Life is not binary. you don’t need to buy one while not buying the other. You could buy both.

For example, the ridiculous argument over whether one should get an iPhone or an android phone. Actually, the best is to get both. Do you have two phones: one android and one Apple. The new Google VPN that works through android devices is a game changer. Therefore if you want maximal productivity from your mobile devices, maybe it is best to have one iPhone mini and one google pixel.

Also with cars, trying to figure out whether gas cars or electric cars are better. Maybe it’s best to have both. To have one Toyota car and one Tesla car. Maybe own a Tesla model 3 and a Toyota Prius.

Harnessing more than one philosophy

Maybe it’s best to not just be minimalist. In some context and domains, it is best to be maximalist. for example, I like aesthetics which are minimalist, but I like to write and blog a lot which is more maximalist.

Also with fitness, it seems that there is a sharp divide between powerlifters and bodybuilders. What if it were ideal to do both?

Analogue and digital

Everyone I know who shoots film also owns a digital camera. or when they’re shooting film, they will use their smart phone as a light meter. Isn’t this a hybrid model of both?

Black and white AND color

Maybe if you want to become more in photography, it is best to shoot both black and white and color. When black and white is more soothing, should black and white. When color is more suiting, shoot color. Maybe harnessing both aesthetics is the ultimate optionality.

Cash and credit

Sometimes easier to pay in cash, and other times faster to pay with your credit card. And maybe in the near future, you could add crypto to that.

Reading

Not just print books or not just e-books. Both. if you want to travel and pack light, just read books on your iPad iPhone or Kindle, and maybe when you’re at home you could just read print books.

Print and digital is the Future

Nowadays in school they give kids iPads, but yet they still want the kids to write longhand in paper notebooks. maybe the best education harness is both digital and analog print.

Harness both sides

Nietzsche figured this out, that if you want to become more good, you must also become more evil. you cannot have one without the other. Anti “one sidedness”. For example, you cannot have the light without the dark, and vice versa. If we think Star Wars, you cannot have the Darkside without the light side and vice versa.

Same goals in life, no pleasure without pain. No gratitude without suffering.

Financial matters

Maybe in this sense it is better to become a well paid professional and pursue artistic hobby on your side, then to pursue your art full-time. this way your artwork doesn’t get corrupted, because you make money from something else.

For example, maybe it’s best to become a lawyer by day, street photographer by night then to be a full-time wedding photographer.

What do birds do?

Something funny I read in Nasim Taleb’s book anti-fragile: it seems that birds do not practice monogamy. That is, they look for one bird to be the provider aka the accountant, and then they sleep with a rockstar bird on the side.

Or another words, don’t expect a porn star to become a good wife, or vice versa.

Don’t wear sneakers to church

Also with aesthetics and clothing, maybe you should let your every day self be very very casual, but on the weekends, or to special events, dress up extremely well.

With shoes, better to have insanely informal shoes (like flip flops) and have very formal dress shoes, than to just own one pair of shoes and wear to everything.

The barbell

Maybe for a nation or a society to stay healthy, there needs to be periods of peace AND war. You cannot have one without the other.

Those individuals who imagine perpetual peace is foolish.

One through the Nasim Taleb has regarding health: maybe some days you should be 100% vegan, and other days be 100% carnivore, than to always mix the two.

Video and stills

Maybe if you want to become a better photographer, you should also shoot video. And if you want to become a better videographer, you should also shoot still photos.

Harness both.

Some days attempt a one rep max, and other days go for max reps

Maybe for optimal strength and muscular size, some days go for the heaviest one rep max lift, and other days go for maximal reps.

Then the key is to alternate between both.

One boy, and one girl

There is a reason why mother nature has given us two eyes and two kidneys. Redundancy.

Maybe this is also the reason why it is a dream of every parent to have both one boy and one girl.

And maybe this is also an argument against just having one kid.

Video games and sports?

One of my good friends Brian Sparks has the best kid, Elliot. He was extremely active in soccer and also played well on the PlayStation. Maybe it is actually best for athletic kids to be nerdy, and nerdy kids to also be athletic.

Or why computer science students should lift weights, and why weightlifters should also study computer science.

Work hard, play hard.

Also when I was a undergraduate student at UCLA, it actually seemed that the most successful students were the ones who both worked hard and played hard. That is, to be extremely studious into work hard on their exams and essays, but also allow them selves to once in a while indulge in frenzied partying and bouts of drinking.

Sometimes harnessing the Apollonian, another times harnessing the Dionysian.

What makes interesting music or art?

This is why I find Kanye West so fascinating: maybe he is the Uber man of music. Harnessing both Christian music and rap music, and actually in a very interesting way.

Both wires and Bluetooth

Sometimes using my wired headphones are more convenient than using my Bluetooth AirPods. maybe every music lover should have both.

Or when on a plane, actually having wired headphones is more convenient than wireless ones. I actually miss my old wired Bose noise canceling headphones that ran on a triple-A battery. That is because if it ran out of charge, it is easier to buy a new battery or throw in the spare than to be stuck with headphones which weren’t fully charged before the flight.

Yoga and weightlifting

It was really interesting to me that LeBron James also does yoga to prevent injury. maybe if you want maximal fitness, to do both yoga and weightlifting is best. The mistake is that yogis typically don’t touch barbells, and weight lifters never strike a yoga pose.

Actually, when I started to do more yoga and yoga stretches, my one rep max for my deadlift and squat went way up. and I’m sure if yogis want to attempt greater poses, weightlifting will also help them.

Black and white

If we take this notion further, maybe even with clothes it is best to have an outfit that harnesses both black and white. For example, on black pants as a practical every day pant, but own white pants when you go out and want to look fancy.

also if you own two cars, maybe it is best to have one that is black and one that is white. We all know that white cars are superior to buy cars in terms of practicality and keeping it clean, but when a black car is nicely washed and polished, it looks superior to the white car. Then maybe take the Black car for the night out, and have the white car as your daily driver.

More thoughts on cars

Maybe as your daily driver, best to have a very practical commuter car, like a Toyota Prius and on the side have a hyper car. By all means never buy a “sports sedan“ or a “hot hatch” (like a Volkswagen GTI). These type of cars are compromises.

Have your daily driver be the maximum reliable car, and have your weekend warrior to be the most impractical two-seater sports car.

Or another words, have both a Toyota Prius and a Lamborghini.

Almost all street photographers I know own both a Leica M rangefinder and Ricoh GR

Every street photographer I know who owns a Leica M camera also owns a Ricoh GR digital camera.

The Leica M camera as the ideal traveler street photography camera, and the Ricoh GR three as the ideal every day camera.

Slow food and fast food

When you’re in a hurry or a pinch, best to get it in and out, and when you’re cooking at home take your sweet sweet time.

Both write and do video

The best combination is to be both a blogger and a Vlogger. It seems that my success rests on the fact that I both write in my blog, and make YouTube videos and vlogs.

Video and Vlog is good because you could show your face. People seem to trust videos more than they do writing. But for very very in-depth things, writing is best.