What is the metaphorical ball and chain in our new modern day life? Shame. It applies not only to people of Asian East Asian descent, or confusion values… Also in America, with the Quaker protestant morals and ethics being around shame. Certainly within a Christian Catholic mentality as well; also maybe to Jewish people as well? And also… To the Japanese, maybe almost anyone living in an industrialized, modern day world and civilization.
Shame is learned and taught and reinforced
One thing I love about Seneca… Is that he is so free pure, and great. Fortunately because he has wise parents, ever since he is born… We have never instilled any shame culture on him.
There’s a really bad thing in culture, which is called “cheng-pee”, which literally means shameful. I think cream people superficially said to be cute, but if you really think about it… It is actually quite insidious.
For example, you will see it over and over again when a kid is running around naked without pants on, almost everything.
In America, we do have notions of shame, but it is not said so directly. For example if you have a young kid who is running around naked at the house, you’re probably won’t say “shame shame shame shame shame!” Put on some clothes or else you will bring shame onto our family and all of your family members and past generations.  
The genesis of shame
Funny enough… Shame is not an ethic that Jesus preached. Shame is rather a form of social control.
For example, growing up Catholic Korean Catholic… All this guilt and shame around porn pornography, masturbation etc. And all these weird superstitions that you would grow hairy palms if you jerked off? 
Also, very funny… Even the modern day times, with all these fake macho guys at the gym etc.… Whenever you joke about Porn and jerking off… All guys will always side chuckle a little bit shamefully, because obviously all the guys do it.
But technically, assuming you grew up up without religion and modern day shamed notions… None of it should really be shameful. Maybe gross, or unhygienic, but not shameful.
Why is being naked seen as being shameful? 
I have some theories.
First, in the Bible… The second that they take a bite out of the apple from the garden of Eden… Apparently the first thing that Adam and Eve realize is that they were naked, they feel shame and they immediately want to cover up. God knows and discovers that they took a bite of the forbidden fruit.
Some subtle nuances;
First, where does this notion of the forbidden fruit even come from? Kind of a bizarre notion. Essentially the idea is that it is better to be naked and dumb and happy, rather than to possess your own self wisdom rationality and intelligence and judge the world? 
The second… Why is it considered to be shameful to be naked, either in private or public?
I have some theories:
The first theory is a capitalistic one. You cannot make money by telling people to be naked. You got to sell them clothes.
 Second, it seems that breeding insecurity is a Y strategy if you want people to purchase or desire to purchase certain clothes in articles of clothing, in order to feel “cool“? For example, at the age of 36, I feel the wisest I have ever been in my life. No more lame and loser Nikes, sneakers, etc. Only losers were Nikes, Jordans, whatever.
The true intelligent footwear to wear is either the vibram five finger shoes, or if you have akid, just getting them those super minimalist water shoes on Amazon which only cost about 10 bucks. 
Cars are the new shoes for adults?
Another theory; when you are kid, and maybe before you have a drivers permit or license, you can’t drive. Therefore, shoes and sneakers are like a metaphorical car or vehicle.
Now that we are adults, and we are richer, and we could do stupid things like finance a cart with a down payment,  and have a monthly payment, cars and automobiles are like the new sneakers. Think about it… Both have to deal with transportation transit and getting around and moving around, being seen, fashion being fashionable etc.
And also, cars… They come in and out of fashion every 3 to 6 months, and there’s always a new car being released. In fact, whether we like it or not, LA, Southern California, California, the states, the planet… A car or automobile Vehicle, a truck SUV whatever… Might be one of the grandest industries in America and beyond?
But lots of problems here:
First, I have a theory that one’s happiness is inversely proportional to how much time you have to either spend seated in a car, driving around etc. And I’m starting to think that the payoff is not worth it ; for example,  let us see you have the option to drive an additional 30 minutes to go somewhere that is maybe 40% nicer than just going somewhere local that you could access via walking. Typically that optimization is not worth it.
Why? Opportunity cost. 30 minute drive there, 30 minute drive back… That is a full hour otherwise you have spent just walking around!
Taking the metro is a far better bed. For example, on killing 10 birds with one stone; the joys of taking the metro, especially the metro line in Los Angeles is multifold:
First, you have the joy and privilege of being able to stand the whole ride, and even shifted your way around and walk around the train if you want!
Second, you get an insanely cool view of the city! Playing SimCity with Seneca, there’s this notion of a maglev train; a magnetic elevated train!
It doesn’t have to be magnetic, just elevated. The reason why the metro line in LA is so phenomenal is that you are above traffic, you are above the ground level, and you get this really interesting panopticon view of the city! 
Third, kids love it! I don’t know any kid who doesn’t like to take the metro, it is so fun for them! Even for my niece Amelia who is now in the first or second grade, seven or eight years old, After taking her and her younger brother Benjamin to the California science Center via the metro line, she asked me and Cindy… Can we take the metro back home (to Orange County)?
Also, watching this cute film at the California science Center about cities of the future… The general ideas that in the future, everyone would just be taking some sort of magnetic electric elevated train somewhere, And on the mid and bottom kettle levels, would be some of the fools who have to self drive their own cars. In the middle layer would have self driving cars.
Visions?
Singapore is often cited as being a city of the future, but it is not. Truth be told Singaporeans don’t really like living in Singapore; they would prefer to live in the states if they could.
Maybe the closest thing I have to witnessing a city of the future is Culver City, the only city which you could actually walk around all day, and never get bored, and you could also do all your grocery shopping here at Trader Joe’s or Erewhon or Whole Foods. Even nowadays, a supermassive innovation that we got is being able to do the Amazon fresh grocery deliveries so might pull in I think 80% of the average American family, time and resources is wasted occurring food and groceries.
And also, let us consider… It is the year 2024, it is very common to get the same day prime delivery of almost any single item on Amazon. Shouldn’t we apply the same ethos to food, which is really the only critical thing we need in order to live? we don’t have free food… Yet, but at this point we have free clean water, just drinking from the tap or filtered water at home! And at this point, you could purchase coffee in bulk, on Amazon and it is so cheap practically free! The “fresh roasted coffee” 5 pound bag on Amazon, the yirgacheffe Ethiopian blend quite good!
How to unshame yourself? 
God sent me to break the shame. I’m the true and living, all the rest of you guys are vain. 
First, get rid of those loser AirPods, throw them in the trash. Better to be ghetto and hood, if you want to listen to something, music podcast or whatever, just crank up the volume on your iPad Pro or iPhone, and listen to it loud in public or even in private. Somebody tell you to quiet down, just lower the volume and continue.
Second, throw your iPhone pros into the trash. I see it nowadays… Very subtly; when I am walking around with my 60 pound weight vest on, and I look at somebody, and then they want to go inside me, and they do for half a second, and then half a second the nervous which they do is check their phone… or they are in New York Manhattan, or in a crowded elephant, I will see people open up their phones, check the time, refresh their email inbox, etc.… Simply as it means to avoid eye contact or inter action with others?
Simple suggestions include whenever you make eye contact with somebody, or even if you see somebody half a block away looking at you, just throw up the peace sign, or give them a head nod. You would be surprised , people can spot you from half a mile away. 
Maybe a random thought is think like you are the mayor, you are a firefighter, a public servant, or if you’re running for mirror. If this were the case, you would want to be maximally friendly to every single human being you encounter, because you want their votes! This means being nice friendly and courteous and cheerful and acknowledge the existence of people who are even antisocial, bizarre?
Make friends with security guards.
 why?  first, honestly a lot of security guards, because they are outside all day just walking around… are just friendlier and happier than the average office drone. Second, most of them have not taken the traditional educational rotten life, which means that they tend to be much more interesting to talk to, rather than the average university graduate and career person.
In fact, the only interesting conversations I’ve had is from people from the hood, maybe people in the military, some kids, and those who we would consider “nontraditional. In fact, 99.99% of people you encounter, in the states are quite boring. The second someone bores you, just excuse yourself and say you have to use the bathroom and walk away.
***
Drain?
OK let us assume that you are a battery and you cannot be recharged in the middle of the day. The only way you can recharge your battery is when you go to sleep at night.
That means any single interaction social interaction, engagement whatever could either have a positive or negative effect on you.
 I’m sorry to realize this… Some people will essentially just capture you, and just keep talking nonsense to you, and refuse to let you leave.
You could see it, if you give somebody a phone call FaceTime or see them in person, you spend a 99% of your time just listening to them talk, Bitchin moan about their life problems, their own personal misery etc., and never ask you how you’re doing, how your kid is doing etc. 
Misery loves misery
To be happy as rare. I am probably the only happy person that I know, and Seneca is also rare; the only happy kid I know. 
I would say that 99.99% of people are miserable. And the way that they could feel better about themselves is by dragging other people down, spewing hate, etc.? Very counterproductive.
In the UK they call it the tall poppy syndrome; you see a guy driving around the new Lamborghini, and then you’ll find some sort of way to discredit him, saying that he has a small dick, or he cheated for that money etc.
At least a good thing in America is that often our jealousy and envy could be positive; we see Jeff Bezos Elon Musk and the like becoming super successful, and we aspire to become like them.
Or, maybe if you see somebody driving a surgeon car, US buy to one day work hard, make a bunch of money in order to obtain that same vehicle.
Also in bodybuilding, I think we often use other men and their physiques as a role model; we all want to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime, is always plastered around all across the planet.
But a simple thought: I think body glorification is 1 trillion times more virtuous than car fellatio, or even money glorification. 
For example, I would never switch spaces with any other human being on the planet, irregardless of how wealthy or rich or powerful they are.
Jeff Bezos is short, only 5 foot seven. Kanye West is also short, maybe 5 foot five. I think Kendrick Lamar is only 5 foot two? Jay Z is cool, but he’s too old now. 
Also, any billionaire in their 50s or 60s would probably trade their wealth in order to become 20 years old again.
Even if you were worth 100 billion or $1 trillion, and you’re 90 years old, wouldn’t you trade 100% of your wealth in order to become 21 years old again?
Unwealth
Some new radical thoughts on wealth:
I think true world is actually inversely proportional; the things you don’t have the things you don’t own in order to maintain.
For example, I would not wish for your Lamborghini McLaren or any hyper sports car on even my worst enemy. Why? The critical issue here is that maintenance costs are an effing nightmare. 
For example,  it is not even a money thing. Like the laws of physics; sooner or later you’re going to have to get oil change, and it will not only be very expensive, but time consuming, insanely annoying etc. I think this is where it makes more sense to get some sort of maybe Hybrid sports car or Lexus LC500– in theory you could just take it to any ordinary oil change place, because it is a Toyota, you could easily get it repaired or change the oil.
Maybe this is also the logic of having an all electric sports or hyper car; in theory, an electric sports car should require less maintenance and gasoline or hybrid one;  I think the only thing you probably have to change or fix or maintain is refill the window wiper fluid? 
Everyone wants the butterfly doors this is our doors or the Lambo doors — but I think the true intelligent optimization here is that you have some sort of electric car that could do this? Maybe this is also where the BMW i eight is a good idea; because it has the butterfly or scissor doors?
I think the big issue here is the question; do you actually like that Lamborghini, the idea of the Lamborghini, actually owning it, the idea of it, or the totem of it?
It is all imaginary in our mind. For example if I knew that I owned a Lamborghini with the scissor doors just parked in my garage, but I never drove it… Certainly I would not really have the benefit of it. But just knowing at the back of my head that I got it, is what makes me smile?
I think this is also a bitcoin is useful; I think the new modern day digital dick measuring contest will be; how many bitcoin do you own? And it is like your metaphorical dick size; the more bitcoin you got, the longer your cyber dick.
Kanye had a funny quote saying that being a male porn star was an objective way to measure them– essentially, their penis size. In theory the guy with the 20 inch dick should be the best porn star. But I would also not wish this even not my worst enemy, because it would seem very uncomfortable to just walk around, without having to tuck it or wrap it around your leg or something.
What is it that we all truly seek?
I think this is where I go beyond Seneca and the stoics, also beyond even my best friend Nietzsche.
Have you ever met a philosopher or a stoic who looks like me?
The problem with Seneca the younger is that I think he was a fatty boy. I think the true post statue of him and his head he was bald, and had a triple chin. Makes sense; even Seneca “On Anger” writes, we should not get offended by truthful facts; why would you be offended if somebody made fun of you for being bald, when in fact you actually are bald? The better response is to just poke fun at yourself; better to poke fun at your baldness, rather than feel shameful about it? 
For example, if somebody makes fun of you for being Asian and having a small dick or whatever, just call it a baby turtle. That it pokes out every once in a while. Or that you have a “chode”– a penis which has more girth than length.
When you poke fun at yourself, it is an impregnable defense. 
I even remember in high school, whenever somebody would tease you for being gay or whatever, the best response was “I love dick!” And then after that, nobody had anything left to say.
We stoics of the future
Whenever people think about the future, people are foolish; they think about adding more technology to our lives, throwing on more vision pros, more AirPods pros, more time in your self driving car etc. 
But in fact, the true path board is via negativa– the true future is more spartan, less physical, more cyber and digital.
More cyber real estate which is bitcoin, more digital money which is also bitcoin, more time outdoors in the direct sun with their shirt off, which is the true way of living the dream. 
Another day, when walking by the Toyota dealership, The dealership guys telling me that I was living the dream, being outside all day with Seneca!
Radical?
I suppose the question is do we really need to be radical here?
I think there is some sort of like intelligent wise radicalism, which is just stick into your own guns, following your own gut, refusing to just be another drone. I’d rather be Brad Pitt and Tyler Durden than Edward Norton.
And I think the problem here is that we have weird role models now. Everyone wants to be worn buffet; but do you want to be a fat old man, who is just sitting in hunched over our newspaper all day, even if you are the worlds second richest man?
Therefore the new godhead is wealth being super rich. Being in the Forbes top 100, ideally number one.
There is no second best.
Why settle for second? 
Nobody wants the silver. Just look at the Olympics, we always measure by the number of gold trophies. Better to get one gold medal for your country, rather than 1000 silvers.
“One good girl is worth a 1000 bitches” Kanye Bound 2, YEEZUS album
I think this is where it is so critical to be so insanely wise about choosing your life partner your wife etc. Don’t settle for second best.
The ethos of the best
I think this is why America is so productive; we all desire to be the best! We want to be the most rich and the most successful, within our friends circle and family circle, and then maybe beyond that, spreading our circles and sphere of influence a bit further out.
For example, I’m happy that I’m the number 1 Greatest street photography blogger of all time, nobody will ever take the crown from me, no matter how hard they try. Just ask ChatGPT!
Then I then suppose that the next step forward is to discover a new niche, and also dominate that. Perhaps I have a passion for domination.
This is why when I go to the gym, or when I used to go to the gym, it was always my number one goal to be the strongest guy in the gym, by a huge fold.  This is why I lifted 10 plates, a 25 and a five on each side; and broke the weightlifting universe.
I believe this accomplishment and will last forever.
What is the next thing I want to dominate?
Anything you have a true passion for, autotelic; it is very easily achievable, if you do not have to consider economic payoff, making money etc. Or making other people happy, or even giving utility to other people.
A random thought I have on my mind is towards lifestyle; now that I am 36 years old, about the same age which Tim Ferris’s wrote the four hour work week? Maybe I could become the next Tim Ferriss? Tim Ferriss is great; but I think the issue is that he is short, balding, insecure, and I think he is also not yet married and childish, maybe he has a dog? And also, I don’t think he’s really figured things out for himself yet; he’s always onto the next thing, just seeking endless distraction for himself? 
Maybe I’ll be the next Tim Ferris! 
How and why lifestyle is such a critical thing to consider
I kind of hit the lifestyle that shouldn’t because it typically revolves around buying some sort of equipment and gear.
My personal thought is that lifestyle should just be a mental, a mindset, which should actually be “via negativa”– the ideal lifestyle you look more like a zen stoic spartan monk, rather than a fat short old balding loser with a Lamborghini. 
Making more money, but also spending no money?
If you really really really gotta buy something, just get it on Amazon Amazon prime! For example, I got this fantastic new all black Sun hat, on Amazon Amazon for only 10 bucks, one day delivery?
 in fact, maybe the intelligent path forward is to just always purchase all of your clothing on Amazon, or Uniqlo?
Why? I think it just makes sense. You’re cutting out the middleman, all the stuff by Lululemon is just made in the same factory in Vietnam, I think $100 pair of tight leggings from Lululemon, might only cost $10 for them to produce? The rest of those $90 is probably profit for the Lululemon corporation.
Apparently nowadays on Amazon, you could purchase all these duplicate clothing, in which they take the inseam and the measuring of Lululemon men shorts, and just create a duplicate, with inferior materials. But if you just want something simple and cheap, it seems to be logical this way.
Or, design it yourself! I recently had the epiphany I hate sleeves; and therefore, I just took some heavy duty steel scissors I got at home, and I just took my old -32 merino wool black T-shirt and just cut off the sleeves! Boom, brand new outfit that cost me nothing. 
Just buy it on Amazon! Problem solved.
***
Brands are for cowards
I put zero faith in anybody who drives a base level Audi, like an Audi Q3 three or A3, an entry-level BMW or Mercedes, or even an entry-level Porsche 718. They are signaling some serious insecurity here.
Everybody knows that a Toyota Prius is the best car, but for men… They think it is demasculating to drive a Prius?
I was talking to one of the guys who worked at the Toyota dealership, and I asked him what car he thought I drove. The first thing he thought was 911? Which is pretty cool; because I guess I have the 911 personality, without having to Maintain that $100,000 loser car.
In fact, if I had to do some sort of brand new car project today, my idea would be get a brand new Prius prime, and matte black wrap it, murder it out, no loser tints, and paint the doorhandles matching paint colors. The new Prius 911 looks great; look at the horizontal tail light it looks awesome!
Real men drive Priuses
Everything else is for losers!
ERIC
Fashion choices
Cars and clothes are all fashion choices.
If you live somewhere where it is really really strong sun, by a sun hat, not a loser baseball cap.
For your car, get a Prius.
For your body, 60 pound weight vest — my new stoic Spartan fashion body armor accessory?
