Think physics:
Some real world thoughts:
First, I still believe infinitely… the best possible place to live is a place where you love to walk! When you pound your morning espresso, hungry and voracious for the adventure of embodied reality.
The problem
I think the sad tragedy here is that truth be told… 99.9% of reality sucks. Especially if you live in America… you’re just stuck in a car 99.9% of your day. Or inside an office building, or inside a crappy school room, University class etc.
In fact, we knew modern day humans, with the new zoo animals. In fact, maybe zoo animals have it better than us; at least they have a little bit more physical space, and also room to spare.
First
I believe the first optimization, at least living in America is deciding which Geo location or space to live. Currently speaking I believe Culver City, downtown Culver City, the Culver City arts district to be the best. The best place to immediately pop out of your apartment, and immediately start walking! 
Or, if you have the option, living in some sort of city in Southeast Asia, Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Hanoi, Saigon etc.
The reason why I believe it to be so intelligent to live in Southeast Asia is economic leverage. For example even trolling homes here on Zillow, it is insane; $2.2 million for these half-assed remodeled homes? Things which comes standard in Vietnam or Southeast Asia?
Hardcore economics
I recently re-watched the movie 300 again, some thoughts:
First, I think the best way to live is through extreme economy. What that means is no matter how high or low your income… to hardcore leverage your money seems like a good idea.
For example, it seems human nature that we will typically meet match or perhaps supersede our income. What that means is when it comes to “lifestyle creep”, or “hedonic adaptation”– most people do the foolish thing— when anybody touches any money, the very foolish thing they first do is buy a car, some expensive clothes, jewelry, etc.
What they should do instead is buy bitcoin. And live like a low-key poor person.
Spartan economics
Ever since I was a teenager, and a kid, I’ve always really been into fashion, clothes etc. However, the enlightening thing about watching the movie 300, first, the Spartans are essentially bare chested, no shirt on, and just wearing cod pieces–speedos. The only thing to note is their crimson cape which goes to the floor, and during battle, their bronze Spartan helmets, with the frightening horse hair on top, their spears, swords, battle greaves, forearm armor, shield, … that seems to be about it.
Certainly there are some clothes and accessories which do improve your life. But assuming you’re a man… unless you’re going indoors, a shirt is optional. I say go shirtless as much as humanly possible.
Khalil Gibran on Clothing
At the LA public library, Cindy just picked up paperback of Khalil Gibran the prophet, the classic. I think Cindy and I read it back in college.
What was very interesting was his thoughts on modesty and clothing; essentially back in the day, modesty was just another word to describe hiding the ugliness of your body.
I see today; all these guys who wear trucker hats, fully tinted sunglasses, have beards and lots of facial hair and maybe mustaches … , flannel and trucker jackets, bunch of tattoos, body hair, fat, and drinking beer? Essentially it is to hide the ugliness of their bodies. I still find it very very bizarre that somehow having a strong opinion about craft beer is what makes one manly? 
I find tattoos to be the most ridiculous proposition; it is expensive, takes a long time, and it actually positively makes your body uglier. Even Nietzsche wrote that the trend for people to get bodily tattoos was a march towards barbarism.
I say instead of getting body tattoos, just build bodily muscle. Just buy your own weightlifting equipment – Titan.fitness and workout at home.
Real men have muscle!
Property
I’m currently reading the father of Austrian economics, Karl Menger — and his principles on economics. It is a bit of a dry read, but I enjoy it and so far much as it is simple, clean, and direct, and just like Aristotle, lays the foundation of first principles in economics, talking about goods, needs, human economizing, stock etc.
One of it is property, property accumulation, and connections with human desire to accumulate obtain and hold property.
Karl Menger talks about property almost a bit of a metaphorical sense, it doesn’t have to be physical property, the property in the minds of men?
I think when you go back to first principles thinking for philosophy humans economics etc., things become very interesting.
The first thought I had is maybe the intelligence of buying your own weightlifting or gym equipment is that in technicality, you are accumulating property, weightlifting property, weight property, plates etc.
Also the good thing is that weightlifting will never go out this style, because it is the most OG, original gangster way of getting stronger. A simple barbell and weight plates is all you need. If you want cheap ones, just get some cast-iron plates, in the 45 pound range. Also for a cheap weightlifting squat rack, the Titan.fitness T3 independent squat stand, apparently it could withstand up to 1000 pounds… I’ve already loaded it up with 775 pounds and it seems fine.
I think the problem with going to the gym, is that you’re pissing away your money, especially in Los Angeles where a gym membership could be in the $150 a month to $200 a month range. If you’re on a budget, you could buy a cheap barbell for me about 100 bucks, and two weight plates will only set you back around 150 bucks. If you do the math, within the year, you can invest at least $1000 into weightlifting equipment, which will stay with you forever.
For very very cheap options, just buy sandbags; you could purchase 50 pounds of playground sand for only about three dollars! 
Stainless steel
What is the apex metal? Stainless steel. Stainless steel is what allows us to create 100 story skyscrapers, and also, which creates your beloved Cybertruck. The more I think about cybertruck, the greater it is. At least in terms of material and form, it might last you at least 100 years. Maybe 300 years if you take good care of it.
Also, I think the cybertruck is actually positively bulletproof; just watch the videos with it. If John Wick was alive today, he might drive a cybertruck?  Or some sort of baby sports car muscle car stainless steel cyber truck, imagine if you took a Camaro or a Dodge charger and just outfitted it with stainless steel? 
Make your body like stainless steel
I had the epiphany and the realization that this is why they call Superman the Man of steel; at the time, when Superman was invented, steel, stainless steel was a big deal.
Also, public restrooms and bathrooms etc.… It seems that stainless steel is the way. The easiest to keep clean, maintain etc. Stainless steel toilets, hand washing stations etc.
Also, at Cindy‘s family’s house, Cindy‘s mom has a stainless steel kitchen sink, which I think she’s been using for over 20 years with no problems!
The future
First principal is thinking; what is the purpose of saving? For the future.
I think the very clarifying and positive thing is once you have a kid, future becomes a more concrete notion. Your building property and betterment for your child, and their child, and their kids kids kids.
But why? I think a lot of modern day thinking is too focused on the individual; what makes more sense is focusing on beyond the individual– the clan, the tribe, the collective. 
Leaders and followers?
“See there’s leaders and there’s followers but I’d rather be a dick than a swallower”– Ye
Even NASSIM Taleb talks about how there are individuals or academic, intellectual “swallowers“. 
What should be the purpose of education? Critical thinking. To challenge convention, to think first principles etc.
In fact, I think the best thing that Aristotle does when fleshing out some ideas is he first starts off by first principles, by defining things – to challenge things, why they are important, why they are critical etc.
The reason why I find this to be so important is that we spend our whole lives working, and living… but yet we never challenge why we do it, why is important, why is significant etc.
For example, let us say that you are a modern day tech worker, or a banker, and what you’re trying to do is accumulate as much US dollars, currency, the highest salary possible. But towards what ends? Buying a certain car you want, a single-family home, etc.? Having the freedom in the power to travel the world? Before you sacrifice 30 years of your life, maybe a deep critical introspection is needed; thus the Why App?
The upside of sociology 
The more I think about the benefit of studying sociology was simply to challenge all social norms. In fact, the other day we were inside a public library, and Seneca was upset that we had to return the books, in which I cleverly stated and said, no, we are not “returning” the books, we are recirculating them.
Anyways, certainly Seneca was upset, because if you think about it… the notion of checking out a book, and then having to return it is not natural and it doesn’t really make much sense. As a consequence he was crying loud, and this pretentious librarian tell me that “he has to go”, or “he has to go (outside)”.
Like a true mensch, of course I did not forcibly make him exit the library. I calmly stood there, while he was still crying, explaining to him the notion of recirculating over returning the books.
Anyways, the librarian was confused, because I think in the past, whenever the library tells a parent that their kid is being too loud, a parent somehow feels bad, or embarrassed or something and forcibly removes the kid from the library. No. I stood there, taking my sweet time, and explaining to Seneca, and the library being confused came up to me to approach me a second time.
Anyways, thinking back first principles… Why is it that a library should be quiet? Why not loud?
The first line of thinking is that the purpose of a library is for a quiet contemplation. Why not loud contemplation?
Anyways, that loser library and library will no longer get my patronage. Onto the next one.
Society?
Also, even modern day society in today’s world, the law is “thou shall not make eye contact with strangers, engage in small talk, be friendly etc.”
Also, modern day society says that we shall be, antisocial, introspective, cowardly, quietly consume our fake ass plant-based food, and try to minimize our “carbon imprint”, on the planet. 
Says who?
Fuck that!
Seeing humans in the flesh?
Now I have a new rule; before I’m about to read any book, listen to a new podcast or whatever… I want to kind of get a full body glimpse of said individual.
For example, this seems cruel, but I don’t really care for the opinion of anybody who is overfat, skinny fat, physically weak, doesn’t have muscle, doesn’t have strong legs.
The problem in today’s world is that there is a hijacking of knowledge, legitimacy and information towards the nerds, the Shorty guys, the Shorty fat skinny old bald guys, etc.
Only trust thinkers who are also weightlifters. 
So far, modern day times … maybe only NASSIM TALEB? But now he is even too old, and still kind of a fatty guy (his history).
Who else?
They not like us!
Creating your own tribe? All you need is 300?
Let us even think about King Leonidas… Certainly would have been impossible for him to fight back millions of Persians himself. However, him being able to leverage the train, the hot gates and the choke point… Assuming he was not betrayed… He would have probably been able to hold the hot gates, With his Spartan 300. 
Create for yourself
My simple line of thinking is create things, design things as if you were the only end user.
Also, follow your own personal curiosity irregardless of how irrational or impractical or uneconomical it may seem. 
True innovation happens out of pure self curiosity, things which at the time seem very very impractical… But, can create insane value for society and others.
The camera as a self defense weapon?
Looking at cops, one of the interesting things is that they always have some sort of chest mounted video camera that is always recording. I wonder if this is also a good accessory for ourselves. A simple thing is having a GoPro chest mount, and a GoPro mini. 
Also, if you became swat, swat team… How would you look and how would you train?
First, armor. I think my joy of having my 60 pound weight vest on all the time is that is like real world training. If you had a bulletproof, 60 pounds is good.
Also, a bulletproof body.
SWAT TRAINING?
If you are swat team… How do you train?
Once again, 60 pound vest, and also some sort of notion of hunger. And fearlessness.
Also a cool visual I have is from John Wick 4, the all black samurai kabuki guys at the Osaka hotel, trying to kill John Wick.
The ideal form of training would be caring heavy stuff, for relatively short distances. Also if fearlessness. And pure power. Imagine if you were a swat door kicker. 
Unkillable
I think what is so awesome about John Wick is that he is practically invincible, unkillable. All four movies, everyone tries to kill him, and even at the very very end… he allows himself to get killed, in order to get the final sweet sweet revenge on his arch nemesis.
In fact, John Wick is fascinating because he is almost like the modern Achilles; it is his lust for revenge which drives him.
Thought– somebody should reboot the movie Troy, or a film centered around Achilles? 
New ethics and morality

Also, this is where things become interesting to me; for us to think carte blanche, to create new morals and ethics for ourselves. All is permitted, said the famous assassins. This is the real assassin’s Creed.
All is legitimate, all is permitted — as long as it does not disobey the laws of physics.
ERIC
Think physics
Ultimately if you want to think about growth, life, things in general… Think physics!
Weight lifting also a fun physics game and experiment?
Travel and physics
If you think about reality from a physics or space approach, the logic and the rationale is that when you’re moving your human body across time and space, geo location and climate… having a novel environment changes you.
For example, even a simple weekend getaway to San Diego, the beachfront, the ocean, looking into the infinite sea, and having a different change of climate from LA, it changed my thinking, or allowed the genesis of new and unique thoughts.
I think this upside of traveling to Southeast Asia, ironically enough I think best when it is hot and humid? For myself, I find it very difficult to think well when it is cold and humid and wet. I hate the winter. Even the Los Angeles the winter is not super nice. I wish I could live in Southeast Asia forever.
You know yourself the best
Everybody has different preferences. I find it insanely annoying when people try to “educate” you that somehow your preferences are illegitimate? And they try to tyranny their own preferences upon you?
Fuck that! Become more stoic and staunch in your approach.
so where do you want to travel to?
- SF BAY AREA, THE MISSION SF —
- Downtown LA
- CAMBODIA, ANGKOR WAT Experience the planet with EK > ERIC KIM EXPERIENCES
Photo assignments
If you want infinite inspiration and motivation to make photos, just have a kid!
If you already have a kid, cross pollinate your passion for street photography photographing your kid!
Also, undefine photography; all photography is legitimate!
Also, delete Instagram, irregardless of how many followers you have. It is like I’m telling you that you had terminal cancer, but, you would be able to magically cure yourself if you justdeleted Instagram. Wouldn’t you do it?
Instagram is cancer for the mind and the soul. 
In fact, the only people I trust in the ERIC KIM clan is those without an Instagram. Also if I had to create an initiation ceremony, the first step for STREET CLUB would be deleting your Instagram. 
Keep stacking those Bitcoin not those followers. 
“You got 1 billion streams, I got $1 billion!” – JAY Z
You got 1 million followers? I got 1 million bitcoin!