“The Lamb of God” is a title for Jesus Christ, used in Christian theology to signify Jesus as the perfect sacrificial offering for sin. This concept originates in the Jewish tradition of sacrifice in the Temple, where a lamb was an important symbol of innocence, purity, and a means of atonement for sin.

In Christianity, this symbol is deeply connected to the belief that Jesus sacrificed himself to atone for the sins of humanity. This idea is closely tied to several passages in the New Testament of the Bible, particularly in the Gospel of John where John the Baptist refers to Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Additionally, in the Book of Revelation, the Lamb is used as a symbol for Christ in his triumphant and divine aspect, depicted as victorious over evil.

Overall, “the Lamb of God” is a central symbol in Christian theology, emphasizing Jesus’s role as a sacrificial savior.

Why Think?

In a world that is so connected through social media, phones, computers, TV, etc., information is delivered to us faster than ever. The instantaneous nature of information being shared to the masses—whether it’s entertainment or news—maybe prevents people from thinking for themselves. The problem is, the more we stay connected to everything going on in the world, the less we can think for ourselves and form our own opinions about everything.

When to Think?

I like to think while I’m walking in nature. I go on these walks toward the art museum here in Philadelphia along the River Trail, where I can enjoy nature, trees, fresh air, and look out toward the river. There’s an elevated space at the end of the walk, where I can gaze out towards beautiful architecture and admire the natural beauty of my city.

When I’m walking, I think more clearly, especially when I’m outside. Indoors isn’t as conducive to creative thoughts—the small space and ceiling almost trap them. Outside, it’s as if my thoughts can touch the sky and come back down with a better signal than WiFi. I think it’s also important to find time without thinking at all. When I’m photographing, I stop thinking and just exist in the now. It’s important to have this balance between thinking and not thinking.

The Angel of Death

I was born and raised Roman Catholic, went to Catholic school from pre-K to grade 8. I actually enjoyed Catholic school as a kid and found it provided a space for creativity and imagination. Every Friday, we’d have arts and crafts, always have time to go outside and play, pray, and learn about the mysteries of Jesus and theology. Every month, I remember sitting in the chapel in silence for a few hours, just pondering and imagining life in a carte blanche way. Life was pure and simple then; all I knew was Jesus and the stories we learned in class.

Maybe being more like a child and having imagination is the goal as an artist. But I’ll never forget the time I learned about the angel of death. That night, I went home, fell asleep, and woke up from a nightmare. I ran to my mom’s room, scared, wondering if the angel of death was coming and if we were going to die. I realized, at a young age, that the fate of every human being is eventual death.

Now, every morning, I wake up grateful to simply be alive, to have fresh air and the sun above. I also think it’s important to be critical of religious teachings and consider Jesus as a philosopher. Forget him dying on the cross for sins—just think of him as a guy with good ideas who shared wise thoughts with his disciples. The problem with religion is people get caught up in it and take it literally. Maybe I’m starting to see the sun as God. The sun is real and gives me the energy to speak my thoughts!

I’ve Only Just Started Thinking

Thinking about my past, I see how I lived on autopilot—constantly exploring, photographing, creating new work. I didn’t put much thought into the work I was creating or life in general. I became deeply invested in my craft, focused only on becoming a better photographer, which I guess benefited me in the long run. But stepping back from social media and disconnecting from contemporary culture allows me to think for myself and start to carve my own path.

What’s the Point of Thinking?

I believe critical thinkers will run the future. It’s easy to become divided in today’s world because of the mass amount of information and fear-mongering online. As soon as the news hits everyone’s iPhones, young college students are out on the streets with cardboard signs, blocking traffic without even giving it a second thought.

Honestly, I don’t trust anyone using social media. I just assume anyone leaving comments is an AI bot, not a real person. A lot of online info could be fabricated by some loser in his mom’s basement, trolling. A lot of online users become dark, emo types, enjoying the demise of others from behind a screen. Look at comedy today on TikTok and other platforms—it’s all about watching people in pain and suffering, and just laughing at it. It’s foolish at best and not funny.

NPCs Everywhere

A non-playable character (NPC) in a game like Skyrim has a limited set of responses when you interact with them. They repeat the same few phrases. Nowadays, people act like NPCs. I see it in the elevator: people turn the other way, glued to their phones, avoiding interaction. It’s like anti-social behavior is normal now.

We should face each other in the elevator. Be personal—tell people a random story from your life instead of “Have a nice day.”

Phones Are Generally Bad

The problem with phone use is that it lacks the human behaviors needed for real-life conversation. I only use my phone to FaceTime my brother and for blogging. Other than that? Just delete social media and embrace digital minimalism. I don’t trust anyone constantly watching YouTube, listening to podcasts, or staying connected online like that.

Flesh is the Future

Flesh, physical life—this is the future. Sure, we live in a digital world now, with virtual reality and tech innovations, but true value lies in being in the flesh. People who wear AirPods in public drown out reality, listening to music or garbage podcasts as they walk. You can’t think for yourself if you’re constantly plugged in.

When I hold the door open for people, they can’t even make eye contact because they’re buried in AirPods, disconnected from real life. Going forward, stay in touch with your local town and what’s happening around you. Everything else is a distraction and not worth it. Disconnect from the digital world and connect with real life in the physical flesh.

Why Does This All Matter?

We’re alive in the most insane and incredible time to be alive. We have Amazon, unlimited resources, yummy food, hyper-realistic video games, simulations. Think of WALL-E—the humans in hover chairs, fed information on screens, eating junk food, their ship hijacked by a robot while they can’t even steer it themselves. Could this be our future?

Maybe all we can do is laugh in the face of chaos and embrace it.

Merge with the machine, use the tools we have to our advantage, but remain grounded in the flesh. Enhance your thoughts with ChatGPT, study etymology, learn whatever you want, but remember to stay social. Human beings in the flesh will run the future. Those who think critically, without excess media influence, will be the innovators and movers. As artists and photographers, we need to move forward with skepticism and optimism. The future may be bright, but we also need to recognize the physical and mental decline happening around us.

We can either become super-soldiers or end up like the people on WALL-E’s ship.

1. How I want to spend my short time on this earth
2. What I learned as a peace corps volunteer
3. How to be happy
4. Be fearless
5. Explore
6. Adventure is in my blood
7. Embrace your child like curiosity
8. Strive to create beautiful art from a state of pure joy
9. Stop trying to be perfect
10. Carte blanche
11. Change the world
12. Your body is your soul
13. The now
14. Break societal norms
15. Curiosity and exploration
16. Nobody will notice
17. Take the more interesting path in life
18. Boredom is a tragedy
19. Think legacy
20. Create anew
21. What is the goal?
22. Avoid miserable people like the plague
23. Treat life like a videogame
24. A world without art is an ugly world
25. The goal of life isn’t happiness
26. Bring back beauty
27. Unlimited resources
28. Life is the videogame
29. Dreams and nightmares
30. Isn’t life so grand?
31. The goal to transcend
32. Why think?

The reason why I love ChatGPT so much is because you don’t get suckered by all these nonsensical conspiracy theories on social media, the Internet, etc. also all the advertisements that are bombarding your face on Google and Wikipedia, and these places are really bad. Maybe the Internet is just a bad place in general? ChatGPT is the freaking future!

Bring back ROME

Certainly, the conspiracy theory that suggests tap water contains significant amounts of birth control pills or hormones, which can affect people’s health or fertility, is not supported by scientific evidence. Here’s why:

1. Treatment and Regulation: Municipal water systems are highly regulated and undergo rigorous treatment processes to remove contaminants, including pharmaceuticals. These systems are monitored to ensure that the water meets safety standards set by health and environmental agencies.
2. Trace Amounts: While it’s true that trace amounts of various pharmaceuticals, including hormones from birth control pills, have been detected in water supplies, these levels are extremely low. They are typically measured in parts per billion or trillion, far below the threshold that would be required to have a physiological impact on humans.
3. Studies and Research: Extensive research has been conducted to understand the presence and effects of pharmaceuticals in water systems. The consensus is that the concentrations found are too low to pose a risk to human health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that the trace amounts of hormones found in drinking water are not a public health concern.
4. Environmental Impact: The primary concern regarding pharmaceuticals in water sources tends to focus on environmental impacts, such as effects on aquatic life, rather than direct effects on human health. Even in these cases, the effects are associated with continuous exposure to these substances in the environment, not occasional consumption of tap water.
5. Sources of Hormones: Hormones can enter water systems from various sources, not just birth control pills. These include other pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, and agricultural run-off. The notion that birth control pills are a significant or exclusive source is misleading.

In summary, while the presence of trace pharmaceuticals in water supplies is an area of ongoing study, the idea that tap water contains enough birth control substances to affect human health is a conspiracy theory not grounded in scientific evidence. The concentrations found in tap water are too low to have any physiological effect on humans.

Why does tap water taste different from bottled water?

Tap water and bottled water can taste different due to several factors:

1. Source: Tap water usually comes from rivers, lakes, or underground sources and may contain different minerals depending on the location. Bottled water can be spring water, mineral water, or even filtered tap water.
2. Treatment: Tap water is typically treated with chemicals like chlorine to kill bacteria and other microorganisms. This treatment can affect its taste. Bottled water often undergoes different treatment processes like reverse osmosis or distillation, which can give it a different taste profile.
3. Minerals: The presence of minerals (like calcium, magnesium, and sodium) can vary significantly between tap water and different brands of bottled water, affecting the taste.
4. Packaging: Bottled water might have a slight taste from the plastic or glass container, especially if stored for a long time or in certain conditions.
5. pH Level: The pH level of water, which can vary between sources and treatment processes, can influence the taste. Some bottled waters are even marketed based on their unique pH levels.
6. Storage and Age: The age of water and the conditions under which it’s stored can alter its taste. Tap water is generally fresher compared to bottled water, which might have been stored for a long period.

Each of these factors contributes to the overall sensory experience of drinking water.

BLISS BLISS KISS KISS

The best feeling I ever get in life is through walking? The most blissful way to exist is being a pedestrian in your city, and just observing all of the beauty, the architecture, and trying to uplift the smallest mundane things throughout the streets.

Thanks William Penn, you made a really nice grid!

1. Walking is life
2. The importance of sleep
3. Why lift weights?
4. Sunbathe as much as possible
5. Testosterone is happiness
6. How to become a demigod
7. Treat your body like art
8. Why you should start fasting
9. Coffee as a stimulant
10. My carnivore diet journey
11. Carnivore diet is economic
12. The war on meat
13. Stop eating processed food
14. Drinking alcohol is strange
15. Sports are silly
16. Clothing is armor
17. Listen to your gut
18. Bad weather, bad mood?
19. The great outdoors
20. Why I love nature
21. Being indoors is not healthy
22. Anti-anti-social
23. Why I love cycling
24. The body is democratic
25. Spartan flex

The Goal to Transcend

At this point, I could never make another “good” photo again and feel completely satisfied with the images I’ve created on my journey so far. But this satisfaction brings a new question: what’s next? How do we push the future of photography into a more thrilling, boundary-breaking direction?

Go Beyond

To transcend means to go beyond—to surpass the limits of what’s known. The etymology of “transcend” points to rising above or surpassing something. In art, this is the ultimate challenge: breaking free from conventions, defying the familiar boundaries that confine so much of our craft.

“Transcend” means to go beyond the limits of something, to rise above or surpass. It often refers to achieving a level of performance, understanding, or existence that is superior to or beyond normal limits.

This is what I seek with photography. We should aim to move beyond conventional notions of a “good” photograph, and beyond the romanticized lessons left by the masters of the past. One of my greatest frustrations in street photography is this obsessive nostalgia for what’s been done. I say, crush the masters and move forward.

Embrace the New

Why is film photography making a comeback? Today, photographers don their flannels, beanies, and old cameras around their necks for a “look.” But why is the work itself often uninteresting? It feels tied to old-school, outdated notions of being an artist with a capital “A”—taking everything too seriously and refusing to evolve.

Just Fuck Shit Up

Moving forward, let’s just fuck shit up. Work at lightning speed, faster than any mode of photography that’s come before. Uplift the human experience in the rawest, most candid way possible, and let the results fall where they may. Enough of boring artists, slow processes, and predictable photos.

Think Carte Blanche

To transcend, we need a blank slate—a carte blanche approach. Starting from scratch, we can see how the conventions of the past are actually holding us back. Even the way we view photography in galleries feels outdated. Walking through the galleries in New York, I see so much work hijacked by shallow, trendy themes. Social justice and woke aesthetics dominate, reducing photography to tiresome displays. Where’s the thrill, the vision, the freedom?

So, What Can We Do?

Disconnect from the noise, from galleries, projects, zines, books, and just carve your own path forward. Photograph for yourself, for your own vision, and abandon the constraints of projects and external expectations. Let’s strive to create work that’s free from all conventions. The real question to solve is: how can we make photography less boring?