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Dear friend,<\/p>\n
I think the one thing that can fix all the world\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s problems would be compassion.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/ERIC-KIM-STREET-PHOTOGRAPHY5-1-800x530.jpg?resize=800%2C530\")
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Compassion means to feel the pain of someone else.<\/p>\n
To feel compassion for someone\u00e2\u20ac\u201d to be with pain to the other.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_1624-800x530.jpg?resize=800%2C530\")
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For example, when they talk about the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcpassion of the Christ\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u201d it means that Jesus<\/a> suffered insane amounts of pain on the cross (imagine having nails put through your wrists and ankles).<\/p>\n So in life, when we talk about following your \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcpassion\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u201d it means following something that you believe in so deeply, that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re willing to die for it.<\/p>\n Compassion in the world means to feel the pain and suffering of others.<\/p>\n For example, if you have real compassion for the poor \u00e2\u20ac\u201d you know what the pain of the poor is. For example, I grew up in perpetual fear of becoming homeless (my dad gambled away the rent money), and it fucking sucked. So now, I strive hard to help the poor however I can \u00e2\u20ac\u201d through giving away free information, and through trying to empower others.<\/p>\n Cindy<\/a> was a refugee \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and so was her family. Cindy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s family risked their lives to flee war-torn Vietnam, to flee the oppressive government (who took away all the wealth of Cindy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s family, and forced them to become farmers). Cindy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s grandparents were tortured by corrupt government officials. Coming to America was a chance to escape<\/em> pain, persecution, and potential death.<\/p>\n \n IMAGINING \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcAMERICA\u00e2\u20ac\u2122: MY MOTHER\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S REFUGEE JOURNEY TO AMERICA<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I can only imagine if Cindy\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s family was refused by America. Then Cindy would have stayed in Vietnam. She wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have hustled through elementary school (she was raised on stories of a War-Torn Vietnam<\/a>, and in the public American library), she wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have had the opportunity to excel in middle and high school (in high school she was a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcDecathlon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 coach, and honors student), and eventually she ended up studying History at UCLA (and empowering her fellow students in her student tutoring program at Covel Commons), and she eventually ended up studying her Ph.D. at UC Berkeley \u00e2\u20ac\u201d the premier public institution in America for History. Cindy wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have had the opportunity to study with the best professors and researchers and have the opportunity to expand and advance the understanding of Vietnam and its past.<\/p>\n Without accepting refugees, America (and the world) wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have received the gift which is Cindy, her research in Vietnamese history, the hundreds of students she has taught, her contributions to art through her poetry and personal essays.<\/p>\n I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have ever met her\u00e2\u20ac\u201d and she is actually the one who encouraged me to start the Photo Club at UCLA<\/a>.<\/p>\n She also encouraged me to start this blog (when I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe in myself). And if this blog never existed, all this free and empowering information on photography, art, philosophy, and life wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have existed (2,700+ blog posts, hundreds of free educational YouTube videos, 20+ free ebooks).<\/p>\n To make politicians feel more compassion, we need to have them have more skin in the game<\/strong> (credit to Nassim Taleb). Having skin in the game allows others to feel pain, and therefore to feel compassion.<\/p>\n For example, if America wants to go to war, whoever is making these decisions needs at least one family member (blood related) who is going to put their life on the line (in the battle ground); not to just be sipping a frappucino at Starbucks while dropping bombs via a drone.<\/p>\n Or another example \u00e2\u20ac\u201d no political or governmental figure should be allowed to prevent immigrants from entering the country, if they have at least 1 ancestor who once immigrated into America.<\/p>\n If immigrants weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t allowed in this country, the world would have never had Steve Jobs<\/a> (and therefore Apple). Steve Job\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dad was Syrian. The world wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have got Elon Musk<\/a> (he came from South Africa). There are a million other \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcnormal\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 folks in America who came here from refugees or immigrant backgrounds. We need diversity in America to thrive. We need diversity in the world to thrive \u00e2\u20ac\u201d together as humankind.<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcOptimal\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 health requires a diverse diet. Imagine \u00e2\u20ac\u201d if you ate nothing but bread everyday (literally only bread and water) \u00e2\u20ac\u201d imagine your health after a year. However, compare the diet of that individual with someone who has bread, olives, lamb, couscous, spinach, kale, pumpkin, quesedillas, and coffee to fortify their health. Of course the guy with a diverse diet will be a lot stronger.<\/p>\n Or consider animals. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcPure-bred\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 dogs are often dumb, because there is tons of in-breeding. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMutts\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 (or mixed-heritage) dogs are much stronger, more resistant to disease, more intelligent, and sharper. The biological diversity of mixed-heritage (or you might consider\u00e2\u20ac\u201d \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmixed race\u00e2\u20ac\u2122) dogs are much stronger.<\/p>\n If you remember elementary school biology classes\u00e2\u20ac\u201d the flowers and plants that \u00e2\u20ac\u02dccross-pollinated\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 ended up being a lot stronger than plants that only breed with their own kind.<\/p>\n Society needs diversity to thrive.<\/p>\n We need diversity of thought, diversity of ideas, diversity of culture, and diversity of background. We need to mix all this diversity into one cultural melting pot, to create alchemic gold.<\/p>\n I know for myself, I am so blessed to have a diverse background. I grew up at age 12 in Queens, New York \u00e2\u20ac\u201d one of the most ethnically diverse counties in America. My friends were the rainbow crew: Spencer was Spanish, Steven was Chinese, Aditya was Indian, Jonathan was Jewish, Christian was Brazilian, David was Korean, Eric G. was Italian, and I was (and still am) Korean. But we were all grown up on American individualistic values. We mixed, fused, and remixed our various cultural backgrounds\u00e2\u20ac\u201d into this beautiful elixir.<\/p>\n For example, I am blessed to have this \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcentrepreneurial spirit<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 of being American. I have insane amounts of self-confidence, and I can really give zero fucks about what others think of me. Whereas Korean culture teaches me to be meek and to shut the fuck up, Korean culture also teaches me to hustle hard in school (Confucian thought) \u00e2\u20ac\u201d which helped me get into UCLA (thanks to my mom for pushing me forward), and helped me get an education \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and helped me get to where I am today.<\/p>\n I also grew up Christian. I went to both protestant and Catholic churches growing up. This helped me gain a more holistic view of \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcGod\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and I ultimately chose to be Catholic\u00e2\u20ac\u201d because my friends were all at my church (St. Andrew Kim in Oakland), and also because I wanted to focus on doing good deeds. To sacrifice myself for the collective like Jesus. To hustle for the greater good \u00e2\u20ac\u201d not to just fill my pockets with gold.<\/p>\n All art thrives from diversity. Picasso<\/a> x Cubism. Andy Warhol x Pop Art. Kanye West<\/a> x Hip Hop music.<\/p>\n Hip hop was born out of a fusion between disco and jazz and the alternative rock.<\/p>\n America\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s greatest $1 New York City pizza slice came from Italy\u00e2\u20ac\u201d by Italian immigrants.<\/p>\n Great coffee in Australia (yes, Melbourne has the best coffee in the world [I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sorry Sydney]) exists because of Italian immigrants.<\/p>\n Apple products (like the Zen-iPhone with only 1 button) came from Steve Job\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s appreciation of Japanese-Zen aesthetics, and also the fact that the SF-Bay Area\/Silicon Valley had a lot of hippies practicing Buddhism and dropping acid.<\/p>\n Elon Musk\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s quest to save the world from self-destruction (and building electric cars in TESLA and rocket ships) is from his inspiration as a child reading The Hitchiker\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Guide, as well as the Lord of the Rings books. We wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have had Elon, Telsa, or SpaceX without diversity of ideas with these authors who wrote these books.<\/p>\n Even Henri Cartier-Bresson<\/a> was inspired by Japanese and Zen philosophies<\/a>. He read \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcZen in the Art of Archery\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 and applied his philosophy of street photography.<\/p>\n The ancient Romans gained inspiration from the (\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcvulgar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Greeks). The world has benefited from diversity of thought from philosophers like Karl Marx (German), Friedrich Nietzsche<\/a> (German), Nassim Taleb (Lebanese), Voltaire (French), Seneca<\/a> (Spanish-Roman).<\/p>\n America\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s strength is principally in her diversity. If we discourage diversity, we are doomed to die an in-bred death.<\/p>\n To change the world, just be more compassionate. Some ideas:<\/p>\n If you first start off by changing yourself\u00e2\u20ac\u201d then you can change the world.<\/p>\n Be strong, Feed your hunger for\u00c2\u00a0wisdom:<\/p>\nII. True story.<\/h2>\n
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III. We need more skin in the game<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nIV. Why we need diversity<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/63960024-800x530.jpg?resize=800%2C530\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/63990026-800x530.jpg?resize=800%2C530\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/IMG_1405-800x530.jpg?resize=800%2C530\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/HANOI-STREET-PHOTOGRAPHY-ERIC-KIM14-800x1208.jpg?resize=800%2C1208\")
<\/p>\nV. Society thrives on diversity<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/HANOI-STREET-PHOTOGRAPHY-ERIC-KIM16-800x530.jpg?resize=800%2C530\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/HANOI-STREET-PHOTOGRAPHY-ERIC-KIM12-800x530.jpg?resize=800%2C530\")
<\/p>\nWhat can I do?<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n\n
\nEric<\/p>\n
\n\u00c2\u00a0[Philosophy >](http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/philosophy)<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nTechnology x Philosophy<\/h2>\n
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Personal Philosophy\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00bb<\/a><\/h2>\n
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Stoicism\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00bb<\/a><\/h2>\n
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Zen Philosophy \u00c2\u00bb<\/a><\/h2>\n
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Life Lessons\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00bb<\/a><\/h2>\n
![\"Kyoto,](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/eric-kim-street-photography-kyoto-0001248-800x530.jpg?resize=800%2C530\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"