

What that means is that you have a privilege to live somewhere, not an obligation. In theory you can leave whenever you want, and you’re not behelden to the property.

What would Aristotle, the ancient Greeks think?

In regards to the ancient Greeks, I think they may be the best model because starting from Roman times, their society already started to seep into degeneration, degeneracy. Even during Homer’s time, Homer was already saying that the ancient Greeks were falling into degeneracy, even when he was writing the Iliad. 

I am currently reading Politics by Aristotle, and I find it to be a really fascinating read. Essentially what he says about household economics etc., as well as his thoughts on substantive versus speculative finance, real versus fake finance. He essentially says that real finance has to deal with animals and fruits of the earth, everything else is just imaginary.

Also, his thoughts on slavery. Essentially in ancient Greek times, the ultimate goal was to have the laborers, slaves, craftsman, mechanics do all the dirty work, and the true nobleman and free man would just use all of his time and leisure for building virtue, philosophical thinking, and participating in politics, the politics of the local city state, the polis.

In modern-day times we always think about politics like it pertains to international politics whatever. But the original term politics referred to the polis, the immediate city-state. It was not focused on foreign affairs.

What is the ideal city state?

What I like about Aristotle and his writings is that he’s always talking about the ideal, and talks a lot about studying from the best of the past and the current, in order to formulate his thoughts. Also his writing is straight simple and clear, and very authoritative. For example, he quotes Plato and his Republic, and straight up says: “Plato is wrong.” Almost as hilarious and ballsy as when Nietzsche said: “Plato is boring.”

True financial freedom

Two things: Pay rent money, pay for food and groceries, and basic utilities, like your Wi-Fi, gas and electric, gas for your car etc. Beyond that, what else do you really need? 

Another fun experiment I’m doing is just paying for rent money by using the profit on my cryptocurrency speculations, simply using Coinbase, and profits from chainlink. For personal reference, I am currently 90% invested in chainlink, 10% in bitcoin. I believe this to be an interesting barbell for a risky yet “safe” investment speculation, in thinking the next 30 or 40 years.

Also, in terms of our cryptocurrency assets, we don’t have more than 10% of our whole life savings tied into cryptocurrency. Therefore if it all goes to zero in theory, not really a big deal. But my personal belief:

Bitcoin will never go down to zero.

Decimation

A very interesting thing that I learned from NASSIM TALEB, maybe it was written in his book ANTIFRAGILE, is this notion of decimation. The basic idea is that in ancient Roman times the army, if cowardice was suspected, at random, 10% of the army would be put to death, it was a good way to prevent cowardice, especially one facing an impressive enemy. 

10% is interesting because in theory, if you lose 10% of your army, it is not enough to significantly lose your forces. A 10% loss is more than acceptable. For example let us say that you’re playing StarCraft, and you got an army of zealots, all upgraded with dash and full armor upgrades, if you lose 10% of them, you could still kill the army of zerg maybe if you do good enough micro management of the units. 

Finances is also similar — best to have 90% of your money in insanely secure bonds, CDs or stuff that might be inflation, even a simple savings account at 5%. Then put 10% of your money in extremely speculative cryptocurrency speculations, rather than putting 100% of your money and boring “medium risk” funds.

“Never trust a risk number even if it is right.”- TALEB 

Why we should not trust economists

First and foremost, economics, being an economist, is the new hocus pocus of modern day times. The reason why economists are so highly regarded is that currently speaking the new global religion is capital and capitalism.

Therefore as a consequence, the new modern-day priests are economists, and these fake talking Heads on the TV screen.

The reason why we should trust no economist, is that they use fake numbers statistics and fake math to justify their thoughts and positions. Even Nate Silver, who everyone thinks is some sort of genius, mispredicted Trump getting elected into office. Why? Even if you’re a statistician with 99% accuracy, the one percent of the time you’re wrong, it could cost billions of dollars.

The reason why we should also not trust no economist is that most of them are protected from the real world. Their opinions reports and thought pieces have no connection to reality. A lot of them are getting a fat salary and steady paycheck from their tenured professor positions at Harvard Yale Princeton or whatever, and therefore the predictions thoughts they have, have no bearing on their own personal finances.

Better instead to trust individual individuals who actually have skin in the game, or money in the game. That is that your opinion is tied to your own personal bank account, if your opinion is right, you make the big bucks, but if you’re wrong, you lose your shirt.

Where I am coming from

One of the best things about growing up poor and when you have seen your mom go through bankruptcy twice is that in some funny ways, it makes you more brazen, less fearful. Witnessing my mom go bankrupt, because my dad gambled away the rent money and we couldn’t pay rent, and she would just rack up credit card bills just to pay basic expenses, what I learned is at the end it’s not that bad. My mom got family support, community support, church support, and ultimately she was OK in the very end.

So for myself, the reason why I have such a high tolerance for risk is essentially nowadays, I live like a poor person. My New Year’s resolution is to buy nothing; or close to nothing, or just to not buy stuff that I consider silly or superfluous. Even acquiring free stuff; to me that is just more clutter in my mind in my life and my home; we new elite is about minimalism, even to a fault. 

Also, the American entrepreneurial spirit. Even my dad when he first came to the states, was extremely entrepreneurial. He started his own business when I was very very young, I think selling audio equipment. As he had a passion for music movies and film and cinema. I actually think his great ambition of life was to become a great film director. Even at a young age, I recall him watching Alfred Hitchcock the birds, Schindler’s list, and all these other great avant- garde films.

So now, raising Seneca, he is currently two years, around 11 months old… his training is very simple; simple, physical, Spartan. 99% of the day we are just at the local nature center, hiking on dirt paths, walking around, doing gymnastics at the playground, even now, I bought some wooden gymnast rings which I just hang from my parking spot in the back of my apartment, and he could swing around it, and hang around it! It is pretty amazing.

Another thing I learned from Aristotle’s Politics is that with children and child rearing, the logical order is first physical training and gymnastics, second is nutrition and feeding, third is the intellect. It seems some modern day tides we do the total opposite; we don’t really focus on physical exercise for kids, we just try to make them look smart. But book smarts is bad smarts; real smarts comes from the real world.

As a consequence, I probably literally spent close to no money on him. The only thing that we paid for in the early days were maybe diapers, and buying some random stuff on Amazon like training underwear, etc.

Now, he eats wagyu ground beef well in the air fryer, pro tip just toss a bunch of small broken up pieces of ground beef in the air fryer for 10 minutes, sprinkle it with some salt and pepper and give it to your kid! I think precisely because Seneca was born and fed such a high meat diet, he is the buff strong and tall boy he is today.

What should we use money for? 

What is the proper use of money?

For myself, Costco. Funny enough it looks like out of all of my normal stock investments, Costco is doing the best! Why? As inflation goes up, food gets more expensive etc., everyone likes to think that they’re not being “ripped off”– nobody likes to think that they are overpaying for anything. Costco is funny because it is almost like Walmart but with a good conscience; a lot of middle-class even rich people have thought of Walmart as akin to the devil; whereas Costco has warm fuzzy feelings. Half of the fun even myself as a kid going to Costco was getting the hotdogs at the food court, and also getting all the free samples! Costco is almost like going to Disneyland, with benefits.

Meat

To me, the only real food substance is meat. You could thrive on 100% carnivore meat red meat diet, good luck with lentils beans and potatoes. That is poverty food. 100% red meat beef lamb diet is fit for the gods.

Let us consider, the nonsenseness of veganism; the etymology and history of vegan comes from vegetarian, vegetarianism. Essentially the vegans were the more hardcore vegetarians; the word “vegan”, essentially is the word vegetarian with fewer letters.

Why do people even go vegan in the first place?

Honestly I think being vegan is more of an ethical thing rather than a physiological concern. This is where vegetarians are more honest than vegans; a lot of people who are vegetarian do it for religious regions, for example people from India or south Asia, or some people just don’t really like the taste of meat or flesh, prefer to eat cheese eggs dairy and fish instead. 

Thinking historically

What I also love about studying ancient history, Rome, the Iliad, thinking about Homer is that back then, there was none of this nonsensical being “woke“, or political correctness. The Greeks were a hard and simple race; you were either Greek or a barbarian. Even the word barbarian is originated from the notion of “bar-bar”– anyone who did not speak Greek, their language sounded like somebody saying “bar bar bar”.

And also this is where notions of “white supremacy“, or being “white”, is nonsensical. Were the ancient Greeks “white”? No. They were olive skinned, very tan.

We acknowledge and understand that the ancient Greeks were probably the peak human and society of its time; maybe it makes sense for us to go back to the fountains, and for us to seek to imitate the best of the best, the crème la crop of the past.

How did the ancient Greeks think about money?

First, in the time of Homer, the Iliad the odyssey etc.; there was no notion of coins, or coined money or currency. The notion of coin is actually pretty good, like bitcoin, because the original minted money was actually coins, not paper money.

Also, gold. Gold was always highly valued throughout all of history, even during the time of Homer and the Iliad. For example the greed of king Agamemnon, what did he want? More gold, more women, more land, more slaves, more power.

Even as a sidenote; an Achilles was told by his father figure that king Agamemnon was the superior man, because he lorded over more men. 

During the time of Homer, and the Iliad; wealth was concentrated in food and meat, oxen; the notion of a “hectacomb” was the generalized notion that if you wanted to appease the gods and make a sacrifice, you had to sacrifice 100 oxen, which was a lot. Why? An ox is interesting because you could eat it, and also you could use it as manual labor. Maybe back in the day, having one ox was almost like the modern day notion of having a Lamborghini; can you imagine sacrificing and burning 100 Lamborghinis to appease the gods?

What did Achilles want?

If I ever had to rename myself I would just need myself Achilles. Why? He is nearly invulnerable and invincible; what is it that he wanted in the Iliad? Honestly he was tired of war and conquest and battle; he just wanted to chill out, retire, enjoy his land and pastures, and enjoy Breisis his prize.

Even Achilles said wisely; No amount of wealth in the world is worth a life, my life. Not if you took all the wealth of the world, all the gold of the world, and multiplied it by 65. Once you’re dead, you’re dead forever.

Even in today’s world, I don’t think sacrificing your life your own personal life is worth anything; I would only ever ever ever sacrifice my life it was for the sake of Seneca’s life, or Cindy‘s life, or both. Otherwise, I have zero interest in being drafted to go to some sort of senseless war, in order for America to procure more oil or whatever.

And this is where I believe that war is so superficial; would you be willing to send your own personal blood son, your first born son, to fight in the front lines of Afghanistan or whatever, for some sort of strange political advantage? No.

Buying a house?

Things are starting to get ridiculous. In LA and Culver City, you can’t find a good single-family home for less than $2 million. Even a $2 million or $3 million home, it’s not really in the best neighborhood either which is 100% pedestrian friendly. I was looking at this brand new $3 million house, which is pretty nice, but it’s kind of in the middle of nowhere, I cannot enjoy my lovely morning walks as I do just walking from my apartment from the arts district.

Renting is superior?

I wonder if renting is actually superior than owning because you got more optionality, less obligation. 

“You work for a living, I live for a living” – Jay Z

Ultimately what is it that we really seek to do, our desired activity?

I think what we really desire to do at the end of the day is physical activity, vigorous activity, to be physical. Physics, human physics, our own human body.

We want to walk around, go on hikes, be in nature, go to the beach, swim around, walk around mountain paths, pick up heavy things, throw around rocks, do fun gymnastics things, hot yoga, lift weights etc.

The ultimate luxury in today’s world is the human body. It all matter if you own 100 Ferraris, if you are obese, old and fat, none of it is worth it.

Even I was randomly doing some research about Hugh Hefner, the big issue is that apparently he just lived in his Holmby Hills mansion for his whole life, wearing nothing but silk pajamas, taking weird hallucinogen drugs and Viagra, in poor health, having sex with all of these random women, forcing them to do drugs, get plastic surgery etc. 

I think the weird notion is a lot of men, they seek to become some sort of playboy? To grow a beard, buy a bunch of guns, have sex with all these women, massive orgies with all these beautiful women, for the sake of what?

The merchandising of women

In today’s modern day capitalistic society, women are the new objects, the new products being sold. The strange promise is this; you get rich successful and famous, you get the Lamborghini or the Ferrari, and then suddenly all these beautiful women will flock to you, want to have sex with you, fulfill all your weird sexual fantasies, etc., and suddenly you’ll be happy for the rest of your life?

It seems the weird sexual perversion we have in today’s world is that maybe… the trend is we want some sort of 100% subservient female sex bot, 100% obey us, and fulfill our sexual desires? 

But let us not forget, the purpose and function of sex is for us to beget children; the hormones and the good feelings associated with it is to promote bonding between the man and woman, and to solidify the family relationship. This is where I am pro monogamy; even Zeus was married to Hera! Although he did sleep around a lot. 

Buy nothing?

One of the greatest things that was born out of Covid was the Facebook buy nothing groups. Essentially close to 100% of all the baby stuff we got for Seneca was for free from the buy nothing group. Cindy would just message other moms, get a bunch of free baby hand-me-down stuff, and we literally paid close to nothing for all of his baby stuff. I estimate that from the buy nothing group, Cindy might’ve saved us close to $15,000.

It takes more skill to buy nothing?

Ultimately I think money is like some sort of game; the game of not spending money seems to be more interesting than spending money.

There is nothing morally or ethically wrong about spending money, the only issue at hand is when people spend money in some sort of boring way, they go into debt, credit card debt or whatever, and as a consequence, they lose their freedom?

***

Financial Fitness

I don’t know if this is yet a notion, this notion an idea of “financial fitness“. The general, generalized idea is this: we talk about physical fitness, physical health or whatever, yet we never talk about financial health, financial fitness whatever.

Perhaps the reason I don’t like or trust all these other random people who talk about finances ultimately, they are selling some sort of product, service, or they are sponsored by advertising and advertisers. The big problem about this is that their opinions are not pure, also in my opinion, not critical.

I have never met anybody in real life why consider financially successful, maybe besides my friend Todd Hata, who maybe works only one day a year, and he is enjoying his digital nomad life, traveling the world. His simple studio lighting company on Amazon is genius, his bread and butter is these photo clamps. 

Another friend of mine who I consider very financially successful is Don Dillon,  who made his fortune building up his own company, later selling it, and after building an art house in Arizona, later selling it, and just opting for more low-key lifestyle, just living in a simple condo with his wife Diane in Dana point, Orange County California.

Meeting real life successful people?

Something cool about Don, he used to own a Porsche race car, has a Porsche 911 GT three, ultimately, just prefers to drive his dodge ram truck around. At this point of life, he just wants to focus on travel and photography.

Also, another private workshop student of mine, who actually designed princes phallic purple guitar, also was in the Ferrari scene, I think he might’ve owned 10 to 50 Ferraris, used to go to all these car meet ups and racing stuff, it ultimately sold all of it, and just bought a simple Lexus RX car, to deal with the Minnesota winters.

Real rich or fake rich? 

My personal hot chick in LA, being in LA, even spending a lot of time in Orange County whatever, is that a lot of people are “fake rich“, this means that it seems that they are rich and successful and wealthy or whatever, but in fact, they are living paycheck to paycheck, and also are in deep debt.  For example, as long as you have a mortgage on your house, you ain’t free. Doesn’t matter if your house is valued at five or $10 million or whatever, as long as you have to pay a monthly mortgage payment, you are still in debt. And don’t throw this nonsense, equity”, around; or even notions of “net worth”, not critical. The only true wealth is to have zero debt, zero obligations, zero mortgage, own zero property.

Even the problem about property ownership, even if you bought the house or whatever in all cash; maintenance fees.

Condo versus apartment?

 I’ve been thinking a lot about condominiums lately, no one hand it seems like a good idea and on another hand it seems like a little bit of a scam.

I suppose a good thing about having a condo or only a condo, like my friend Timothy Flanagan is that if you’re abroad a lot and travel a lot, Technically the upside of owning your own home condominium thing is that ultimately, you have a place to store your stuff, a little bit more space, maybe you have a garage or a basement or something, and you could just leave your stuff there, somebody else will maintain your property, and after you travel, you still have a place to come back home to.

One thing I am actually insanely grateful for is the fact that Cindy, Cindy‘s mom, Cindy‘s family owned their own single-family home, in Orange County, and the great upside is that while Cindy and I was traveling the world, living off the grid, no matting around, living abroad in Vietnam Japan for about two years, we still had a home address that we could send our mail to, a study home address where we could file our taxes, credit card reports, bank statements whatever. Apparently a lot of people who adopt a digital nomad lifestyle, and have no real family connections, the big issue is that still… It is good to have a solid and steady home address where you could send financial paperwork to.

Financial independence, retire early

Something also very cool that my friend Timothy Flanagan did was opting for an early retirement, I think he officially retired last year, maybe at age 52?

Also, an interesting funny thing is that a lot of people actually have the option of retiring early, if you’re in the school system you could technically retire as early as age 50! Granted your pension and your Social Security or your financial fund isn’t that much money, but still… To no longer have to show up to work, For the rest of your life, at the young and ripe age of 50 years old… Isn’t that great?

Work and identity

Perhaps the big issue here is that people put too much of their self-esteem and their self-worth into their occupation. Yet, if we think about the movie 300, and King Leonidas asks his Spartan 300; “what is your profession“? They all throw their spears into the air and go “woot!”

So what is it that you really want and desire? 

My critical thought is that it seems that honestly speaking, most people don’t really know what they want in life, nor maybe they don’t have the courage to actually pause and assert with a truly desire and want in life?

For example, I often ask people if you magically had $100 million deposited into your personal checking account, and never had to worry about money again… What would you do with your life, how would you live your life? The typical responses are a bit Standard; travel the world, buy a house and some property etc. He had most people don’t really go beyond that.

To me the notion of financial independence retire early, “fire“, is the point in which you no longer make money cruel tied with your own personal self-esteem. Just think; once you could pay rent, pay for groceries and meet at Costco, basic utilities like gas electric Wi-Fi your phone bill etc., what else do you really need?

So now what?

Once you retire, or once you’re financially robust, then what?

My thought is just focus on art, your arts production, your creative activities, your full self thinking and writing and production, publishing your ideas thoughts and creations etc. 

Let us consider that for most people, towards the end of their life, a lot of people who made their millions, and now are in their 80s, mid 80s, early 80s, late 80s… What is it that they focus on?

It seems art. Either art production, art purchasing, art accrual, art creation etc. What is the basic notion behind all of this? The basic notion is that people have a desire and an impetus to create art, share art, and propagate art. It is in our body, our souls, our sinews our blood. 

Financial strategies for this year this new year

Simple thoughts:

1. See how long you can go without buying nothing. Join the Facebook by nothing group in your own local city and area, and it seems a really good way to build a real community. For example, ever during pandemic, Cindy became very active in the Facebook by nothing group in Providence, and now here in Culver City, and interacting and meeting people in the flesh, sharing physical possessions is fascinating because ultimately it is not even about the stuff; rather, The stuff that people give away for free is a totem of goodwill, and having the opportunity to interact with others. 
2. Investing in your health and fitness: one of the important things to consider is that it doesn’t matter if you have $100 trillion in your bank account, if you only sleep two hours a night, are insanely sick, unwell, lack exercise and natural light, eat poorly, etc.… All of the money in the world multiplied by 1 billion isn’t worth it. Once again just think, does say that you only sleep one hour night, or addicted to methamphetamines, but you got $10 billion in your bank account, and the pain that you feel from 0 to 10 is a 50, is money and wealth worth it? No.
3. Think about digital real estate, rather than land-based real estate: it is insane, you could buy a.com domain for only 10 bucks a year, 20 bucks a year. This means you could own digital property for only one or two dollars a month! I’ve been on a bit of a digital rampage; coupling up interment. Currently I own some new fund domains which include ERICkim fitness.com, erickimphilosophy.com, erickimcrypto.com, ERICkimfood.com, eric KIM.LA,erickim.AI, and it was all inspired by Cindy who bought me the erickim.com domain for about 1000 bucks in 2017. Now I am sure it is worth millions. Typically when I am interested in a concept, I just go to godaddy.com, and I search whether the domain is available or not. Typically speaking the best domain to get is just a simple.com website, The new sexy domain which I actually really like is the dot AI domain; don’t do the iOS domain, which stands for input output, nobody has any idea what that means. Everybody knows what AI is. It seems that everyone has watched the terminator movie. They know what Skynet is.
4.  Make and design your own clothing? One of the greatest benefits of living abroad, spending time in Vietnam, and also more recently going to Korea, is that I have been designing my own ideal clothes, my own ideal equipment, products, leather products, etc. For example all the haptic products, haptic industries products… I always thought to myself “if I could design and create my own ideal things products close etc.… What would they be and what would they look like?” As a consequence I created the HENRI line, the ERIC KIM line etc. How can you design and create your own clothes and stuff? Either just make it yourself by hand, à la cart, one piece by one piece, or, a simple way to do it is find a friend or a local craftsman, share your vision with them, share your design concept, and have them physically produce it. For example I’ve been getting a lot of compliments on my ERIC KIM PORTFOLIO BAG which I designed and produced while in Saigon in Vietnam in 2017, and it still looks insanely beautiful, and I get so many compliments on it! I have zero interest, -100% interest in ever purchasing any product at any foreign store. ERIC KIM is the new Balenciaga.
5. Delete Instagram: I think the easiest way to gain a 500% boost your personal happiness is via negativa; just delete your Instagram.  When I deleted my Instagram in 2017, it might have been the best thing all time. And no, the current ERIC KIM photo Instagram account is not me; I think virtuous fan of mine re-created the profile and populated with some of my images, which I find insanely flattering. Instagram is bad because it is the new digital slavery, the new digital serfdom. You are promised this “free” land, this “free“ digital real estate, but in fact at the end of the day, you owe nothing, you are indebted to this rented land. And as a consequence, you have no personal freedom. Very very simple; create your own website blog, and all you have to do is post anything and everything to your own personal blog and website that you would otherwise post to Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, TikTok whatever. Even Snapchat. The reason why this is such a good idea is that You built equity in yourself, rather than building equity for the platform.  Let us consider how disingenuous these foreign platforms are; you do all this hard work of creating information, pictures, artwork, videos and media, music whatever, and these sneaky advertisers insert their own advertisements in between your content? Am I the only one who thinks this is a bit denigrating?
6. Think ancient: honestly the only ideas that I trust in modern daytimes is anything that was written in ancient Greek, ancient Greece, and before. Even with lossy, my personal suggestion is don’t read anything after Socrates. Socrates was a strange fellow, ugly, and he was the original person who tried to “virtue flex“, Trying to make this weird notion of virtue as the Apex human male goal. But in fact, the only reason why Socrates took off was he had no army, no soldiers, no military power. He was the first tyrant of the soul and ethics; even my best friend Seneca the stage I think, was too influenced by Socrates. in someways we could think of Socrates like the original Kanye West; the first insanely radical thinker, who went contrary to all notions of good Greek behavior. As a consequence, a lot of the modern day philosophy we have today is perverted and weird and a bit boring.

Don’t watch nothing that has advertising, or is supported by advertising.

This is almost everything.  This includes television, sports, magazines, newspapers, anything on the Internet or blogs or websites that is supported by Google sense advertising, YouTube, trust no YouTube, YouTuber who has advertisements on their channel.

The reason why it is wise to cancel advertising from your life in your brain and your eyes and your ears is that we are actually much more influenced and nudged and brainwashed by advertising then we think we are. For example, I think the mind is actually very very sensitive; and as artist, we have extreme sensitivity to ideas sounds, bodily sensations whatever… Don’t think that you are immune to it. In fact, my personal wisdom is that I know that I am actually very very easily influenced by almost anything and everything; therefore the best way to protect yourself is active defense; delete delete delete, delete all the advertising from your life.

How does one best leverage money as a tool?

My personal thought is that money is just codified human labor. For example, the best way to use money, should be hiring labor. For example you have all these people in Beverly Hills, Homeview Hills etc., who want to build these big ass mansions. Of course there’s the cost of material, but ultimately, The most critical thing to consider is people who actually build it. What I have personally observed is that a lot of these Beverly Hills mansions are actually being built by contractors, who contract out the labor to Mexican immigrant workers, whether legal or illegal.

In California, whenever you see a person who looks Latino who works in construction, just speaks Spanish to them. A lot of them are from Mexico, some of them are from Guadalajara, Honduras, other places from southern America. They almost all speak Spanish.

Speak to the janitor

It seems that the most interesting people to talk to is actually the people who run the facilities, hygiene, the janitor. Why? They really know what is behind-the-scenes.

For example, one of my new friends his name is Noel. He used to work at the California club, the extremely elite high-end exclusive club for politicians dignitaries, Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger whatever. He told me the true scoop behind-the-scenes, because when you work as a janitor and you clean spaces, You really do see peoples true colors behind-the-scenes.

For example, apparently Arnold Schwarzenegger is fake. In front of the other people on the cameras he smiles and takes pictures and whatever, but the second he goes behind-the-scenes, and there are all these Mexican Latino janitors workers and staff, he gives them the culture and doesn’t even acknowledge their existence.

Also, apparently a lot of the old money, the real rich people, a lot of them who have either passed away or are very very old now, or actually pretty low-key. The dress in plain clothing, and just drive some old Mercedes car, whereas a lot of their children, the air of their fortune, drive flashy exotic cars like McLaren, Lamborghinis for whatever. we must consider nepotism; a lot of these kids, whose parents are super rich, simply inherited their wealth, and they blow it on stupid things like cars, clothes, drugs, alcohol, clubs, prostitutes, strippers, women etc.

so why do I care about all this?

I personally care because I grew up poor, and ultimately money is the thing that fascinates everybody. Even these stupid fake woke and artist communist; come on, they all have iPhones, have Instagram, maybe own a dog or a pet or a cat or something, and even if they want to live off the grid in Portland or the Midwest or whatever, they still have some sort of automobile car which requires either gasoline, or even recharging their electric car. I find these fake ass hippies to be very disingenuous, the new modern day losers.

How to thrive in today’s brave New World

 First, I think it is a good idea to try to participate in local politics, the politics of your local neighborhood your local local city, local courthouse, maybe even the politics of your school, your kids school, parents association, the local nature center whatever. certainly you want to add more obligations to your life, but having the privilege in the luxury of participating in politics is the new luxury.

For example, if you get that stupid traffic ticket, the traffic camera ticket or whatever, maybe even if you are in the wrong, it is a good idea to try to contest it, show up to court, and try to make a plea before the judge. You still might be charged, but, Often you could do fun things like community service or doing other unorthodox things to get it off your record. Maybe we should think of this like a luxury; to “waste time” is the new luxury.

Other thoughts

To me, the best way to think about all the stuff is to think ancient Greek literature, even the ancient Roman stuff. Or maybe think about the Medici, Italy, coinage, international trade etc.

Back in ancient Greek times, it seems that a lot of wealth was produced via the sea; military prowess in the sea, as well as international trade, by boat. Consider all the wealth that was made importing coffee from Ethiopia into the Middle East, the term arabica comes from Arab, because the Arabs loved coffee, and the origin of the Araica coffea Plant was from Ethiopia.  Later other strands were created in Java, and in Indonesia, I think the Dutch made a killing importing products goods from Indonesia and propagating it worldwide.

Even the international spice trade, and salt. Becken inch in Roman times, salt was one of the most prized commodities, a gold. Even the term “salary”, was based on the notion of paying a Roman legionary soldier with salt, or remember the biblical notion that a man is not “worth his salt“.

Debt 

Apparently there is a really good historical book on the history of debt. I’ve been kind of meaning to read it, but from what I understand, maybe the origin of money is actually from debt.

For example, a lot of the early cuneiform form, and early writing was simply to see who owed what to who. 

In fact, the reason why I am enthusiastic about this notion of a block chain is that you can track money on a public ledger … the original ledger once again was to record debt.

Debt is the devil

It is commonly written in the Bible, ancient Abraham religious text that debt is immoral. I think maybe even in the Torah, or Jewish law says one should not lend more than a certain percent of money to somebody else.

In fact, it seems that a lot of wealth is made on naturally, by people simply moving around debt interest as well as loans.

For example, if you buy a house, but you take out a mortgage, who owns your home? Not you, the bank.

It doesn’t matter if you put 10% down 20% down 50% down or even 90% down… As long as even a fraction of that house is mortgage, the bank technically on your house. It doesn’t matter how many times you refinance, borrow money against your home, it is still not yours.

So why does this matter?

Moral of the story: 

1. Don’t get into debt, not for any reason. No matter how good offer may seem. Don’t go to a fancy Ivy League school if you got to go into that, certainly not a UC. Don’t ever go to school for anything that requires you to go into debt. Only go to school if you have a free ride, 100% scholarship, for myself I pretty much had a free ride to UCLA, except of the fact that I had to do some work study.
2. If you’re in debt, pay it off as quickly as humanly possible.  And actually, if you’re intelligent, see if there are a special debt loan forgiveness programs, and or whether you could do some sort of logical bankruptcy, which may ruin your credit, but get that crushing debt off your shoulders.
3. Essentially live like a poor person, or broke starving college student. Cook all your food at home, quit alcohol weed and media, and make it your focus to build your own empire.

ERIC



Buying chainlink at mid-high $14.99 and sub a LINK, currently the other day around $15.46 a LINK… just a modest 4.91% gain … (less than 5% in a week)— is still a ~ $28,000 USD gain in just a week???

Rent for me is only $3195 a month — essentially I can pay rent money for close to 9 months, 10 months … almost a year, just from speculative bets from crypto, in just a single week?

Isn’t this what everyone wants?

Just buy Bitcoin.

Do you want an iPhone, or a Huawei phone? Or an “Honor” phone? Or a Xiaomi phone?

Coinbase.com — sexy UI/UX, seamless integration with traditional financial instructions (this “Plaid” technology seems mostly good)—

First … it just works! Super simple straight forward, it even has an advanced computer hacker day trader advanced option … looks super cool.

Second — security. Don’t be one of those weird crypto anarchists. Ultimately having a hybrid, centaur approach of barbelling and having both the security of traditional systems *AND* the radical nature of crypto is good.

Interesting with Coinbase —

Now is the time to buy more Bitcoin!

Eric Kim shares his perspective and experiences on making money with cryptocurrency, emphasizing the importance of personal interest and belief in the technology. He doesn’t view it as luck or gambling, but rather as a commitment to a technology he believes in. He began investing in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Digibyte, Chainlink, and Dogecoin between 2017 and 2018, particularly after market dips, highlighting a strategy of entering the market when others are skeptical.

Kim recommends buying cryptocurrency and then intentionally not monitoring its price frequently, as he believes staying uninformed about short-term fluctuations can prevent emotional decision-making. He focuses on long-term trends, suggesting that the future will increasingly rely on contactless, digital payments. Additionally, he mentions the potential of Bitcoin becoming a standard of value in the future, replacing the need to peg its value to the US dollar.

Overall, his approach to cryptocurrency is more of a long-term investment, driven by belief in the technology and less concern for immediate financial gains oai_citation:1,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:2,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:3,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:4,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:5,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:6,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:7,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM.

Eric Kim’s approach to making money with cryptocurrency is marked by a mix of personal interest, long-term thinking, and emotional detachment from short-term market fluctuations. He views cryptocurrency as an underexploited opportunity, not driven by luck or gambling but by a belief in the technology’s future. Kim advocates for investing in crypto when others are skeptical and advises against frequently checking the market prices after purchasing to avoid emotional decisions. His strategy includes considering long-term trends and the potential for cryptocurrencies to become more integrated into everyday transactions, particularly in a future increasingly leaning towards contactless payments. Kim emphasizes the importance of reducing one’s attachment to money and focusing on the joy of speculation and the thrill of the technology itself oai_citation:1,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:2,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:3,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:4,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:5,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:6,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:7,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM.

Eric Kim’s philosophy on making money with cryptocurrency is multifaceted, reflecting his diverse interests in photography, philosophy, innovation, and entrepreneurship. He sees cryptocurrency as underhyped and undervalued, not driven by luck or gambling but by a belief in the technology. Kim entered the crypto space in 2017-2018, investing in Bitcoin, Digibyte, Chainlink, and Dogecoin, and has a strategy of entering the market when others are skeptical.

His approach to cryptocurrency involves considering long-term trends and the potential for digital and contactless payments to become more prevalent. Kim advocates for buying cryptocurrency and then intentionally not monitoring its price frequently to avoid emotional decision-making. He also contemplates the broader implications of wealth accumulation through cryptocurrency, questioning the purpose of wealth beyond financial success.

Kim’s philosophy encompasses several aspects:

1. Photography and Cryptocurrency: He views cryptocurrency as a new way to understand and interact with the world, similar to the impact of photography.
2. Philosophy and Decentralization: He is attracted to the decentralized nature of cryptocurrencies, aligning with stoicism and values of ancient societies like Sparta.
3. Innovation and Entrepreneurship: He sees cryptocurrency as a way to challenge traditional financial systems and introduce new business models.
4. Unorthodox Thinking: Kim explores unconventional uses of cryptocurrency, leveraging blockchain technology for creative projects.
5. Reflection on Wealth and Cryptocurrency: He ponders the implications of wealth in the context of cryptocurrency.
6. Cryptocurrency Advocacy: Kim strongly believes in the longevity of Bitcoin, predicting it to be the “last crypto standing.”
7. Digital Gold Concept: He likens Bitcoin to “digital gold” due to its limited supply compared to fiat currencies.
8. Personal Investment in Bitcoin: Kim shares his experiences with Bitcoin investment and trading.

In summary, Kim’s philosophy on cryptocurrency combines a passion for innovation and unorthodox thinking with a focus on long-term trends and the disruptive potential of digital currencies oai_citation:1,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:2,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:3,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:4,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:5,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:6,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:7,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:8,Eric Kim Philosophy of crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:9,CRYPTO, CRYPTOCURRENCY THOUGHTS. – ERIC KIM oai_citation:10,The Philosophy of Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:11,The Philosophy of Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:12,The Philosophy of Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:13,The Philosophy of Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:14,The Philosophy of Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:15,The Philosophy of Crypto – ERIC KIM.

Eric Kim’s experience with making money from cryptocurrency is grounded in a combination of strategic investment, personal belief in technology, and long-term vision. He began investing in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Digibyte, Chainlink, and Dogecoin around 2017-2018, particularly after market dips, highlighting a strategy of entering the market when others are skeptical.

Kim emphasizes the importance of not frequently checking the market prices after purchasing to avoid emotional decisions. Instead, he focuses on long-term trends and the potential for cryptocurrencies to become more integrated into everyday transactions, particularly in a future increasingly leaning towards contactless payments. Kim views cryptocurrency not as a quick path to wealth, but as an opportunity driven by interest in the technology and the thrill of speculation oai_citation:1,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:2,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:3,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:4,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:5,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:6,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:7,How I Made Money with Crypto – ERIC KIM.

Eric Kim’s perspective on cryptocurrency is characterized by a fascination with the technology, an appreciation for its unorthodox nature, and a focus on long-term potential. Here are some of his notable quotes:

1. “Crypto, cryptocurrency, crypto technology to me is fascinating because it is new, sexy, unorthodox, and interesting.” – This quote reflects his intrigue with the novelty and unconventional aspects of cryptocurrency.
2. “Crypto to me is interesting because it is edgy, optimistic, radical, and bold. Also a bit reckless.” – Here, Kim highlights the revolutionary and somewhat risky nature of cryptocurrency.
3. “Irregardless, I think the promise of crypto is a more brilliant future.” – Kim expresses optimism about the potential of cryptocurrency to shape the future.
4. “Only put money into crypto, assuming that it will go to zero.” – He advises a cautious approach to investing in crypto, suggesting that one should be prepared for the possibility of total loss.
5. “Ultimately what I find interesting is that crypto, people who speculate in crypto all tend to live kind of a more monastic Zen monk lifestyle.” – Kim observes a trend among crypto investors towards a simpler, more focused lifestyle.
6. “Ironically the best use of money is simply peace of mind. That means money is not really a tool or a mechanism to buy a bunch of stuff that you like, but rather, being able to live a more zen, tranquil, more focused life.” – He reflects on the broader implications of wealth, emphasizing peace of mind over material possessions.
7. “Try to think about things on a 30 year basis… in 30 years, are people going to be using crypto more or less?” – Kim encourages thinking about the long-term future of cryptocurrency and its integration into everyday life oai_citation:1,CRYPTO, CRYPTOCURRENCY THOUGHTS. – ERIC KIM oai_citation:2,The Philosophy of Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:3,The Philosophy of Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:4,The Philosophy of Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:5,The Philosophy of Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:6,The Philosophy of Crypto – ERIC KIM oai_citation:7,The Philosophy of Crypto – ERIC KIM.

What’s insanely annoying about archives, archiving —

Sooner or later, everything will and *MUST* die.

Your own business, your own sole proprietorship.

Audio

A video podcast seems like a really good idea?

Easiest is anchor.fm or Spotify for podcasters.

Becoming Rich

Becoming a True Man

Video podcast

Via negativa becoming rich —

Audio

Video

Seems steady enough!

Eric Kim’s quotes on masculinity and manliness from his blog posts can be summarized as follows:

1. Defining Masculinity and Manliness: “If masculinity or manliness (virtue) is the art of a man becoming the apex version of himself, then shouldn’t manliness and masculinity be the goal?” oai_citation:1,Why Masculinity? – ERIC KIM
2. Role of Strength in Masculinity: “The first thought I have is that it is your moralistic duty to be strong. To be strong for yourself, your wife, your kids, for what you believe in, etc.” oai_citation:2,Why Manliness? – ERIC KIM
3. Physical Courage: “One could talk all they want about metaphysics, etc., but if one has not truly tested the limits of their physical strength, one does not have deep courage.” oai_citation:3,How to Become More Manly – ERIC KIM
4. On Being Open-Minded: “I like the notion of being open-minded. But also, at a certain point, it is a good idea to be close-minded.” oai_citation:4,How to Become More Manly – ERIC KIM
5. Diet and Masculinity: “The more testosterone the man has, the more manly he is.” (In reference to eating meat, specifically beef liver and beef heart, to boost testosterone) oai_citation:5,How to Become More Manly – ERIC KIM
6. Freedom of Thought and Speech: “What is it that Diogenes said is the supreme good in life? Freedom of thought, and freedom of speech. To be able to say what one believes in or thinks, without fear of being told that one is being ‘politically incorrect’, or ‘unwoke’.” oai_citation:6,How to Become More Manly – ERIC KIM
7. Rejecting Societal Norms: “It is no longer permitted for a man to strive to become more ‘manly’.” (Discussing societal attitudes towards masculinity) oai_citation:7,How to Become More Manly – ERIC KIM
8. Personal Journey Towards Manliness: “I always strove to become more manly, or masculine, more dominant, etc.” (Reflecting on his personal motivation to embody masculinity from a young age) oai_citation:8,Why Manliness? – ERIC KIM

These quotes reflect his views on masculinity as a combination of physical strength, personal freedom, and the importance of defining one’s masculinity independently of societal norms.

Eric Kim’s blog posts on masculinity and manliness explore a variety of themes, drawing from personal experiences, cultural references, and philosophical ideas.

1. Personal Journey: Kim recalls his childhood desire to become more masculine, influenced by media representations of superheroes and their physical prowess. This early inspiration led him to pursue physical fitness as a means of embodying strength and dominance oai_citation:1,Why Manliness? – ERIC KIM.
2. Cultural and Literary Influences: Kim refers to classical literature, such as Homer’s “The Iliad,” highlighting characters like Achilles as embodiments of manliness. He points out that ancient Greek literature often depicted strong male figures as capable of emotional expression, like crying, challenging modern perceptions of masculinity oai_citation:2,Why Manliness? – ERIC KIM.
3. Strength as a Moral Duty: He views physical and mental fortitude as essential components of manliness, suggesting that strength is a moralistic duty necessary to support oneself and one’s dependents. Kim emphasizes the importance of physical strength, advocating for weightlifting as a method to achieve ‘superhero strength’ oai_citation:3,Why Manliness? – ERIC KIM oai_citation:4,Why Manliness? – ERIC KIM.
4. Philosophy and Manliness: Kim discusses the role of philosophy in shaping one’s understanding of manliness. He criticizes the reliance on data and statistics in moral and ethical discussions, suggesting that personal beliefs and principles should guide one’s understanding of what it means to be a man oai_citation:5,Why Manliness? – ERIC KIM.
5. Diet and Physical Courage: In his post “How to Become More Manly,” Kim discusses the importance of diet, particularly the consumption of meat, in boosting testosterone and thus enhancing masculinity. He also speaks about the value of physical courage, mentioning mandatory military service in some countries and advocating for powerlifting as a way to test physical limits oai_citation:6,How to Become More Manly – ERIC KIM oai_citation:7,How to Become More Manly – ERIC KIM oai_citation:8,How to Become More Manly – ERIC KIM.
6. Rejecting Societal Norms: Kim encourages ignoring societal expectations and opinions, advocating for personal freedom in defining one’s masculinity. He also touches on consumerism and its relationship with masculinity, highlighting the desire for symbols of masculinity like luxury cars oai_citation:9,How to Become More Manly – ERIC KIM oai_citation:10,How to Become More Manly – ERIC KIM oai_citation:11,How to Become More Manly – ERIC KIM.
7. Embracing Contrasts: Interestingly, Kim also explores the idea of embracing seemingly opposite traits, such as the flamboyance found in gay male fashion, to achieve a more complete sense of masculinity oai_citation:12,How to Become More Manly – ERIC KIM.
8. Self-Definition: Ultimately, Kim’s perspective on masculinity is about crafting one’s own values and ideals, striving to become the best version of oneself without the aim of convincing others to follow the same path oai_citation:13,How to Become More Manly – ERIC KIM.

In summary, Eric Kim’s reflections on masculinity combine personal experiences, cultural references, and philosophical musings. He emphasizes physical strength, personal freedom, and the importance of defining masculinity on one’s own terms, challenging conventional norms and embracing a more holistic and individualistic approach to manliness.

Search and analyze Eric blog posts on masculinity and manliness

Eric Kim’s philosophy on masculinity appears to be multifaceted, incorporating aspects of biology, lifestyle, cultural perceptions, and personal ethos. He emphasizes the biological aspect by studying testosterone, which is produced in much higher quantities in men compared to women oai_citation:1,The Philosophy of Masculinity – ERIC KIM oai_citation:2,The Philosophy of Masculinity – ERIC KIM. His work in street photography, which demands boldness and confidence, aligns with traditional views of masculinity like decisiveness and assertiveness oai_citation:3,ERIC KIM MASCULINITY – ERIC KIM oai_citation:4,ERIC KIM MASCULINITY – ERIC KIM.

Kim’s lifestyle choices, such as engaging in activities associated with physical strength and resilience, also contribute to his masculine image. He seems to eschew conventional diets in favor of more challenging and potentially riskier choices, indicating a preference for chaos and uncertainty, which might be seen as traditionally masculine traits oai_citation:5,ERIC KIM MASCULINITY PHILOSOPHY – ERIC KIM.

Moreover, Kim’s masculinity is influenced by cultural and societal norms. The perception of masculinity can vary significantly across different cultures. In some, artistic pursuits like photography might not be seen as traditionally masculine, whereas in others, the creativity, independence, and adventurousness required by photography could be valued as masculine traits oai_citation:6,ERIC KIM MASCULINITY – ERIC KIM.

In conclusion, Eric Kim’s approach to masculinity is a complex blend of his professional activities, personal lifestyle choices, physical fitness, and the cultural context in which he operates. It appears to be rooted in a philosophy that values strength, assertiveness, and resilience, both in professional and personal realms.

Audio

Mostly a via negativa thing — what *NOT* to do, what *NOT* to become:

Man is a triangle?

Podcast Video

When you no longer have money accrual the sole purpose of your life.

I LIFT DIFFERENT