The word “integrity” comes from the Latin word “integritas,” which means wholeness, soundness, or completeness. It’s derived from “integer,” which means intact or untouched, literally translating to “untouched,” referring to an original state of being unimpaired or uncorrupted. Over time, the word evolved to embody the qualities of honesty and moral uprightness, reflecting a state of being whole and undivided in moral principles.
The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and is the largest Catholic church in Pennsylvania. Here are some key aspects of this historic cathedral:
The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul stands as a testament to the faith and history of the Catholic community in Philadelphia, reflecting its cultural, architectural, and spiritual heritage.
What does it mean to be a creator?
I remember as a child, I would explore the woods, build forts and teepees with sticks, sharpen spears, pretend to hunt deer, build bridges with stones, and cross streams with my friends. I was always an explorer and a creator since an early child. Perhaps, in order to become a creator, we must also become a child again.
When I consider any creation that I make, I like to think that it encompasses the World of Dante. When I’m looking at the world in front of me with my camera in hand, I am responding to life with my intuition, my soul, which is then revealed within the frames I create.
I believe that through the power of photography, we can reveal the soul of the street and the external world around us. Not only do these photographs become an instant sketch of life, but they also reveal the soul of the photographer. My photographs become the world that I create.
I curate what I put inside my frames. What you choose to exclude from the frame is just as important as what you decide to include in it. Create your own world through the medium of photography.
Authenticity is a value that I deem critical to consider.
As an artist we must remain true to ourselves, and not cater too much to an audience. When we rely on external validation, or praise for our work, this removes authenticity from the equation as it’s much easier to be someone you are not in front of others.
Ultimately, everything is a copy of a copy. A photograph is a copy. Fashion trends are copies. Technology is always copying. Even films, TV, architecture, become copies of past works over and over again.
On our path towards authenticity, let us not be bogged down by basic notions of identity. Memes are like genes in our body that encompass our DNA. Just as genes replicate during biological reproduction, memes are shared culturally through ideas and behaviors. Be authentic, but recognize that it’s nearly impossible to be 100% original.
If there’s anybody that we should replicate or copy from, perhaps it’s wise to view Jesus as the ultimate male role model. He valued courage, conviction, integrity, honesty, forgiveness, love, and self-discipline. Let’s take the teachings of Jesus and his values by applying them to our everyday modern lives.
Let us consider the United States of America similarly to the Roman Empire. Our military conquest and dominance throughout the entire globe is certainly similar to the presence Ancient Rome had.
Wherever I travel, American and western culture is everywhere. I’ve even seen American culture and ideas being spread in remote villages in Zambia, Africa. I’m proud to be an American and believe that if there’s anything I personally identify with, it is my nation first and foremost. I am glad I was raised saying the pledge of allegiance before class in school because now as an adult I still have a sense of pride for where I was born and raised. Perhaps it’s wise to consider America first.
I’m currently reading “The Spartans” by Paul Cartledge. I’m interested in the Spartans as they were warriors that had an extreme toughness that inspires me. Studying how ancient cultures lived is perhaps better insight than any modern lifestyle or way of thinking. Learn from the past and move onward with courage into the future.
The ultimate goal of an artist is to share our perspective. By using a GoPro, and speaking directly to the camera, I put the viewer in my shoes. Maybe the GoPro is the best camera to use in terms of video production, as it enhances your ability to become yourself and express yourself authentically.
Nothing in life is perfect.
You are not perfect and neither is your artwork- and I believe it shouldn’t be! Just let the chips fall as they may, embrace the spirit of play, make a mess, and clean it up again. Don’t be caught up in perfection in any endeavor. Whether you’re making videos, photos, or even writing, stop trying to be so perfect.
My ultimate goal is to create every single day. I find this is the way to stay alive as a photographer. I want to make something new each day because it keeps me interested in life itself with curiosity at the forefront. By carrying the camera with me at all times, there is really no excuse for me not to make something new each and every day.
Photography is the ultimate medium to practice, because it allows the practitioner to explore the real world. We are not confined indoors to a certain canvas, but the world is our canvas. I find this to be the most liberating and exciting aspect of photography. Explore the real world more and treat life as a video game for you to enjoy. Have fun, but just don’t get killed… maybe you don’t respawn in real life.
Negative people are like leeches that get stuck to your skin after swimming in a pond. It seems that misery loves company and people really do enjoy complaining and letting their emotions out onto you. If you experience this situation, I believe we must ruthlessly pick these leeches off of our skin and move on. Let the cave dwellers chase the shadows as you just follow the light. It’s inevitable that you will blind them with how bright you are. Avoid negative people like the plague.
I believe it’s our duty as men to be strong. Weightlifting is a simple solution to fortify your body and becoming the greatest version of yourself. I prefer a simple routine that encompasses, a farmers walk, pull-ups, and push-ups. Perhaps it’s wise to create your own home gym and do your fitness routine first thing in the morning without even having to travel anywhere. Be hard in a soft world.
Anger is an emotion that is inflicted upon everybody, but I find there are ways to curb it and channel this negativity into positivity. As a man, we naturally have higher testosterone levels. I believe the more you increase your testosterone through eating meat, the less prone you are to experiencing anger. There is a sense of calm you feel when you are satiated after eating meat. It’s much more difficult for you to get angry about petty things. If you feel angry, channel that emotion into weightlifting, long walks, and always hold your tongue. The higher your testosterone, the less sensitive you will be.
Laugh in the face of chaos.
Perhaps finding the absurdity or chaos of life to be funny is the source of all humor. Whenever I see somebody laughing or smiling, I feel like it’s the most attractive and beautiful thing. It becomes contagious to the point where you can’t help but to smile and laugh with them. Smile more, laugh more, and recognize how much more beautiful and attractive you are when you are happy.
One simple thing I’ve been adopting in my everyday life is giving compliments to strangers. Whether it’s their outfit, smile, hair, or just some action or job that they are performing, give them a compliment, and pay respect to your neighbors. There really is something special about small acts of kindness that I believe become a ripple effect in the world and make somebody else’s day. It also helps you gain confidence in confrontation and interacting with others in the public space. As we embark on our personal journeys of self discovery and improvement, don’t become a social outcast that doesn’t engage with people. Embrace others with a spirit of kindness and openness without the need for anything in return.
Posture is important in this modern world that has many people sedentary, or sitting down all day. When you walk on the street, stand tall. Keep your head up, chest open, shoulders, back, and walk with pride and confidence. It may seem ridiculous at first, to be concerned with the way that you are standing or sitting down, but once you recognize that it is something that affects your physical health and well-being, you start to take it much more seriously. I prefer the farmers walk in the gym as it increases my grip strength and ultimately enhances my posture.
Maybe it’s wise to have an ego.
When you remove your ego from the equation, perhaps you merely are just a walking being floating through life. Give yourself a sense of importance and duty for humanity as a collective through improving yourself and working towards your own personal goals. Perhaps this is the only way forward to making any real positive change in society, or the world at large. Wield your ego wisely. Perhaps killing it is a denial of your life.
Optimism beats pessimism. When I look outside and see the sunrise, I find myself wondering what’s beyond the horizon. The future is bright, and there is so much to do and so much to see in this life of ours. Find yourself waking up in the morning, ready to conquer each day with your eyes wide open, curious about what’s out there like a child. Return to that spirit of play like a child would be and realize that it’s critical for you to stay optimistic in a world that promotes such degeneracy and negativity through the media. Avoid these things at all costs. I say, create your own media, create your own world, or your own empire. Welcome to the world of Dante!
As an artist, change is necessary. It’s important not to get caught up with one way of doing things, and to break free of any past notions of what you deemed to be “success.” Create your own values and way of doing things. Focus on making new things and embrace change openly. Challenge your own ideas each and every day. Don’t stay stagnant, and just keep moving. Embrace chaos and change every single time you set out to make anything.
I think I’ve always been a misfit. In high school, I would skip class, and explore the neighborhood outdoors instead of sitting down and learning in the classroom. I’ve always felt like I needed adventure to learn. To this day, I prefer going for very long walks by myself. I find this to be a way to discover my true self on a deeper level and my connection to the universe. Embracing solitude is my voluntary decision to discover my soul.
Don’t become constrained by the norms that society imposes upon you. Create your own game to play and embrace yourself to the fullest. It’s hard for me to try to even pretend to be “normal” sometimes. I have to speak my mind, share my perspective, create, make art, destroy things, and rebuild again. It’s difficult for me to become confined to any indoor space, whether it’s an office, classroom, or even my own home. I need to think outside the box and quite literally remove myself physically from the box in order to be my truest self.
Don’t depend on external circumstance for happiness. What I realized through solitude is the fact that true happiness and bliss comes through finding beauty in the mundane. There is an art to walking, observing, talking, thinking, and exploring that I believe we overlook in modern society. We often turn to stimuli on our phones, TV, and computer screens, but realistically, the ultimate entertainment is out in the world itself. My favorite thing to do these days is to simply walk on a grass patch, look at flowers, look at trees, throw rocks around, be by the water, and just contemplate. There really is a special connection that we have to this real world that has nothing to do with man-made things such as technology or media. Don’t rely on any of these distracting external things for your happiness. Seek joy from within and appreciate the simple things in life such as sunlight, meat, and water.
Perhaps to be selfish is to be selfless. Focus on yourself and you will positively impact others. I believe that everybody on earth has their own vocation, or calling, that they must work on. For me, it’s photography. The more I work on my photography, the better I become as a person and the more I have to offer to others when I engage with people.
Untether yourself. When you walk on the street, recognize that the path is infinite, and endless. This earth is so open and there is so much to see. Imagine this, you could live until you’re 120 years old, and still not see everything on this planet. Allow this feeling to flow through you and unshackle yourself from your hometown, culture, beliefs, and free your mind, body, and spirit, to become more.
At the end of the day, we photographers paint with light. Let us follow the light as our guiding force in life. Through light, we can create art. We possess the superpower to abstract the world around us through the medium of photography, using sunlight as our ultimate source of power. When I photograph under the sun, I can’t help but to feel this sensation of power. It’s something unique, special, and different from any other form of art.
Wield that camera as a sword, strike through the heart of chaos, reveal the soul of the street, and create visual order and harmony through the light of life.
Dante Sisofo
Some more thoughts:
When I spent time in Zambia, Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer, the entire village was reliant on the borehole, or the well, for water.
Water is essential to life and brings vitality to communities all throughout the world. Specifically, in these remote villages, it is vital and necessary for human thriving to have a borehole. Without a source of water, there are no people. When you meet at the borehole, you will often be greeted by different families and people who are sharing the water together.
What I learned from this experience is simple and I believe applicable to life in modern cities: everybody shares from the same well and is working towards a collective good for the entire community.
The father of comedy-
“Lysistrata” is a comedic play by Aristophanes that was first performed in 411 BCE. The story is set during the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta and presents a bold, innovative plot where women take control of their own destinies in an effort to end the war.
The protagonist, Lysistrata, is an Athenian woman who is fed up with the ongoing war. She convinces the women of Athens and Sparta, as well as those from other city-states, to unite in a radical protest: they all agree to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands and lovers until the men agree to negotiate peace. This sex strike is both a form of protest and a powerful statement against the senselessness of the war.
The women also seize the Acropolis in Athens, where the city’s treasury is located, effectively controlling the funds necessary for waging war. The play is filled with humor, witty dialogue, and comic situations as the men try various strategies to break the women’s resolve, only to face firm resistance.
“Lysistrata” is notable for its exploration of themes such as the power dynamics between genders, the absurdity of war, and the quest for peace. It is a bold critique of war and a pioneering exploration of female agency in a male-dominated society. Despite being a comedy, the play conveys a serious message about the futility of conflict and the need for harmony and understanding.
ChatGPT is such a helpful aid while reading!
The term “transcend” comes from the Latin word “transcendere,” where “trans-” means “across, beyond” and “-scendere” means “to climb.” So, etymologically, “transcend” means “to climb beyond” or “to go beyond” a certain limit or boundary. In English, it is often used to describe the act of going beyond the ordinary limits of physical experience or of surpassing usual limitations.
In life, I believe it’s critical to create your own game to play. You don’t have to follow the rules of everyone else and try to fit in.
Have you ever played the video game Skyrim? When I played this game, I always sped up the process of enhancing my character’s abilities, and upgrading my armor early by cheating and exploiting certain things. In the game, there is dragon armor that is sought after, and very rare. To acquire this armor, you must have lots of gold.
There was a glitch in the game where you could climb along the outskirts on the wall of the town, and “glitch out of the map.”
You know how you can see that matrix pattern in video games that looks like a grid?
I would crawl under this and, while shop owners were asleep, steal every item from their chests, and sell the items back to the owner the next day.
The point is, in life, photography, and any endeavor, there comes a point where the “grinding” is not fun anymore. In video games, you always have to “grind” for XP or gold, which becomes very boring and kills the gameplay. Maybe I’m not the most patient person, but I’ve always wanted the results immediately.
When it comes to street photography, grinding every single day to come home with basically nothing on your hard drive will kill your joy and curiosity. Sure, you can get used to the failure, and understand how “difficult” street photography is, and that it takes a lifetime to make anything worthwhile. I learned this fact after a decade of traveling all over the world and making pictures every single day.
Why settle for this lemming mindset?
You see, in street photography, I believe we can actually speed things up like cheating in a video game. Nowadays, I’m mostly interested in coming home with an aesthetically beautiful photograph that peeks my curiosity. By using high contrast black-and-white baked into a small JPEG file on my Ricoh GR camera, I’m honestly always happy with something that I’ve made every single day. This completely removes the concept of 99% failure and 1% success that street photography has deemed to be the truth for a century.
There truly is something about the aesthetic itself, sublime, otherworldly, and purely magic. By abstracting the mundane life around you and treating the world as a canvas, it no longer matters where you are in the world, you can always find something to uplift in a photograph.
Also, setting the camera to P mode, or simply putting it in automatic mode, and not having to worry about any camera settings whatsoever makes this even more liberating for anybody’s level of photography. It does not matter if you are a complete beginner or a seasoned veteran, returning to the amateur snapshot is a fun and easy process that I believe speeds up the rate at which we make successful photos. See my camera cheat code here.
Make the camera your slave and stop grinding with no results.
I remember when I was around 16 years old during a photography class in high school and the teacher asked the class what they believe photography was. One student raised his hand and responded, “Painting with light.” This idea has stuck with me to this day. Perhaps it is true, photography is merely painting with light.
Role-playing games were always fun for me as a child. I remember the first RPG I ever played was Kingdom Hearts on the PlayStation 2. In the beginning of the game, the main character, Sora, spawns in on Destiny Island. The objective is to seek the door that unlocks Kingdom Hearts, which represents all knowledge and power.
On the island, he is with a group of friends. They often spend time looking out at the horizon, dreaming of leaving the island and what’s out there in the open world. There is a special Paopu fruit on the island that Sora and his friend Kairi share. In the game, this fruit intertwines the destiny of those that share it together, forever.
It feels as though everything is going well until the enemy, the heartless, appear, and a portal takes Sora away and into the world of darkness.
Throughout the game, Sora wields a keyblade as his weapon. The keyblade represents light and is used to battle against darkness and the heartless. The heartless feed on the hearts of those that are strong in light. They consume those with will and power into darkness and turn them into “nobodies.”
There is one particular scene that I remember most, when Sora is approached by his friend, Riku, who has become consumed by darkness and fights against him without a weapon. He taunts Sora because he has no weapon and appears to be powerless.
However, Sora responds, “I don’t need a weapon, my friends are my power!”
This is a pivotal point in the game where we learn that true power lies within the heart, full of light, and through their connections to other people. At this point, the keyblade is summoned to Sora as his heart is pure.
What I learned from this game is that upholding virtues, choices, and connections is the true source of power. Themes of inner strength, friendship, and the power of the heart are key within the game Kingdom Hearts, and I believe applicable to real life.
Perhaps along our journey, we must be virtuous, and simply follow the light.
I believe that when you put your mind, body, and spirit into any pursuit, we are bound for greatness. The connection between these three elements is critical to consider when it comes to life in general, but more specifically I relate it to my practice of street photography. In order to stay laser-focused with a sharp mind on the streets, I prefer staying fasted as it increases the connection between my mind and my body, or my gut. Through walking and moving my body in the world, observing the patterns in both nature and human behavior, and treating the world as a canvas, my spirit is ever becoming. I believe that when you are creating anything, and especially with street photography, we must return to the childlike state, and be a bit naive. Perceive the world through a child’s eyes, and embrace the spirit of play.
Perhaps it’s wise to find your happy place wherever you may be. Personally, I love walking towards the river here in Philadelphia. My happy place is along the Schuylkill river where I enjoy going for a nature walk through the grass and dirt paths, finding myself at an elevated space overlooking the trees and the river itself. I prefer doing this while barefoot, embracing nature and the uneven surfaces on an even deeper level. While I look out at the horizon and see beyond, I’m reminded of the open world that we live in. Like in an open world video game, in life, we should explore endlessly without any limits.
Perhaps we’ve lost our sense of imagination in modern life. I find this to be true for most people. As you get older, your childlike sense of wonder about mundane things becomes replaced by television and social media. In cities, we lack a connection to the stars above because of the pollution and smog that covers the night sky. I believe humans were more adventurous in the past because we had this simple connection to the sky and the mystery above our heads.
Sora is a Japanese word that translates to “sky”. In the game Kingdom Hearts, Sora has an adventurer’s spirit and an open heart. Going forward, we must remain curious and embrace our inner explorer every single day as artists and photographers. Maybe one simple idea that we can adopt is to treat life like a video game. Video games are meant to be fun and for you to explore as an adventurer. Let’s use our imagination and treat life this way.
What’s out there? What’s beyond the horizon?
When you walk on the street, wherever you may be, recognize that this path is infinite. Sure, it cuts off at a certain point and maybe you reach a dead end. But there is always a way for you to continue walking, moving your body through the world and seeking more from life itself. Don’t get caught up on the grid in a city and stay confined to the same route each day. Walk along the outskirts more and find yourself on the quiet side of the street, observing the places that are less traveled.
Maybe I’m merely a light chaser. I am an explorer with a camera that I wield as a key, unlocking the many doors to life itself through each new experience I have. By painting with light, and simply following the sun itself, I am filled with physical power. And because of the light, I possess the ability to make beautiful works of art. Photography is a superpower and the sun above my head is the source. At the end of the day, just follow the light, and the world will deliver its beauty to you.
The word “polis” in ancient Greek, which means “city-state,” has a direct etymology from Greek itself. It’s derived from the Greek word πόλις (pólis), signifying a city, a city-state, or a community with its own administration and self-governance. This term is at the root of many modern words related to politics and city life, such as “metropolis” (the mother city or main city, especially in relation to its colonies), “police” (originally pertaining to public administration), and “policy” (relating to governance). The concept of the polis was central to Greek civilization and has had a lasting impact on political theory and the understanding of civic and communal life.
The Crypteia or Krypteia was a secretive institution or rite of passage in ancient Sparta, involving the young male Spartiate population, particularly those in their late teenage years. It is often described as a kind of secret police or state-controlled initiative aimed at instilling discipline and loyalty among the Spartan youth while simultaneously suppressing the helot population, who were the enslaved people serving Sparta.
During the Crypteia, young Spartans were sent out with minimal equipment and were expected to survive on their skills and wits. One of their main objectives was to keep the helot population in check through intimidation and violence, including the possibility of assassinating any helot considered a threat to Spartan stability or who exhibited signs of rebellion.
The Crypteia served multiple purposes: it was a test of the youths’ survival skills, stealth, and martial prowess; a means of instilling fear among the helots; and a way to eliminate perceived threats within the servile population. This institution underscored the severe social stratification and the rigorous, militaristic nature of Spartan society, reflecting its focus on control, military readiness, and the maintenance of its unique social system.
Lycurgus is a legendary figure often credited with founding the legal and social frameworks of ancient Sparta. While details about his life are sparse and mixed with myth, he is traditionally seen as a lawgiver who established the rigorous military-oriented training known as the agoge, which was central to Spartan society. His reforms also included the creation of the Spartan constitution, which emphasized equality among citizens (at least, the Spartan male citizens), military discipline, and austerity.
Lycurgus is said to have instituted the syssitia (common messes where citizens would eat together), redistributed land to reduce economic inequality, and established the Gerousia (a council of elders), along with the Ephors, who provided a system of checks and balances. His laws were not written but were passed down orally, which added to the mystique of his legacy.
Historians debate the extent to which Lycurgus was a real historical figure versus a symbolic representation of Spartan values and laws. Regardless, his attributed reforms had a profound and lasting impact on Spartan society, influencing its structure and ethos throughout its history.
