{"id":48877,"date":"2017-05-02T22:08:36","date_gmt":"2017-05-03T05:08:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/fight-club\/"},"modified":"2017-05-04T16:47:21","modified_gmt":"2017-05-04T23:47:21","slug":"fight-club","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/fight-club\/","title":{"rendered":"Fight Club"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Super inspired from the movie ‘FIGHT CLUB’– in terms of how to conquer my personal fears in life, how to break free from societal bullshit, and to become the best version of myself:<\/p>\n

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Here are some life lessons I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve learned from the film:<\/p>\n

1. Self-improvement is masturbation<\/h2>\n

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In society, we are spoon-fed this need for constant \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcself-improvement\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 in the eyes of some self-improvement guru.<\/p>\n

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But the fallacy is that we need \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcimproving.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 You are already perfect the way you are.<\/p>\n

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Rather, Tyler Durden suggests we seek \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcself-destruction\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u201d the antithesis of self-improvement.<\/p>\n

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Not to destroy ourselves to commit suicide or cut ourselves. Rather, to destroy the bullshit consumerist mentality we have in our minds.<\/p>\n

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To destroy the false veil of reality, to see the truth in life.<\/p>\n

2. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t squander your potential<\/h2>\n

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\n \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI see all this potential; and I see it all squandered. Entire generation of slaves with white collars.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 – Tyler Durden\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As humans, we have so much human potential. Yet, we waste it pointlessly. We waste it becoming consumerist slaves \u00e2\u20ac\u201d except instead of chains, we wear golden rolexes. We live in a golden cage. We cannot fly free.<\/p>\n

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So friend\u00e2\u20ac\u201d how can you fulfill your potential in life?<\/p>\n

3. Our life is a spiritual war<\/h2>\n

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\n \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcAdvertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need. No purpose or place. No great war, no great depression. Our great war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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To have a zest for life, we need struggle. We need pain. We need something to overcome.<\/p>\n

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We need to find meaning in our lives\u00e2\u20ac\u201d to find some deeper purpose.<\/p>\n

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For me, I find purpose in life through creating art<\/a>, through empowering others, and in terms of fulfilling my creative potential.<\/p>\n

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What is your drive in life?<\/p>\n

4. Life is about pain and sacrifice<\/h2>\n

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\n \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWithout pain and sacrifice, we would have nothing.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 – Tyler Durden\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To me, life is all about sacrifice.<\/p>\n

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My mom (umma<\/a>) sacrificed her life and suffered to give me and my sister a better shot in life. Whenever I show my love for Cindy, there is always some sacrifice. As Nassim Taleb says, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcLove without sacrifice is theft.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

How can you put more \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcskin in the game\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 to life a life with more<\/em> pain and sacrifice\u00e2\u20ac\u201d but in a meaningful way?<\/p>\n

5. Purge<\/h2>\n

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\n \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcIt is only after we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve lost everything that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re free to do anything.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 – Tyler Durden<\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) \u00e2\u20ac\u201d aka the alter ego of Edward Norton, blows up his own condo. But after purging himself of his prior life, he is free.<\/p>\n

Practically speaking \u00e2\u20ac\u201d I have gained much freedom by purging myself of my past. Purging my past negative memories, purging my superfluous possessions, and purging bullshit. This helped me become reborn, and now I feel free.<\/p>\n

6. It is cooler not to own a car.<\/h2>\n

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\n \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a car\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/strong> – Tyler Duren\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Be like Tyler\u00e2\u20ac\u201d don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be a slave to wanting an expensive car. In-fact, it is cooler not<\/em> to have a car.<\/p>\n

Also consider, are you a slave to debt? Does debt have you working that job you hate, just so you can buy that next $30,000 car?<\/p>\n

Consider if you are paid $20 an hour ($40,000 a year USD). Are you willing\u00c2\u00a0to work\u00c2\u00a01,500 hours (62.5 days straight with no rest), or 187 eight-hour working shifts (6.25 months at $20 an hour) just to buy a car, or any other bullshit consumerist good you don’t need?<\/p>\n

What is your time worth to you? What is your life worth to you?<\/p>\n

7. Who are you?<\/h2>\n

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\n \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcYou are not your job; you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not how much money you have in the bank; you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not the car you drive; you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not the contents of your wallet.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 – Tyler Durden\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Our identity is who we are as human beings\u00e2\u20ac\u201d our soul, the creative work we do, our worldview, and our self-identity.<\/p>\n

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We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need to identify ourselves via the work we do, how many 0\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s we have in our bank account, or society\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s labels of us.<\/p>\n

8. There are no bullets inside<\/h2>\n

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In one of my favorite scenes, Brad Pitt and Edward Norton enter a convenience store, pull out the cashier, and Brad Pitt puts a gun to the head of the kid.<\/p>\n

Brad Pitt asks the cashier what his dream in life was. The kid says it was to be a veterinarian, but he dropped out of school because it was too hard.<\/p>\n

Brad Pitt then says, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI will kill you unless you go back to school and pursue your dream.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 The kid runs away.<\/p>\n

Edward Norton says something like, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWhat the fuck \u00e2\u20ac\u201d why did you do that?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

Brad Pitt then says to Edward Norton:<\/p>\n

\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Imagine how he feels\u00e2\u20ac\u201d tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of his life. his breakfast will taste better than any meal you and I have ever tasted.\u00e2\u20ac\u0153\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Brad Pitt then also says that in life, when we have no fear or distractions, we can let \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcthat which does not matter\u00e2\u20ac\u201d truly slide.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/p>\n

The best part\u00e2\u20ac\u201d Edward Norton opens up the pistol, and sees that the gun has no bullets inside.<\/p>\n

Assignment<\/strong>: If someone put a gun to the back of your head, and asked you what your life dream was \u00e2\u20ac\u201d how would you answer? And what would you do tonight<\/em> or tomorrow<\/em> to pursue your dream?<\/p>\n

9. Become the best version of yourself<\/h2>\n

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The interesting concept of Fight Club \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Tyler Durden is the same person. Brad Pitt and Edward Norton are the same person.<\/p>\n

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However Brad Pitt is the idealized version of Edward Norton. Brad Pitt is everything that Edward Norton wants to be.<\/p>\n

We all have an inner-Brad Pitt (or Tyler Durden). The only thing we need to do is to take radical change in our lives, to become what Nietzsche calls\u00e2\u20ac\u201d the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcover-man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 (or \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcsuperman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122) who overcomes all the difficulties in his life.<\/p>\n

We need to take responsibility for our lives. Not to blame others or make excuses. We just need to go out and pursue our dreams and do what we truly believe in \u00e2\u20ac\u201d refusing to let the rules of society cage us in.<\/p>\n

10. Life isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t about winning or losing<\/h2>\n

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Fight Club isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t about winning or losing. It is rather about fighting your inner-self, your inner-ego, your inner-fears. In Fight Club, you aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t beating another person \u00e2\u20ac\u201d you are just conquering your own fears in life. And you are getting closer to another human being in fraternity.<\/p>\n

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In real life, there is no winning or losing. We are all on the same team in this world community of humanity. We need to help one another\u00e2\u20ac\u201d build each other up, instead of tearing each other down.<\/p>\n

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Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s win in life together.\u00c2\u00a0Empower yourself in life:<\/p>\n