What attempts to destroy you will only make you stronger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most formative books that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve read in my life was anti-fragile by Nassim Taleb. Not only was it a very fun and entertaining read, but, it also totally changed and revolutionized my mind, in terms of how I thought about things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The basic gist is this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nSmall dose stressors actually strengthens you.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
For example, weightlifting. I believe that the biological function of weightlifting is this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nYou lift a very very heavy weight, at your maximum, once, and the stress that it puts on your body is a positive stress, a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153eustress\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
For example, gravity is a eustress. Astronauts who go into space and don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have gravity, their bones and bodies atrophy. Apparently astronauts need to spend about six hours a day exercising in the space station, just to maintain their bone density.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As your bones weaken, you become older.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A very interesting thought:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nThe cause of biological aging and weakening is a result of your bones weakening.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The bias is that as you get older, your bones weaken. This is not necessarily true. It is possible that as you age, assuming that you lift weights, your bones can actually strengthen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, currently speaking, at the age of 34, I am 1000 times stronger than I was at the age of 24. And I also aspire to become stronger by the age of 44, 54, 64, 74 and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even my mom, who is currently 67 years old, I got her into weightlifting. Doing the one rep max type of lifting, doing the squat hold as well as the rack pull. Just two weeks of daily weightlifting, she is the strongest and most confident she has ever been, far stronger and better than she was at 57, 47, even 37.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Aging\u00e2\u20ac\u009d?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Typically what happens is this \u00e2\u20ac\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nAs we get older, and as the years go on, we fall into more degenerative habits.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
For example, something that I have witnessed is that most people my age, in their early or mid 30s, even in their late 20s, are far sicklier, older looking, weaker, and more degenerate looking than they were back in high school, college, even in the early 20s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even one of my friends in college, junior year, all he did was eat really bad food, drink a lot of alcohol, smoked a lot of cigarettes, and never exercised, at that age of around 21, he already look like a 55-year-old man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWhat causes your bones to weaken?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Things which causes your bones to weaken include sitting, not walking, not weightlifting, not running around, not playing on uneven and irregular surfaces, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, driving. The time you spend sitting and commuting, and being stuck in traffic, your hips weaken, your knees weaken, your feet weaken your back weakens, etc. Anytime that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re spending not standing or lying down on your back is bad. The only caveat is when you are lying down flat on your back, either when you are napping or sleeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter how old you are, or young you are, anybody and everybody could benefit from weightlifting<\/a>. It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter whether you are 12 years old, 16 years old, 22 years old, 28 years old, 34 years old, 42 years old, 52 years old, 62 years old, 72 years old, 80 years old, etc. I aspire to lift weights until I die at the age of 120<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t lifting weights dangerous?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
No. Also, the hilarious irony is that a lot of people don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t lift weights because they think it will cause them to damage their bones, or hurt themselves. Ironically enough the truth is actually the opposite; you lift weights in order to strengthen your bones, and prevent yourself from injuring yourself in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Therefore my great innovation of the squat hold, the atlas hold, or the atlas lift<\/a>; it will strengthen your spine 1000x.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
An insanely optimistic thought is this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nAnything that happens to you in life, whether good or bad, will strengthen you and make you more powerful in the long run.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
For example, other people. Issues or things that make you angry, annoyed, etc., it will all strengthen to benefit you in the long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, I have a strong sense of justice. Whenever somebody talks to me in such a way which I believe as disrespectful, I get insanely angry. And it seems the most productive way to channel your anger is to either use that as a tool of philosophical introspection, And or to defend yourself. Anger is a good defense mechanism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it bad to be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153defensive\u00e2\u20ac\u0153? Nonsense. Defense is the highest good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even if you think about America, and our military, the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153department of defense\u00e2\u20ac\u0153. The way that we Americans defend ourselves and our own self interests is we put military bases all around the world, and we keep indefinitely strengthening our military in order to defend ourselves through our offensive strength. Or in other words, as long as America has the biggest stick, nobody will mess with us<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we think about Machiavelli and Il Principe, Machiavelli says that to preemptively strike is also a virtuous form of self-defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thought framing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Whenever something bad happens to you in life, think to yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nHow can this minor annoyance end up strengthening me in the long run?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
For example, COVID-19 was actually a positive thing because it helped forced people to innovate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or, let us say that you injure yourself in the gym. This could be critical information to teach you to spend more time warming up, more time warming up with yoga<\/a>, or just changing your approach and technique. For example I discovered that doing flat bench press, as well as flat dumbbell press put undue stress on my shoulders in a bad way. Therefore, this information helped me innovate a new concept; doing a floor bench press<\/a>, or even a floor dumbbell press<\/a> \u00e2\u20ac\u201d how I do it<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Antifragile Photography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I believe street photography is the path to anti-fragile photography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why is that? It is because in street photography, we often encounter many setbacks. For example, wanting to shoot a certain scene, but, chickening out, and as a result, not shooting the photo. This leads to regret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An anti-fragile way to approach street photography is that whenever you have a situation in which you chicken out because you hesitated, you think yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nThis time I may have chickened out, but let this be a good lesson to myself the next time I see a similar situation or scene, I push myself extra harder to have the courage to shoot it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
STREET PHOTO STARTER KIT<\/a> \u00e2\u20ac\u201d says<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n99.9% of street photography is courage.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
With courage, it is also an anti-fragile thing. That is, increasing and augmenting your courage is a piecemeal approach. That is, there are certain days you are more confident than others, and some days you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re less confident. And that is OK and all part of the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to augment your courage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Courage is everything. To become more courageous in life<\/a>;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
- Let us know that courage comes from the heart. Anything that you do which strengthens your heart is a good thing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Let us also consider the physiological consideration; fear is a manifestation of or hormonal responses to things. If you are able to shift your hormonal response, increase your testosterone<\/a>, etc., likewise you will also increase your courage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Weightlifting at the gym, one repetition maximum<\/a> attempts. what is a one repetition maximum lift? That is, I had as much weight to the barbell as humanly possible, and just see you at the point in which you could just successfully lift it up even a quarter of an inch, once. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go for reps (repetitions). Reps are for suckers. Or another example, it is better to deadlift 551 pounds<\/a> once, than to deadlift 405 pounds<\/a> twice.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nIt\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all good.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ultimate way to approach life:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nAnything and everything that happens to you, it is all good!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
ERIC<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nMoar stoic thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
- Stoicism 101<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- How to deal with miserable people<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- How to become a stoic<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
More random thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
- Perhaps the best car is a hybrid. Some sort of hyper super car that is a hybrid. Perhaps currently \u00e2\u20ac\u201d the new goat is the NSX TYPE S<\/a>. Get it in red. Or the Gotham grey matte paint. You get the upside of the pick up from the electric motor, and you can still be loud, because it has a gasoline engine. Also, superior miles per gallon.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Barefoot: spend more time a day barefoot, this will be great for you in almost every single way. For example, weightlifting barefoot is a great idea.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- More beef liver, beef heart, beef intestines. 100% ERIC KIM CARNIVORE<\/a> DIET. Only organ meats<\/a>, then beef ribs. Meat<\/a> is supreme. And \u00e2\u20ac\u201d if you have the option and choice \u00e2\u20ac\u201d liver, heart, small intestines (beef) as positively superior<\/em> to any type of flesh meat. Even better than beef ribs! Also hit up the bone marrow when possible.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nNow what?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As a practical thought, strive to integrate this line of thinking into your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also I recommend reading Antifragile by Nassim Taleb \u00e2\u20ac\u201d you could either just order the paperback copy on Amazon, or just download the e-book for it to read on your iPad or iPhone. I just prefer using iBooks instead of Amazon Kindle, much more beautiful digital reading experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nHow to become a more antifragile photographer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Whenever you have any setbacks in your photography, or offenses in photography, channel this to motivate you even further!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, the next time you hesitate before shooting a photo and you regret it, next time, you could remind yourself to become even more courageous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or, there was somebody you wanted to approach and ask for permission to make a portrait of them. But, for some reason or another, you failed to do so. That is OK, next time just double up your courage to approach the person. Strive to get rejected at least 10 times. The lesson from Street Notes<\/a>\/\/ Print<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or, there is something you wanted to photograph, but you were afraid that you have already done it before, or it was clich\u00c3\u00a9. Next time, just shoot it and figure out what to do with it afterwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nInsane Courage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Become insanely motivated\u00e2\u20ac\u201d EK EXPERIENCES<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- CONQUER FEAR IN BOSTON<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- CONQUER INNOVATION IN BERKELEY<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- CONQUER ZEN IN HADONG SOUTH KOREA<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
EK WORKSHOPS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe tools to conquer it all<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
- Become Immortal: HENRI NECK STRAP MARK IV<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Become the uber-streettog: ERIC KIM NECK STRAP MARK II<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Become the Pro: HENRI WRIST STRAP PRO<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
More EK SUPPLY<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nYouTube ideas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you are interested in starting your own YouTube channel, some ideas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
- Do more vlogs on philosophy. There is a huge dearth of philosophical ideas on YouTube and beyond<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Just use a GoPro and record it. 1080 P, 24 FPS is fine. Record mundane things, like you eating, you going out, etc. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t edit it. You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need any accessories either.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t censor yourself, and become more opinionated. The biggest tragedy is when people water down what they want to really say, because they are afraid of offending somebody.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nPhilosophize more ><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also learn more about Nassim Taleb here ><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThinking more?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Feel free to forward this to a friend!<\/p>\n\n\n\n