-
When people seem to universally praise or like a certain design, it is a bad design.
Great design disdains to please.
-
Money as a means to your ultimate goal
The goal isn’t to just make a bunch of money, the goal rather is to think of your grandiose lofty end goal, and money simply as a means to it.
For example, I think Elon Musk could care less about money or his net worth. He is simply interested in getting humans to Mars. Money is simply a means.
Perhaps this is where a Kanye West , a Jay Z, etc. or not good role models. Why? They care too much about money.
Also, another great entrepreneur who is a good role model is Jeff Bezos. Why? I don’t think Jeff really cares about money, for a long time, even as a multimillionaire, he still drove an old Honda accord to work. Also his culture of ruthless cost-cutting. He doesn’t care for money, he cares to build something great, maybe also he loves the notion of space.
-
Electric Cars are Tethered
Less freedom.
Even though aesthetically I hate gasoline, still seems that if you desire a life of maximum freedom, electric cars are not the way. With electric cars, you’re either tethered to your home or the electric charging network.
-
Untethered
I hate being tethered. I want to become untethered.
-
What happens once you’re over it all?
You’re less distracted and more focused on what truly matters to you.
-
I WANT IT EVEN FASTER!
Extra small JPEG — soooo much faster transfer speeds!
-
There is no “proper“ way to do things.
Just do things “your way“.
-
BECOME GODLIKE.
Demigod goals.
-
I Love Migos
Why do people hate on Migos so much? I think they are just jealous that they became so successful.
Also when the first Culture album came out, it was so insanely innovative.
The music is simply good. It puts you in a new mood, and a good mood.
-
Interview Yourself
Self interview is the best interview.
-
How to become more interesting
Say more of what is on your mind, and don’t censor yourself.
Do not regurgitate the news or talk about other people. Best to talk about yourself and your own thoughts.
-
Social Confidence
The number one thing I want to teach my son Seneca.
-
The heaviest shall lose
For example, how is it that an iPhone 14 Plus is actually lighter than a normal size iPhone 14 Pro? 206grams (iPhone 14 Pro) vs 203 grams (iPhone 14 Plus).
Better yet, the normal iPhone 14 is far lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro. 172 grams on the iPhone 14 normal, and 206 grams on the iPhone 14 Pro.
-
How to Build a Zen Mind
I believe that the best mind, or mindstate is a zen mind. But how do we do it? Some thoughts:
Real monks drink coffee and green tea
One of my very positive experiences being in Hadong South Korea was meeting this secular Zen monk, who is Korean. He told me that he drinks coffee and green tea. Also he has a smartphone, and a car. He isn’t a pretentious “woke†monk, and also not part of a monastery. He is almost like a monk entrepreneur, who teaches meditation to local folks.
What does it mean to meditate?
To meditate literally means to think (meditor). Then why is it that when we westerners think about meditation, we assume that one has to sit lotus pose, close your eyes, and do weird chanting?
Med— to measure, to give advice, to heal. The word meditate is also probably the same “med†as medicine.
I believe in the concept of meditation from a purely secular perspective. That, through activity and movement, walking and being on our legs, we think and meditate the best. And what is the point of meditation? I think it is to gain a deeper understanding of things.
What is enlightenment anyways? Enlightenment is simply gaining more insight of yourself and your life purpose and direction. Meditation isn’t a state in which you turn golden, and levitate off the floor. Enlightenment should be seen as a purely intellectual one, gaining enlightenment is just gaining self-confidence. Enlightenment from a purely etymological perspective means turning on the lights. That before, you didn’t think as critically and just followed the motions, and once you became enlightened, you gained a greater self-confidence in your life.
Philosopher?
Isn’t it funny that when we think of monks, or Buddhist people, we don’t think of them as philosophers?
Similarly speaking, why don’t we ever think of Jesus as a philosopher?
Is it possible to be a modern day philosopher?
Of course! All children are born philosophers, because they desire to seek a greater wisdom and understanding of things. Anybody who likes to ask the question “why“ is a philosopher.
And no, you do not need to study philosophy in school or get a philosophy degree. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever had an interesting conversation with somebody who formally studied philosophy, much worse got his or her PhD in philosophy. Even worse, philosophy professors tend to be bizarre people.
Why think philosophically?
First of all, I think it makes life better, and also more efficient. For example, the two most expensive things that a person will ever spend in their life includes either buying a home, and or buying a car. A philosopher is interesting, because they will think to themselves:
Should I buy a home? Why buy a home? What are the real upsides and downsides of owning a home?
With cars,
Do I even need a car in the first place? And will buying an exotic car actually make me more sexy and interesting?
After much contemplation on my end, I positively do not desire homeownership, and I do not even wish homeownership upon my worst enemy. Why? Millions upon millions of headaches, and hateful trips to Home Depot.
With cars, honestly they all suck. A Tesla car probably sucks the least, but even now, I don’t desire a Tesla. In fact, I do not desire to own any car. Why? If you own a car, your car owns you. Even if somebody offered to gift me a Lamborghini Aventador with this scissor doors for free, the intelligent thing is to not accept it. Why? The stress and expense of maintaining it, and also, the paranoia of just owning it. For example, would you drive a Lamborghini in the hood? No. The real risk that somebody might rob you at gunpoint point, or it could even get you killed.
If for some reason I wanted the worlds best car, it would probably be some sort of high-end Hyundai Genesis, as nobody has any idea what it is, or cares. Yet the interior design and comfort is unparalleled.
Even a funny idea I had, maybe the best luxury car would be a Rolls-Royce, which didn’t look like a Rolls-Royce on the outside. That you spent money to get rid of the Rolls-Royce spirit of ecstasy hood emblem, and also got rid of all the Rolls-Royce badging. A Rolls-Royce sleeper, that maybe looked more like a Chrysler on the outside, but was a Rolls-Royce on the inside.
Practical thoughts
To achieve and gain as in mind is all via negativa or, getting rid of things.
For example, don’t use email, don’t have email or any social media apps or YouTube installed on your phone, no social media, no podcast, and be very very very selective on reading books. Even reading too much books is bad.
Also, health and strength. To be able to sleep 8 to 12 hours a night, and also have great muscular strength. Weightlifting at the gym.
Disable all the notifications on your phone. Only enable FaceTime, so if your wife really needs to contact you, she could just FaceTime you.
Also, no text messaging. If you really just want to chat with a friend, just FaceTime them instead.
The true zen mind would just be not be owning a phone. I didn’t own a phone for almost 2 years when I lived in Vietnam, and it was the most sublime mindset I have ever had in my life. But now that I got a kid, and emergencies could happen, I try to use my iPhone SE as little as humanly possible, and even when I go out to the park and play with Seneca, I just lock it in the glove compartment when I leave, because I know that I will easily get distracted.
Use Google products to a minimum
I am very anti-Google Chrome. I don’t have it installed on any of my devices, I just use Safari instead.
Why? The ultimate killer of your mind and focus is advertisements and advertising. Let us not forget that Google is an advertising company, and makes 99% of her profits through Google search, and advertising.
For example, Android. I am certain that the low-key plan of Android is to simply find more intelligent ways to deliver more relevant advertisements to you. For example when I was testing the Google Pixel, I cannot get rid of the Google search bar on the phone. Why? What Google wants you to do is to just google everything, and in between your searches, deliver you relevant advertisements.
Even nowadays, I have been trying to use Apple Maps over Google maps. Why? Google maps now has all of these distracting advertisements in it, which distracts me. While Apple Maps is the inferior service, at least it doesn’t have advertisements in it.
Even a philosophical thought, if you have the option of an inferior experience with no advertisements, or a superior experience with advertisements, choose the inferior option with no advertisements. This is superior for your zen mind.
Once again, I believe that all advertisements are bad for your mind. The more advertising you are subjected to, the less zen your mind.
A big culprit nowadays is magazines, and newspapers. I hate magazines, because 90% of it is just advertisements.
Also as a rule, do not trust any media source which is supported by advertising. That includes the TV news, YouTube, podcast, etc. Why? If a person or an agency or a media platform is supported by advertising, it is not in their best interest to tell you honest relevant things, as what you desire to do is to maximize your eyeball watching time, which shifts the news towards things which are more sensational.
Intermittent fasting
Also, a massively beneficial thing to think better is intermittent fasting, which means don’t eat breakfast or lunch, only dinner. In fact, it seems like a good rule to only eat food after Seneca has gone to sleep.
Why is intermittent fasting good for having a zen mind? The reason is once you eat something during the day, the insulin signaling and hormonal changes which happen, which often lead to food coma.
Just as an experiment, when it is lunchtime, eat all of the pasta and bread that you can for lunch, and see how sleepy you get after.
If you want a permanently elevated mind throughout the day, just drink a lot of water, black coffee, and green tea. First thing in the morning I like having many espressos, and powdered matcha green tea. And as the day progresses, maybe a few espresso‘s here and there, some more water, and some more bagged green tea.
What is the end?
The end of having a zen mind is to have more Zen and focus and calm, an elevated calm and insouciance about things, in order to live a happier, stronger, and more focused and productive life.
ERIC
Think more zen
If you want the Zen photography experience of a lifetime, register intent for my first ever HADONG South Korea Zen photography retreat, June 19-23rd, 2023 (Monday to Friday).
Zen Resources
- Zen articles
- Minimalism articles
Zen Vlogs
Zen photography book
Zen Tools
- iPad Pro (small size)
- Ricoh GR IIIX
- GOPRO HERO — shoot 24FPS 1080p.
Share the zen thoughts
If you have a friend who is passionate about Zen or minimalism, feel free to forward this to them!
ERIC
Zen thoughts
- You never step into the same river twice — Heraclitus
- “Even a hair casts its own shadowâ€â€” (this means, even the smallest detail is significant) — Publilius Syrus
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Do what is simplest and easiest for you.
Towards a more “selfish†workflow.
-
Sublime Design
This is what I love, and my passion. And this is what I strive toward; sublime design. For me to design things which are sublime, and also to use discover and innovate and re-innovate sublime designs.
-
The more stuff to charge, the worse.
A pragmatic reason to NOT get any more Apple products or devices, irregardless of how rich you are.
-
Car as a Toy
The best car toy — Tesla. The best bang for the buck a base level Model 3
-
Harness and Channel the Disoptimal VLOG
Things won’t and cannot be optimal. Certainly there are times in which things are more optimal than less. However, in spite of all of it, just do the thing you love.
For example, having kids. When is the optimal time to have kids? Never. And maybe as a rule of thumb, if you and your wife want to have kids, the best is to just start trying before you think you’re ready. Or, if you think you’re 80% ready enough to have a kid, just have a kid.
-
How to Build a Zen Mind
I believe that the best mind, or mindstate is a zen mind. But how do we do it? Some thoughts:
Real monks drink coffee and green tea
One of my very positive experiences being in Hadong South Korea was meeting this secular Zen monk, who is Korean. He told me that he drinks coffee and green tea. Also he has a smartphone, and a car. He isn’t a pretentious “woke†monk, and also not part of a monastery. He is almost like a monk entrepreneur, who teaches meditation to local folks.
What does it mean to meditate?
To meditate literally means to think (meditor). Then why is it that when we westerners think about meditation, we assume that one has to sit lotus pose, close your eyes, and do weird chanting?
Med— to measure, to give advice, to heal. The word meditate is also probably the same “med†as medicine.
I believe in the concept of meditation from a purely secular perspective. That, through activity and movement, walking and being on our legs, we think and meditate the best. And what is the point of meditation? I think it is to gain a deeper understanding of things.
What is enlightenment anyways? Enlightenment is simply gaining more insight of yourself and your life purpose and direction. Meditation isn’t a state in which you turn golden, and levitate off the floor. Enlightenment should be seen as a purely intellectual one, gaining enlightenment is just gaining self-confidence. Enlightenment from a purely etymological perspective means turning on the lights. That before, you didn’t think as critically and just followed the motions, and once you became enlightened, you gained a greater self-confidence in your life.
Philosopher?
Isn’t it funny that when we think of monks, or Buddhist people, we don’t think of them as philosophers?
Similarly speaking, why don’t we ever think of Jesus as a philosopher?
Is it possible to be a modern day philosopher?
Of course! All children are born philosophers, because they desire to seek a greater wisdom and understanding of things. Anybody who likes to ask the question “why“ is a philosopher.
And no, you do not need to study philosophy in school or get a philosophy degree. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever had an interesting conversation with somebody who formally studied philosophy, much worse got his or her PhD in philosophy. Even worse, philosophy professors tend to be bizarre people.
Why think philosophically?
First of all, I think it makes life better, and also more efficient. For example, the two most expensive things that a person will ever spend in their life includes either buying a home, and or buying a car. A philosopher is interesting, because they will think to themselves:
Should I buy a home? Why buy a home? What are the real upsides and downsides of owning a home?
With cars,
Do I even need a car in the first place? And will buying an exotic car actually make me more sexy and interesting?
After much contemplation on my end, I positively do not desire homeownership, and I do not even wish homeownership upon my worst enemy. Why? Millions upon millions of headaches, and hateful trips to Home Depot.
With cars, honestly they all suck. A Tesla car probably sucks the least, but even now, I don’t desire a Tesla. In fact, I do not desire to own any car. Why? If you own a car, your car owns you. Even if somebody offered to gift me a Lamborghini Aventador with this scissor doors for free, the intelligent thing is to not accept it. Why? The stress and expense of maintaining it, and also, the paranoia of just owning it. For example, would you drive a Lamborghini in the hood? No. The real risk that somebody might rob you at gunpoint point, or it could even get you killed.
If for some reason I wanted the worlds best car, it would probably be some sort of high-end Hyundai Genesis, as nobody has any idea what it is, or cares. Yet the interior design and comfort is unparalleled.
Even a funny idea I had, maybe the best luxury car would be a Rolls-Royce, which didn’t look like a Rolls-Royce on the outside. That you spent money to get rid of the Rolls-Royce spirit of ecstasy hood emblem, and also got rid of all the Rolls-Royce badging. A Rolls-Royce sleeper, that maybe looked more like a Chrysler on the outside, but was a Rolls-Royce on the inside.
Practical thoughts
To achieve and gain as in mind is all via negativa or, getting rid of things.
For example, don’t use email, don’t have email or any social media apps or YouTube installed on your phone, no social media, no podcast, and be very very very selective on reading books. Even reading too much books is bad.
Also, health and strength. To be able to sleep 8 to 12 hours a night, and also have great muscular strength. Weightlifting at the gym.
Disable all the notifications on your phone. Only enable FaceTime, so if your wife really needs to contact you, she could just FaceTime you.
Also, no text messaging. If you really just want to chat with a friend, just FaceTime them instead.
The true zen mind would just be not be owning a phone. I didn’t own a phone for almost 2 years when I lived in Vietnam, and it was the most sublime mindset I have ever had in my life. But now that I got a kid, and emergencies could happen, I try to use my iPhone SE as little as humanly possible, and even when I go out to the park and play with Seneca, I just lock it in the glove compartment when I leave, because I know that I will easily get distracted.
Use Google products to a minimum
I am very anti-Google Chrome. I don’t have it installed on any of my devices, I just use Safari instead.
Why? The ultimate killer of your mind and focus is advertisements and advertising. Let us not forget that Google is an advertising company, and makes 99% of her profits through Google search, and advertising.
For example, Android. I am certain that the low-key plan of Android is to simply find more intelligent ways to deliver more relevant advertisements to you. For example when I was testing the Google Pixel, I cannot get rid of the Google search bar on the phone. Why? What Google wants you to do is to just google everything, and in between your searches, deliver you relevant advertisements.
Even nowadays, I have been trying to use Apple Maps over Google maps. Why? Google maps now has all of these distracting advertisements in it, which distracts me. While Apple Maps is the inferior service, at least it doesn’t have advertisements in it.
Even a philosophical thought, if you have the option of an inferior experience with no advertisements, or a superior experience with advertisements, choose the inferior option with no advertisements. This is superior for your zen mind.
Once again, I believe that all advertisements are bad for your mind. The more advertising you are subjected to, the less zen your mind.
A big culprit nowadays is magazines, and newspapers. I hate magazines, because 90% of it is just advertisements.
Also as a rule, do not trust any media source which is supported by advertising. That includes the TV news, YouTube, podcast, etc. Why? If a person or an agency or a media platform is supported by advertising, it is not in their best interest to tell you honest relevant things, as what you desire to do is to maximize your eyeball watching time, which shifts the news towards things which are more sensational.
Intermittent fasting
-
Why don’t we ever think of Jesus as a philosopher?
Jesus — a true badass. Why don’t we ever think of Jesus as a philosopher, whose life teachings and actions was in accordance with his philosophy and beliefs?
PHILOSOPHY BY KIM
Essays by KIM
- To Become Greater, You Must Become *LESS* Productive!
- Imperfect Beauty
- The Philosophy of Pleasure
- What Interests You?
- Anti Theory of Everything
- Become?
- STRONGER OR NOT?
- Carte Blanche Ideals
- CHOOSE JOY
- Don’t Judge Your Impulses
- On Becoming Less Human
- COWARDICE.
- The Philosophy of Futurism
- PHILOSOPHY IS VALUE-SETTING
- PHILOSOPHY IS NOT LIFESTYLE
- WHY STANDARDIZATION IS BAD.
- YOUR OWN TABLE OF VALUES.
- RETRO IS BAD.
- INSANELY LOFTY THOUGHTS.
- Strive to *Lose* Weight, Not *Gain* Weight
- DIABLO II ANALOGIES FOR REAL LIFE.
- If You Know Your *WHY* You Can Discover Any *HOW*
- Life is Too Short to Be Miserable
- What Consumption Takes Skill?
- OFF THE GRID.
- REALITY IS CRUEL.
- Pain is Information
- WHY REMOVE VULGARITY AND DISORDER FROM OUR EYES?
- AUTOTELIC.
- UNPLUG.
- How to Become a Philosopher
- SUBOPTIMAL IS OPTIMAL
- THE LUST FOR MORE.
- TO DO IS TO BECOME.
- IN PRAISE OF AGGRESSIVE.
- THE PHILOSOPHY OF OPTIMISM
- OUR PHILOSOPHICAL WILL TO EXISTENCE
- Is Hope a Vice?
- MOVE MEAN
- Carte Blanche Ideals
- One Interesting Thought
- What Lasts? What Doesn’t Last?
- A WOUND STIMULATES THE RECUPERATIVE POWERS
- Children & Purpose
- Thoughts on Becoming a Parent
- Where Does Our Desire to Upgrade Come From?
- WE ALWAYS NEED SOMETHING FURTHER TO ASPIRE TO.
- Self-Task Yourself an Awesome Mission in Life
- Differentiation vs Equalization
- My Passion to *Become* Something More
- No Aesthetic or Ethos is Forever
- What is Your Higher Purpose in Life?
- IT WILL NEVER SATISFY YOU.
- How to Decide
- Things You *Want* to Do vs Things You *MUST* Do
- Towards a More Beautiful Mode of Existence and Future
- EXTREME GRATITUDE.
- AMAP (As Much as Possible) or None.
- Why or How Does it Matter?
- The Philosophy of Time and Events
- How *Not* to Resent
- FORWARD LOOKING
- DOMAIN FLEXIBILITY.
- The Miracle of Human Growth
- EXTREME ADAPTATION.
- Why Plan?
- You Don’t Need to Justify Yourself
- The Philosophy of Ego
- True vs False Passions
- How to Achieve Tranquility
- On Making Your Own Philosophy
- The Purpose of Life is to Create New Life
- Think On!
- The Wisdom of Doing Nothing
- Congruency
- My Thoughts on Meditation
- The Philosophy of Purpose
- Emulate Yourself
- Good Fear, Bad Fear
- For the Betterment of Humanity or Just Yourself?
- What you *really* believe in and care for is manifested through your actions (or non-actions)
- Why Culture is Your Enemy
- YOUR EXPERIENCES ARE KING.
- LIFE IS INHERENTLY GOOD.
- Artistic, Physical, and Philosophical Muscles
- All New Experiences are Good Experiences
- What is the Purpose of X?
- UTILITY.
- Philosophy is a Luxury
- The Attempt is More Interesting than the Result
- Joyfulness vs “Happinessâ€
- Effectiveness Over Happiness
- Self Actualization
- MAXIMAL ENGAGEMENT
- Life & Pain
- On Living Every Day with No Regret
- Learn as if you’re going to live forever, live as if you’re going to die tomorrow
- Live Every Day Like it Were the Last Day of Your Life
- Self-Determination
- FALSE GRATITUDE vs REAL GRATITUDE
- HOW TO LIVE MORE
- THE UPSIDE OF TRAGEDY
- Satisfaction is a Sucker’s Game
- Supreme Repose
- WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LIFE? According to ERIC KIM
- STUBBORN, FLEXIBLE
- EVERYTHING HAPPENS AS IT *SHOULD* HAVE HAD HAPPENED
- Good Addiction, Bad Addiction?
- What is the Best Life?
- The Philosophy of Thinking
- The Philosophy of Conspiracies
- Conspiracies
- Growth
- Skepticism.
- What Do You Really Want Out of Life?
- Seem or Be?
- Learn Through Pain
- Respect Yourself
- In Praise of Elitism
- Why Independent Thinking?
- I Will Never Die
- Bitter is Better
- The Genesis of Nihilism and Existential Dread
- The Ethics of Personal Enrichment
- Good vs Not Good
- Punished by Privilege
- Abstinence Over Moderation
- Just Leave Others Alone
- You Can Only Critique that Which You Truly Understand and Love
- ERIC KIM Critique of Metaphysics
- Only Trust Philosophers Who Deadlift
- Heuristic: If Someone Talks Shit About Others Behind Their Back, Most Likely They’re Also Talking Shit About You Behind Your Back
- Virtue is a Privilege
- What Are Your Life Goals?
- Honesty
- Why I’m Anti Moderation
- No Spite, No Malice.
- Ascending Life or Descending Life?
- Double Edged Sword
- Ignorance.
- Why I Don’t Trust “Nice Guysâ€
- Why You Must Share Your Opinion
- Selfish Isn’t Evil
- Wisdom is the Goal
- YOU ARE KING.
- MASTER YOURSELF
- What is “Good” for You is Often what is Bad for You
- Care.
- BITTERSWEET
- ONE REP MAX
- Morality and Ethics is the Snare
- BY HELPING YOURSELF, YOU BEST HELP OTHERS
- Insanity is Good.
- Think Deep.
- PHILOSOPHY IS THE FUTURE.
- Open Mind vs Closed Mind
- ENTHUSIASM IS GENIUS
- Towards a More Critical and Rigorous Line of Thinking
- How to Encourage and a Foster Independent and Free Thinking
- What is the Purpose of Life?
- WHY PHILOSOPHY IS SUPREME.
- Elitism.
- I Cannot Form an Opinion About Somebody Until I’ve Met Them in the Flesh
- ALL GENETICS ARE GOOD GENETICS.
- Happiness vs Freedom
- The Birth of a Hater
- My Way Isn’t the Right Way
- Walking as an Existential Thing
- Why I’m So Tolerant
- Mortal Gods
- THE HUMAN SPECIES
- Why I’m So Skeptical
- Just Follow the Money
- Why Selfish?
- WHY WE CANNOT BLAME OTHERS
- Why Are We So Anti Elitism?
- What Actually Interests You?
- How to Become Yourself
- SELF HATE
- Optimistic Fatalism
- Death is the Ultimate Creative Constraint
- FLUX.
- How to Think for Yourself
- FLESH
- How to Live the Best Life
- Why Live a Life Without Regrets?
- Why Plato Ruined Art and Aesthetics for Us
- Self Respect
- Hypocrite vs Contradict
- Ideals vs Reality
- Spaceship Philosophy
- What is Your Ideal Life?
- MY EXTREME GRATITUDE TOWARDS LIFE AND BEING ALIVE!
- Critique of Utilitarianism
- Don’t Treat Others the Way You Want to Be Treated
- The Eternal Recurrence of Tragedy and Joy in Life
- Elite Asceticism
- Why I Don’t Like Numbers
- Action and Reaction, Cause and Effect
- The Antidote to Nihilism: The Philosophy of Nothingness
- ERIC KIM Notes on Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
- EXPLOIT CHAOS.
- WHY I DON’T BELIEVE IN GENETICS
- Self-Wisdom
- The Future Belongs to the Fearless
- INDIVIDUALISM
- Why Live Forever?
- THIS TOO WILL PASS.
- Why Education?
- How to Become Yourself
- Things Shouldn’t Go Back to the Way They Used to Be
- Why Am I So Cruel?
- The Great Joy of Existence
- Virtue for the Sake of Virtue
- NO DISDAIN.
- INTELLIGENT IGNORANCE
- A LIFE WITHOUT PAIN, DIFFICULTY OR TRAGEDY ISN’T A LIFE WORTH LIVING
- BITTER IS BETTER.
- EXPLOIT THE BEST FROM TRAGEDY AND LIFE
- DISREGARD FOR SELF-PRESERVATION
- PAIN.
- WHAT IF EVERYTHING IS NOT GONNA BE ALRIGHT?
- Tomorrow is Never
- Life is the Ultimate Creative Constraint
- EMBODIED REALITY
- BLACK SWAN
- THINGS WILL NEVER GO BACK TO THE WAY THEY USED TO BE
- What are you *really* afraid of?
- HAPPINESS ISN’T THE GOAL
- Philosophy is King
- Why is Selfish Evil?
- YOU’RE CONSTANTLY IN A STATE OF BECOMING
- ENTITLEMENT A SIN?
- NARCISSISM
- BE BRUTALLY HONEST WITH YOURSELF
- WHY FREE WILL?
- OBEY YOUR OPINION
- EGO IS GOOD.
- WHY IT IS GOOD TO BE INTO YOURSELF
- Seek the Good Pain
- Anti-Perfection in Photography, Art, and Life
- Can You Become an End into Yourself?
- WHY I LIVE
- Why I Hate Decline
- Why I Eat
- Why am I So Positive and Optimistic?
- EFFORT IS ENJOYMENT
- Never Stop Gaining
- TRUST YOURSELF
- A Life of Maximal Personal Independence
- What Do You Desire to Become?
- What Do I Want from Technology?
- Stratified Society
- Do You Love or Hate Reality?
- On the Brian, Body and Mind
- I’m Maximally Happy, Now What?
- Care over Fame
- ACTIVE NIHILISM
- Never Stop Subtracting
- How to Live a Happier and More Epic Life
- A Risker Life is a Better Life
- Only Work on Things You Can Imagine Doing for Eternity
- How to Maximize Your Happiness
- Influence
- The Gladiator Makes His Plans once He Enters the Ring
- Meditations on Meaning in Life
- There is Nothing More Interesting than Human Beings
- Is Hope a Vice?
- EGO
- Why Be Unique?
- Happiness is Metabolism Health and Strength
- You’re the Hero
- Is Productivity a Virtue or Vice?
- Why Do We Prize the Rare?
- The Joy of Uncertainty
- How Should I Best Use My Time and Life?
- A Life Without Pain or Suffering Isn’t a Life Worth Living
- Free or Unfree?
- What Do You Really Care For in Life?
- Anti-Satisfaction in Life
- Why Think?
- The Eternal Return
- Only Do What is Best for You!
- Truthiness
- Why Be Happy?
- Permissionless Living
- In Praise of Unconventional Wisdom
- Become the Change Which You Wish to See in the World
- Happiness
- Beyond Freedom
- Idolize People, Not Stuff
- What Makes You Stronger? What Makes You Weaker?
- Why Hate?
- The Secret of Happiness
- You’re Constantly in a State of Becoming
- Life is about Choices, Not Obligations
- Anti-Nihilism
- First, Do What is Best for You.
- Live Dynamic
- How to Prosper
- Is the Point of Life to Be Satisfied?
- SUPREME EFFORT OF WILL.
- How to Become more Idealistic
- Thrivival 101
- Create Yourself
- Non-Small
- Inspiration
- How to Live a Heroic Life: Dare the Heights!
- Human Augmentation
- Prune
- Happiness: Do What You Want to Do (And Don’t Do What You Don’t Want to Do)
- Avoid Vain (Empty) Pursuits in Life
- Modern Slavery
- Kill the Leeches
- Wisdom Augmentation
- Why We Need Friction in Life
- Straight Line Philosophy
- What’s Your End-Game in Life?
- Create Your Own Happiness Today
- Desire Both Pain and Pleasure in Life
- Try the Impossible
- SELF-RESPECT
- Anti-Social Extrovert
- Never Blame Anybody But Yourself
- Human Flourishing
- Simpler, Not Better.
- How to be Free
- Embrace the Extremes
- Cultivate Your Own Culture
- COURAGE.
- Thrivival
- Inner Power
- How to Live a Purposeful Life
- My Definition of Happiness
- Why Change is Good
- Why Work?
- How to Live the Happiest Possible Life
- The Two-Pronged Approach to Maximize Joy in Your Life
- You Always Have Another Option!
- INFINITISM
- Never Stop!
- What is Your Self-Directed Purpose in Life?
- Live Today Like it Were Your Last
- Do You Photograph to Live, or Live to Photograph?
- ARTIST-PHILOSOPHER
- Live Life to the Fullest!
- In Praise of Selfishness
- Why You Must Be a YAY-SAYER to Succeed in Entrepreneurship and Life
- Why I Love Walking
- Live Life Like a Video Game!
- Simple Luxuries in Life
- Treat Your Life Like a Fun Experiment!
- Only Prove it to Yourself
- You Don’t Always Need to Feel Joyful to Live a Fulfilling and Meaningful Life
- Life is Too Short to Be Bored!
- Money Cannot Destroy Boredom
- How to Find Inspiration in Life
- Why You Must Ignore Haters to Succeed and Win in Life
- An Active Life is a Happy Life
- My Simple Joys in Life
- Never Stop Striving
- How to Motivate Yourself in Life
- How to Be Optimistic in Life
- How to Dictate Your Purpose in Life
- In Praise of a Dynamic Life
- PURPOSE.
- How to Enjoy Life
- Photography Therapy
- How to Conquer Regret
- Take Your Play Very Seriously.
- How to Prosper
- Memento Vivere
- Destroy in Order to CREATE
- Trust Your Body More Than Your Mind
- Make Photos to Make Meaning in Your Life
- Seek Knowledge, Not Information
- The Purpose of Human Life
- How to Overcome Impedence
- Why I Love Death
- How to Be Centered in the Eternal Now
- How to Be Happy
- Why Do You Care What Others Think of You?
- Why I’m Happy
- Why?
- Why I’m So Prolific
- How to Reduce LAG in Life
Masters of Philosophy »
Personal Philosophy »
Stoicism »
- How to Be a Stoic Street Photographer
- How to Use Photography as Self-Therapy
- How to Free Your Soul From Disturbance
Zen Philosophy »
- How to Be a Zen Street Photographer
- Zen in the Art of Street Photography
- How to Find Tranquility in Your Photography
Life Lessons »
Learn more: Start Here >
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INSANE DETAIL.
I am still so blown away and shocked to see how much insane detail there is in the Ricoh GR 3X photos that I shoot, just shooting JPEG.
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Just blog what you’re passionate about
If you ensure that you only blog and Vlog things you’re passionate about, you’ll never run out of motivation. Why? Because you are intrinsically motivated, because you love it. Not for some sort of financial gain, popularity, etc.
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Why does Bill Gates want all of us to become vegetarian, vegan, or more “plant-based†in our diets?
My theory, he is doing it for two reasons. First of all, he wants to be seen as benevolent, and intelligent, and discerning. The second, he might have some sort of hidden financial gain from it. I don’t know if this is true or not, but I heard from a guest on the Joe Rogan podcast that Bill Gates owns a substantive amount of farmland in America.
The human body doesn’t lie
As much as we like notions of certain things our way, the human body doesn’t lie. For example, you may believe with all of your heart that Twinkies don’t make you fat. Even if you believe this with all of your heart and soul, and you eat 50 Twinkies a day, You would probably become very over fat and obese.
Similarly speaking, it seems that Bill Gates is singing the anthem and the glory of a plant-based diet, but just look at his gut. Like Elon Musk said, instant boner killer.
Experiment for yourself
I have probably experimented with all types of diets and fitness concepts ever since I was around 12 years old. As a fat kid, being constantly teased for my double chin and thunder thighs, I knew that I had to make a difference.
Since then, I have experimented with all of the diet trends. For example, no saturated fat, more whole wheat carbs, ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting, and now intermittent fasting and a carnivore diet.
Be insanely skeptical of everyone, including yourself. Ruthless self experimentation and self discovery.
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I do as I please
If somebody objects to the way I do things, you don’t need to respond.
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Cholesterol is a Steroid
It seems nowadays the bias is to just consume more protein. And for some myopic reason people assume that all protein is alike, and the only thing which is important is the total number of grams of protein you consume.
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How to Build Monster Traps
Traps — the trapezius muscles on top of your shoulders and neck.
How do you build monster traps? Simple:
- Insanely heavy rack pulls, or trap bar / open hex bar deadlifts. I believe that any able-bodied men should be able to rack pull at least six plates with enough effort.
- Muscle ups
- Attempt to lift the heaviest dumbbells at the gym. For example, just see if you could pick it up and rerack it, and then place it back. For example my gym has dumbbells that go up to 150 pounds, and simply lifting it up is quite difficult. For the heavier dumbbells, use chalk. It took me a while before I was able to successfully lift 150 pound dumbbell with my left hand, which has the weaker grip.
- Should I use straps? I say no. Even though it is true that using straps will allow you to lift heavier weights, it prevents you from building your grip strength, and your forearm strength, which I think ultimately translates into your whole body strength. It is my thought that grip strength is strength
Food
Go to the Costco business Center, you can go if you have a normal Costco membership. Buy beef ribs, beef brisket, etc.
Why beef? The fattier the meat, and the closer it is to the bone, the more cholesterol and nutrition it will have. Cholesterol is a steroid. The more cholesterol you consume, the more muscular gains you will get.
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You can move the world from your garage!
“The party’s in here we don’t need to go out.†– Kanye
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Aesthete
I’m insanely into aesthetics.
