Yo, it’s Eric Kim, comin’ at you raw and real, straight from the streets with a Ricoh GR in one hand and a Bitcoin wallet in the other. You’re askin’ why I became a philosopher? Ha, that’s a wild ride, and I’m hyped to unpack it, especially after we’ve been vibin’ on charm, legends, and that cosmic Anaxagoras energy. I ain’t no toga-wearing, ivory-tower thinker—I’m a street philosopher, a meat-eating, sat-stacking, shutter-clicking truth-chaser who turned life into a lab for big ideas. Let’s dive into why I went from snapping photos to dropping maxims, Kim-style, with that unfiltered fire you know I bring. I’ll weave in our boy Anaxagoras for that extra universal kick.

Why I Became a Philosopher: The Eric Kim Gospel

I didn’t wake up one day like, “Yo, I’m gonna be Socrates with a camera.” Nah, philosophy found me—on the pavement, in the gym, through the blockchain. It’s not about dusty books or fancy degrees; it’s about wrestling with life’s chaos and coming out with truth you can live by. Here’s how I became a philosopher, step by gritty step, straight from the heart of a guy who’d rather shoot a candid than sit in a lecture hall.

1. The Streets Taught Me to Question Everything

It all started with street photography. I’d roam LA, Hanoi, Tokyo—camera slung low, eyes wide open. Every stranger was a puzzle: Why’s that dude laughing? What’s her story behind that scowl? The streets were my first philosophy class—no syllabus, just raw humanity. I’d snap a shot and wonder, “What’s the meaning behind this moment?” It wasn’t enough to capture life—I had to understand it. Like Anaxagoras staring at the stars, I saw the streets as a cosmic mix—every face, every vibe, a piece of the big question: Why are we here? I became a philosopher ‘cause I couldn’t stop asking.

• How It Went Down: I’d shoot a stranger, then journal what I felt—fear, joy, connection. One day I wrote, “Photography’s 80% courage.” Boom—that was philosophy, distilled from sweat and shutter clicks.
• Street Vibe: Anaxagoras said, “Everything in everything.” I saw that in every frame—love, pain, hustle, all mixed. Questioning it made me think deeper than the surface.

2. Bitcoin Blew My Mind Open

When I found Bitcoin, it wasn’t just about stacking sats—it was a freakin’ revelation. Here’s a system—decentralized, no suits, no lies—that says, “You don’t need a king to be free.” I dove into the rabbit hole, reading Satoshi’s white paper, vibin’ with @naval and @saylor on X. It hit me: money’s a story we tell, and fiat’s a bad one. Bitcoin’s truth? Math over trust. That’s when I started thinking like a philosopher, not just a HODLer. Why do we obey systems? What’s real power? I became a philosopher to chase those answers, not just for me, but for the world I wanna build.

• How It Went Down: I’d blog about BTC late at night, connecting dots—freedom, scarcity, trust. One post, “Buy Bitcoin, take photos, eat meat,” wasn’t just advice; it was my worldview. Philosophy in six words.
• Cosmic Kick: Anaxagoras’ Nous—the mind that moves chaos—felt like blockchain to me. A force ordering the mess of human greed. I had to think bigger.

3. Lifting Heavy Made Me Think Heavy

You know I’m about that carnivore life—pounds of beef, 1005-pound rack pulls, pure primal energy. But the gym wasn’t just for gains; it was my philosophy lab. Every rep was a question: Why push past pain? What’s strength for? I wrote, “Degenerate bodies, degenerate thoughts,” ‘cause I saw it—weak body, weak mind. Lifting taught me discipline, limits, life. I’d crush a deadlift, then blog about suffering as growth. That’s philosophy, yo—not theorizing, but living the answers. Anaxagoras would get it—body and mind ain’t separate; they’re the cosmos in sync.

• How It Went Down: Post-lift, I’d sit sweaty, scribbling ideas. One day: “Constraints breed creativity.” That came from squatting ‘til my legs screamed. Pain’s a teacher.
• Street Vibe: Anaxagoras said nothing’s created or destroyed—just rearranged. Lifting rearranged me—muscle, mind, soul. I philosophized to understand that alchemy.

4. I Got Sick of Noise and Craved Signal

The world’s loud—clickbait, ads, talking heads. I ditched email, skipped news, and built my own bubble: X, walks, meat, BTC. That’s when I got deep. I’d wander streets, no phone, just thoughts, asking, “What’s worth living for?” I wasn’t chasing likes or trends—I wanted truth. Blogging became my outlet—every post a stab at clarity. I’d write stuff like, “Don’t shoot for Instagram, shoot for your soul.” That’s philosophy—cutting through bullshit to find what’s real. I became a philosopher ‘cause I couldn’t stand lies, mine or anyone’s.

• How It Went Down: I’d walk an hour daily, no distractions, letting questions bubble up. One day: “What if happiness is just action?” That fueled a dozen posts. Thinking became my drug.
• Cosmic Kick: Anaxagoras ignored Athens’ chatter for the stars. I ignored the noise for signal—same vibe. Philosophy’s just chasing the eternal in the mess.

5. Teaching Turned My Questions into Fire

I didn’t just think—I shared. Blogging, workshops, e-books—I poured out everything: photo tips, BTC rants, life hacks. Why? ‘Cause teaching forces you to clarify. I’d tell newbies, “Best camera’s the one you got,” and realize I was preaching freedom, not gear. Every lesson was me wrestling with why—why create, why fight, why live? I’d read Anaxagoras (okay, maybe not, but vibe with me) and think, “This dude got exiled for truth—I’m just blogging mine.” I became a philosopher to give others the tools to ask their own big questions.

• How It Went Down: I wrote 300 posts a year, each one digging deeper. “Be a charming motherfucker” wasn’t just advice—it was my code for connection. Teaching made me sharper.
• Street Vibe: Anaxagoras said Nous moves all things. Sharing my ideas moved me—from a shooter to a thinker. Philosophy’s contagious like that.

6. Life Kept Punching, and I Kept Swinging

Real talk: life ain’t easy. I’ve been broke, doubted, stressed. But every hit—lost gigs, BTC crashes, bad days—made me ask, “What’s this teaching me?” I’d shoot through pain, lift through doubt, blog through chaos. Each scar was a lesson. I didn’t become a philosopher in a comfy chair—I did it in the trenches, asking, “Why keep going?” and answering, “’Cause I’m Eric Kim, and I don’t quit.” Anaxagoras got exiled and kept thinking; I got knocked down and kept creating. Same grind, different era.

• How It Went Down: After a rough day, I’d shoot ‘til I smiled, write ‘til I understood. One maxim—“I assume I can do anything”—came from hitting rock bottom and climbing out.
• Cosmic Kick: Anaxagoras saw change as illusion—life’s punches just rearrange the particles. I philosophized to make sense of my own rearrangements.

The Truth About Why I’m a Philosopher

I became a philosopher ‘cause I couldn’t not. The streets asked me why people hustle. Bitcoin asked me why we trust. Lifting asked me why we suffer. I didn’t just snap photos or stack sats—I chased the why behind it all. Every shot, every rep, every blog was me saying, “Life’s a puzzle, and I’m solving it my way.” Anaxagoras would probably smirk and say I’m stirring the cosmic Nous, finding order in the mess. I say it’s simpler: I philosophize ‘cause I’m alive, and living’s too big to not think hard.

I’m no sage—I’m a dude with a camera, a barbell, and a blockchain, asking questions louder than the noise. That’s my philosophy: live bold, think deep, love fierce.

Yo, you feelin’ this? Wanna get philosophical yourself—maybe question your own why through a camera, a lift, or a blog? I’ll sling you some Kim-style hacks to start. Or you vibin’ on something else—more street stories, BTC deep dives, or Anaxagoras remixes? Drop it, let’s keep the fire lit!