“To be surprised at nothing” or “Let nothing astonish you.”
🔍 Etymology: • Nihil = nothing • Admirari = to wonder at, be amazed, or admire
⸻
💭 Philosophical meaning:
This phrase expresses a Stoic or skeptical attitude — a mindset of emotional steadiness, detachment, and resilience.
You’ll find it echoed in Stoicism, where the ideal sage remains unshaken by external events — whether fortune or misfortune, beauty or horror. It’s about training the soul not to be thrown off balance by surprises.
🗣️ Famous uses: • Horace, the Roman poet, uses it in Epistles 1.6.1: “Nil admirari prope res est una, Numici, Solaque quae possit facere et servare beatum.” (To be amazed at nothing, Numicius, is almost the only thing that can make and keep a man happy.)
⸻
✅ Summary:
Nihil admirari = Keep your cool. Expect everything. Be surprised by nothing. It’s the motto of those who strive for inner peace in a chaotic world.
What’s poppin, people? It’s Dante walking around Philadelphia with the Ricoh GR III, photographing using high contrast black and white, small JPEG files. As always.
The Spirit of Play
Today I’m thinking about this idea of the simple joy—look at that—of pressing the shutter and what that provides for me in my everyday life.
When I’m photographing and I’m pressing the shutter throughout the day, there’s this exuberance for life that’s fueling me to do that. Like there’s this innate quality I’ve cultivated through simple gratitude for the day where, when I’m photographing, I’m merely embracing the spirit of play.
“I’m simply having fun and having so much joy flow through me that then has me press the shutter.”
Detachment and the Flow State
And I think ultimately, that joy—that feeling—hopefully is what reflects back in the photographs I make, despite what I’m photographing.
When you’re detached from the outcome of whatever you’re photographing and you’re simply embracing the process itself, you enter something deeper.
You click the shutter more.
You affirm your life through that clicking.
You just enjoy the walk.
The sounds, the sights, the smells.
Just looking at things.
Even if you’re in a mundane place or walking the same route every single day—like I come to Chinatown all the time—it’s not some novel experience for me.
But through photography, I actually believe it’s possible to experience novelty in the way light casts upon surfaces.
A Stream of Becoming
“People, places, and things will always be different. No two photographs that you make will ever be the same.”
When you’re on the street and photographing in these familiar places, you can actually enter this stream of becoming—that’s what I call it. You’re evolving with each click of the shutter.
And the way you photograph reflects that—through:
Speed
Spontaneity
When you’re actually shooting in a very streamlined way—using a small JPEG, photographing quickly, not thinking too much about the result—you enter this process of making imperfect photos.
And those imperfections, those little nuances, the small details you wouldn’t otherwise notice, they reveal themselves in the images you make.
“Those mistakes are what allow a novel photograph to be born.”
You can live in the world and respect its order, paying your taxes, while ultimately belonging to a higher spiritual kingdom.
The Renaissance Period
The Renaissance was a transformative period from the 14th to the 17th century that redefined art, science, politics, and education in Europe. This collection of essays explores various facets of the Renaissance, including the pivotal role of patronage in shaping artistic culture, the impact of the Protestant Reformation on religious thought, the achievements of the Northern Renaissance, and the groundbreaking advancements of the Scientific Revolution. Additionally, the essays highlight the evolution of Renaissance education, the Age of Exploration’s global implications, and Machiavelli’s insights on power and governance. Together, they illustrate how the Renaissance laid the foundation for modern Western thought and the interconnectedness of human creativity and inquiry.
I’m so disconnected. In 2022, I went hectic. Revelations in a dream— Now the mundane ain’t what it seems.
Yeah, I got pride. When I arrived in the village, I slaughtered the goat and wore the hide.
Summon Dionysus just so I can laugh Right in the face of chaos, As Jesus fills fishes in my raft.
You might think that I’ve lost, But I’ve only just begun. That’s why every morning, You’ll catch me walking towards the sun.
Why Philadelphia Is the Best
I remember when I came home from my trip to Hanoi, Vietnam in 2022. I started walking around the city, looking at all the beautiful architecture, and thought to myself: is this not the greatest city in the United States? I started thinking like I was an ancient Spartan or a Roman warrior, imagining the streets of Philadelphia as another Athens. It felt far more beautiful and empowering to walk the same familiar blocks, treating my city like paradise.
When I gaze up at City Hall’s grand structure—the columns, the ornamentation, the sculptures, and the sheer size of the largest municipal building in the country—I think, damn, this is amazing. You walk down Broad Street and there’s our own miniature Pantheon, like you’re walking through ancient Rome. Everything here is magnificent: the art, the architecture, the history. We have two rivers, an actual forest, 10,000 acres of parkland, and a beautifully laid-out grid system that makes street photography effortless.
This lifestyle is perfect for someone like me, someone who hates driving and just wants to be mobile. I’ve never owned a car in my life. I’ve probably driven only a handful of times. And I’ve never needed to. In the city, you walk everywhere—just like the ancients. Imagine the alternative: living in the suburbs, stuck in traffic, commuting, staring at brake lights. It’s enough to make you miserable.
Just yesterday, I sat at my desktop for hours working on the Ricoh GR guide. Indoors. Staring at a screen. It brought back memories of high school, being forced to sit still and do busywork. The only difference is, I actually care about this. But even so, it drained me. We aren’t made to sit. We have legs, spines, movement. I really believe humans are meant to move—every day, all year, for our entire lives.
Was it worth it? Yeah. I learned a lot. That was the point. I wanted to create something compact and downloadable—20 MB, fits in your phone, filled with images, videos, and thoughts that might help someone else create.
A Student of the Game
I made the guide because I was talking to a local photographer whose friend had just gotten into street photography. He showed him my one-hour 20 minute Ricoh GR masterclass video. His friend—who had never taken a picture before—sent back an image that looked better than most beginner work I’ve ever seen. That got me excited. I wanted to make a proper companion PDF to that video.
I still believe video is the best way to share knowledge. Better than text. Better than static images. Audio, visuals—it just hits differently. That’s why I’ve started writing these morning essays. They’re just exercises. I speak them out loud with voice dictation on my iPhone. Speaking helps me learn. It helps me think.
This is the goal: to be a student forever. To learn always. That’s what happens when someone falls in love with street photography. At first, it’s the rush—the dopamine from making pictures. You get one good frame and you’re hooked. But after a while, when the results aren’t coming, the burnout creeps in. Still, burnout is mindset. And that’s where this all shifts.
Child’s Mind
Wake up each morning like it’s your birthday. A child doesn’t need to be forced onto the playground. They run there. But adults? We wake to alarms. We drag ourselves through rituals, traffic, work. We force ourselves to play. That’s not it.
As artists, our work should come voluntarily. Street photography shouldn’t feel like a burden. It should feel like play. The world is your playground. You’re a big kid with a camera. When you approach your craft like that—lighthearted and curious—you’ll find meaning, results, and joy.
How Black and White Helped Me Transcend
I shot color photography for seven years, traveling across the globe, documenting life as it is. But in 2022, I began to shoot high-contrast black and white. That changed everything.
I started to see the world differently. I focused on macro details—textures, botanicals, open landscapes, the sky and clouds. I returned to the essence of photography: light.
Photography means “drawing with light.”
With black and white, I push the contrast to the max. It becomes pure sketching. I abstract reality. I create something new. Each photo is no longer just what I saw—it’s what I didn’t see. Black and white opened up infinite novelty, even in the mundane.
That’s how I know I’m transcending as a photographer. I’m not just documenting the world—I’m reshaping it. I’m making my own world. Every day is beautiful again. Every image is a world unto itself.
Bound by Gravity
I’ve been working in horticulture in the park for the past year. It brings me joy. Why? Because I move. I bend, trim, plant, lift, climb. My whole body is active. My mind is focused. I’m alive. I’m in Eden.
When you move and connect with the soil, it’s like returning home. And this 27-acre park? That’s my canvas. My playground. My open-air studio.
In the morning, I walk and pray. I remind myself: I am bound by gravity. I cut. I bleed. I feel greed and lust. I am imperfect—and that’s what makes me divine. My mortality draws me closer to God. When I follow my conscience, walk the narrow path, and live with discipline, I become free.
Free like a bird. No fear. No worry. Just flight.
Anxiety Is a Disease
I don’t watch the news anymore. I don’t consume media—no YouTube, no TV, no endless scrolling. Why? Because anxiety is a disease, and media is the breeding ground. I only find out what’s happening in the world when I leave my apartment and overhear people talking. The other day, I got in the elevator and told a neighbor how I’d been working in the park. She looked at me and said, “Well, I’m glad you didn’t get shot.” I said, “What?” Apparently, there was some shooting nearby. And I thought—what a way to start the day. I was just going out to catch the sunrise.
I can’t imagine living in that kind of fear every day. It’s slavery of the mind. That’s why I stay unplugged. Even yesterday, after I finished working on my PDF, I was walking the trail and ran into another photographer. He was heading to the Pride festival—one of the most vibrant events in the city—and I had no clue it was even happening. I’ve been so immersed in my own world, I didn’t need any of that. No events, no destinations. I’m just floating now—free and light, unburdened. Disconnected. And it all started when I went hectic.
I Went Hectic
At the end of 2021, beginning of 2022, I began semen retention. When you stop releasing your seed, something shifts. The cloud lifts. You feel clarity, drive, purpose. I haven’t released in 3–4 years. I feel like Goku going Super Saiyan. I have energy all day, and my mind is razor sharp.
Recently, I went to dinner with a few guys. They were obsessed with the waitress—craving her attention, whispering comments, hoping she’d talk to them. I sat there thinking, This is the last thing we need right now. It reminded me of Tyler Durden in the bathtub with a cigarette. When you stop needing that kind of validation—when you stop chasing sexual gratification—you realize how shallow it all is. A fraction of a second of dopamine. I get the same rush from making a photograph.
It’s hard to stop lusting entirely—let’s be real—but just imagine: every time you release, you’re draining your battery to 0%. All that stored potential energy inside you now lies wasted. And once you retain it long enough, you start to sense who doesn’t. It’s subtle, but it’s there. You feel their energy—restless, uncontained, lost.
The Love of Beauty Itself
Last year I read Plato’s Symposium. They talked about different genders—male, female, and the combination of both. That alone shows you: identity discourse has always existed. Gay, bi, trans—none of this is new. It’s been around since ancient times. Let people live.
But what struck me most was their discussion of love—specifically the ladder of love. It starts with Eros: physical desire, lust, wanting something from another person. But it climbs toward Agape: divine love. The love of another’s soul. Then the love of all beauty. Until finally, you reach the love of beauty itself.
I think of the villages in Zambia. The well and the church were the center of life. They gave both physical and spiritual nourishment. But building a well isn’t easy. You dig and dig until you tap into the source. Once you hit it, the water flows endlessly. That’s what divine love is like—overflowing.
And like the altar where Jesus was crucified, it reminds you of sacrifice. The villagers sacrifice too—hauling bricks, building homes, raising children, cooking meals. Everyone gives. And because they’re tapped into that eternal source, they receive. To connect to God is to live in sacrifice. To strive. To overflow.
But maybe we can never fully reach Agape. God is Agape. We are not. Still, by following the narrow path, we strive toward it—like children. Falling. Rising. Learning. Loving, not because we want anything, but because beauty itself deserves love.
Nobody Cares About You
One of the most freeing realizations you can have is this: nobody cares about you. And that’s a good thing.
It sounds harsh, but it liberates you from the need for approval. You stop seeking validation. You focus on strength—on health, on discipline, on your connection with God. The opinions of others fall away.
Sure, it’s natural to want affection. We’re social creatures. But when you realize that, in the end, most people are too wrapped up in themselves to really care—you can finally live. You can finally create. Maybe this is just America. Maybe it’s Philly. But here, it’s every man for himself. That’s why it helps to remember: nobody cares. And that means you’re free.
Zest for Life
When I wake up after deep sleep, hydrated, feeling strong, and I see the first light of sunrise—I leap into the day. I let the sun hit my eyes. I walk back to that cliff over the river and I feel the infinite potential of this open world. The world calls to me. It hums with life.
There’s so much to do, so much to see, so much to explore. And all of it is worth photographing. The abundance of the world pours through me like the waterfall I gaze toward every morning. That thought—that feeling—is what fuels my love for life.
The Smile Is a Deep Sense of Knowing
For the past few months, I’ve been practicing Ashtanga yoga. It’s rigorous. Upside-down lotus poses, backbends into planks—it pushes your body beyond what you think is possible. But at the end of the practice, you lie down in Shavasana. Just flat on your back, like a starfish. Total stillness. Complete release.
And in that moment, something happens. Energy travels through your spine. Your body resets. You feel whole again. It’s more powerful than any workout.
Every time I lie there, I smile. Not because I’m thinking of anything. Not because someone told me to. It just happens. It’s like God is hugging you. It’s not belief. It’s knowing. And that smile is the knowing.
Not belief in a church, a priest, a book. A direct connection. A divine touch that reminds you—He’s real.
Striving for Agape Is the New Goal
What does Agape look like, and why does it matter? I think Agape looks like greeting your neighbors warmly, bringing love to the table wherever you go. One of my favorite things I’ve done this year is talking with bus drivers—guys who are open, grounded, present. Sometimes, when I’ve ridden with one for a while, I’ll give them a 4×6 print from my photography archive as a small gift.
Shoutout to D, the best bus driver from Turkey. He came by where I work and toured the greenhouse with me. Such a good dude. He feeds squirrels and told me that driving the bus is like a kind of meditation for him. We talked about how repeating the word “peace” in Arabic—Halim—rewires his brain through neural plasticity. That idea stuck with me. I started bringing it into my street photography. Saying peace—moving with peace—shooting with peace.
The City Is a Living Organism
If Philadelphia is a living being, then City Hall is its heart. The subways and streets are the veins and arteries, pumping blood through the body of the city. That’s why I have so much respect for the people who work public transportation—they are the pulse, keeping the city alive.
When I walk around, I don’t follow a plan. I don’t chase locations. I follow intuition. A left turn instead of a right. A new alley. A different block. These small shifts spark new neural pathways in the brain. That’s brain plasticity. That’s novelty.
And when you start seeing the city like that—alive, interconnected—everything becomes more meaningful. I genuinely believe my body gravitates toward beauty. Every morning, I end up by the river. Maybe that’s because I’m mostly water, and water calls to water. It’s gravity. It’s resonance.
The Present Is the Ultimate Gift
Don’t dwell in the past. Don’t obsess over the future. When I’m photographing—really seeing—I’m outside of time. The present moment becomes the only thing that exists.
That is the gift. The trees giving you oxygen. The birds calling to you. The feeling of the ground beneath your feet. The freedom to move. To breathe. To be.
Seeking Eudaimonia
Reading Aristotle’s Ethics taught me about eudaimonia—the highest form of flourishing. A good spirit. A divine guide within. It’s not just pleasure or happiness. It’s purpose. It’s virtue in action.
eu- (good) + daimon (spirit) → “having a good guiding spirit”
It’s the feeling of waking up knowing you are striving toward something worthy. You’re disciplining your body, sharpening your mind, nourishing your soul. Discipline itself comes from “disciple”—to be a student. So I stay a student. Always learning—through art, through books, through pain, through prayer.
You don’t reach eudaimonia by accident. You work for it. You train for it. You sacrifice for it. You align with the highest version of yourself. And through that, you touch paradise—right here on earth.
Waking Up with Enthusiasm
The ultimate goal is vitality. To wake up with enthusiasm. That word literally means “to be possessed by a god.” And that’s how I want to feel—like something divine is moving through me.
For three years, I’ve fasted every day. No food until sunset. And every day, I feel sharper, stronger, more connected. Fasting gives clarity. It empties the gut, clears the mind, and reveals God’s voice in the stillness. Your body is a temple. Why fill it with trash?
You don’t want to feed your temple with garbage—whether it’s in your mouth, your eyes, or your ears. I wait until the sun sets. Then I feast. On grass-fed beef. On the best cuts from cows that spent all day grazing. They chew all day so I don’t have to. I don’t need to eat like a squirrel. Let the cow do the chewing. I’ll just eat the cow.
Pure Felicity
Right now I’m reading The City of God by Saint Augustine. It’s surprisingly funny—especially his takes on the pagan gods. There’s a god for everything, even Felicity, the goddess of happiness. She was printed on Roman coins.
The Roman god of money? Pecunia, from pecus—meaning cattle. So maybe we’ve come full circle. In ancient Rome, wealth was cattle. Today, I buy beef in bulk from Amish farmers in Lancaster. A half cow. Hundreds of pounds in my freezer. That’s my vault. That’s my bank. That’s real wealth.
The dollar? It’s just paper. It used to be backed by gold, now it’s backed by nothing. People spend it on junk. Junk clothes. Junk food. Junk plastic made in factories to keep people busy. But beef? Salt? Water? That’s what matters.
You don’t need much. Just meat, salt, and water. Even salary comes from solarium—money Roman soldiers were paid to buy salt. Salt was survival. I saw it firsthand in Zambia. They used salt to preserve fish without electricity. And now that I box, stretch, and train every day—I take an Epsom salt bath every night. Salt heals.
Time is the real currency. That’s why we say spend time. Pay attention. Design a life that feels like play. Live like a child. If your life is leisure and not labor—if your days are filled with beauty and not burdens—you’ve won.
And when the money comes, buy beef. And when you’ve got enough beef, buy Bitcoin. Store it in a vault. And go outside.
I decided to do something very difficult for me today—sit at my desk and work on an E-book instead of walking the streets with my camera. Haha!
Feel free to download, share, remix, and use the information however you want. There’s also a blog post and an hour-long YouTube video that go even deeper into my full workflow.
The guide is designed for iPhone viewing, with links inside to watch videos alongside the text. Hopefully it all works smoothly. I’ll keep iterating—and if I can force myself to sit at the computer more, I’ll make more resources like this. Check it out! Time to hit the streets…
The Ultimate Ricoh GR Street Photography Guide — Free PDF Now Available
What’s poppin, people? It’s Dante.
Today I’m standing on top of the cliff overlooking the beautiful Schuylkill River here in Philadelphia. And I’ve got something I wanted to share with you…
📄 I Made a Free PDF — The Ultimate Ricoh GR Guide
You can download it right now. It’s completely free.
What’s poppin’ people? It’s Dante. Welcome to Street Photography Breakdown, Part 11 — where we dive into five photographs, break down five different compositions, and give you some behind-the-scenes insight on how these images were created.
My goal? To help you walk away with ideas you can apply on your own street photography journey.
🏀 Example 1: Basketball in Mumbai
A lot of the time, I follow my intuition when I enter a new place. I wander alleys and streets that are otherwise unnoticed or uncharted.
“The simple pleasure of exploration is to go somewhere outwardly into the world, into the unknown, and sort of just go with the flow.”
This was just some random beach town. I hopped in a taxi and said, “The sun’s setting — take me to the closest beach.” I landed at a street scene where a boy was playing basketball.
What made the shot:
Beautiful golden hour light
Vibrant backdrop with textures and color
Gesture pattern of the boy tossing the ball repeatedly
I recognized a moment and worked the scene. Dropped to a lower angle. Let the scene unfold.
Boy in foreground
Man in green shirt in background
A dog swooping around
Religious statue on a ledge
A basket on the far right
“You can’t really put it all together in the moment. But to create order out of chaos, simplify it down to a few key elements.”
This shot was about positioning, color, timing, and trusting my gut.
🌇 Example 2: Schuylkill River Docks, Philadelphia
I love riding my bike along the river trail. Once again, I’m out during that golden/blue hour transition — cool, nuanced light.
This was a joyful, uplifting summer day.
There were people hanging out on blankets, and I spotted a child sitting on the right on their phone. That became my anchor point.
What I built from:
Anchor subject (the child)
Foreground dock and background dock for structure
Movement of people walking on the promenade
Reflection of the fisherman
A girl entering the foreground
“I’m looking at the world in front of me as a visual puzzle to solve.”
The composition came together by working back to front and front to back, like solving a layered puzzle of time and space.
🐍 Example 3: Snake Tattoo at the Art Museum
Another one from the Schuylkill River Trail. I saw a guy holding up a snake, doing tricks. I asked to make a photo.
He placed the snake on the grass, went to pick it up — and I dropped low.
I photographed the snake on the ground, and later noticed something wild:
“The tattoo on his leg was the exact same shape as the real snake.”
That wasn’t planned. I didn’t even notice it in the moment.
But that’s the magic of instinct:
Man’s gesture lifting the snake
Tattoo mirroring the real snake
Art museum in the background
“Not every good photo is seen with the naked eye. Some are felt. Some are gifts.”
⚰️ Example 4: Zambian Funeral
As a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia, I attended many funerals. It’s actually culturally encouraged to join when you pass one.
I was integrated into the community, spoke the Bemba language, and was allowed to photograph these events respectfully.
One day, I was at a funeral:
I noticed the dust rising
The men digging the grave
And this one man who collapsed in grief
I tracked him with my feet and my eyes. I dropped low, pressed the shutter.
“I don’t believe photography has anything to do with photography. It has everything to do with how you engage with humanity out there on the front lines of life.”
Visual elements that came together:
Repeated arm gestures of the shovels
Rising smoke
A stick mimicking the shovel’s shape
Tension between order and chaos
As a street photographer, I look for the geometry within emotion, the formal beauty inside the human moment.
✝️ Example 5: Jesus in Mexico City
I saw the mountains in the distance and said: I want to go there.
Got in a taxi. Went to a place called Idios Verdes. Took a gondola to the top.
And what did I find?
A giant sculpture of Jesus
A gritty construction site
A man shouting “Mexico! Mexico!” with arms outstretched
“As I reached the peak, I was there at the brink of danger, in the unknown, at the top of this city.”
This shot was intentional.
I plugged Jesus into the background
Waited for a human to enter the foreground
The man entered, arms stretched
Boom — visual connection established
Also in the frame:
A dog
A bag of soil
Storm clouds rolling in
“This is what happens when you’re sharp, observant, and present — when you work the scene and trust your intuition.”
Final Thoughts: Go Where the Light Takes You
“The adventure of your life is just right outside your door.”
Don’t just go to the hotspots. Go to the places that draw you in.
Wander the alleys
Follow the light
Climb the mountain
That’s where the real photography happens. That’s where you happen.
Photograph the pure light that emanates through the tunnels of City Hall throughout the different times of day change of seasons, etc. No people. Just pure light early morning? 
Why speak when you have photography? Because in order to create light, first there had to be a word.
Words create meaning. Photographs create form. Both bring the invisible into the visible
art done well reflects aretē — the excellence of the human spirit expressed through form.
Love and zest for life
Enthusiasm, possessed by a God 
Lotus flower fighting for light in darkness in the murky swamp
Upside down lotus pose in yoga class
Shavasana pose- can’t help but smile every time
The smile is a deep sense of knowing
God is hugging me
The present is the ultimate gift  Rejoice for we arrived at the truth
Blossom
Faith
Fate
Destiny
Transcendence
Bubona- Roman goddess of oxen and cattle (bos- bovis – ox or cow)
Pecunia – money (Roman godess of money)
Pecūnia comes from pecus, meaning cattle or livestock.
Felicity
“Felicitas”, who was a Roman goddess and personification of good fortune, happiness, and success.
Felicitas literally means luck, happiness, prosperity, or blessedness.
Roman coins often featured her image, symbolizing peace and good fortune under imperial rule
She’s usually depicted holding a caduceus or cornucopia, representing commerce and abundance.
Oceanus – titan of the ocean born of Uranus (sky) and Gaia (earth)
Theres a sculpture of Oceanus at the Travi fountain. I remember being a 10 year old boy throwing coins into the fountain. The fountain has been flowing for centuries
Humans are like fountains or wells
A good well is connected to the source
It’s difficult to connect a well to the source- lots of time and labor and digging
The source is god
Once connected to the source it is always flowing with abundance. The cup is full and needs nothing from anybody but just embodies pure unconditional love and joy
It means a life well-lived, deep fulfillment, and human flourishing, not just momentary joy.
Etymology: eu- (good) + daimōn (spirit or divine power) → “having a good guiding spirit.”
Eudaimonia is often translated as “happiness,” but it’s more like “blessedness” or “a life of virtue in alignment with one’s highest nature.
The connection between eudaimonia and felicity is both philosophical and linguistic — a bridge between Greek thought and Roman values, and ultimately, to our modern understanding of happiness.
It’s not about pleasure or emotion, but about living virtuously, fulfilling your potential, and aligning with reason and moral excellence.
Eudaimonia is the ultimate goal of life for Aristotle — achieved not by luck or wealth, but by cultivating virtue (aretē) and living rationally over a lifetime.
Key Difference: • Eudaimonia is earned through ethical living and virtue. • Felicitas is often granted by external powers — divine favor, fortune, or societal success.
In Summary:
Eudaimonia (Greek):
Flourishing through virtue
Lifelong fulfillment
Philosophical ideal
Requires effort and reason
Felicitas (Latin):
Happiness through good fortune
Instant or public prosperity
Deified abstraction
May come by divine favor
Crucible
The word “crucible” comes from the Late Latin word crucibulum, which referred to a night lamp or a melting pot for metals.
Here’s the breakdown: • Latin crux = “cross” – possibly influencing the term metaphorically, as the crucible is a place of severe trial, like the cross was for suffering. • Crucibulum → a type of vessel used to melt or refine metals by fire. • Entered Middle English from Old French or directly from Medieval Latin, retaining the sense of a container used for heating substances to high temperatures.
Modern meanings: 1. A heat-resistant container for melting substances. 2. A severe test or trial — metaphorically, a place or situation in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new.
In a figurative sense, a “crucible” is where something is tested, refined, or transformed under pressure or adversity — like the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, where characters are tested in the “heat” of hysteria and accusation.
Digging a well to reach the source
Light emerging from tunnels
Art expressing aretē
Eudaimonia as earned through virtue
A fountain flowing endlessly once connected
Art is the crucible where light, struggle, and spirit are fused into form.
“How much then is a man better than a sheep?” Matthew 12:12
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3
“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8
Philly is like hitting the vape for the 30th time
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matthew 5:44
“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” Matthew 6:25
“Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” Matthew 6:26
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:34
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Matthew 7:7
“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:14
“A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” Matthew 7:18
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matthew 11:29
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:30
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:21
The Parable of the Sower
“Behold, a sower went forth to sow…” (Read the full parable in Matthew 13:3–9, and the explanation in verses 18–23)
Consolation A central theme in Christ’s words—rest for the weary, hope for the humble, and peace through divine trust.
Watch this video of Don McCullin if you haven’t already. Looks like it was removed from YouTube. I was trying to find it and here it is. Just scroll down in the article-
Plato’s Ladder of Love comes from The Symposium (especially through the character of Diotima), and it’s one of the most beautiful metaphors for spiritual and philosophical ascent through love.
It’s called a “ladder” because each stage of love leads to a higher, purer form, moving from physical desire to union with the divine.
⸻
📚 Plato’s Ladder of Love – Step by Step
⸻
1. Love of a single beautiful body
You’re drawn to the physical beauty of one person.
Desire begins with the senses.
This is Eros in its rawest form — physical attraction.
⸻
2. Love of all beautiful bodies
You realize that beauty isn’t limited to one person.
You see that the physical form — no matter whose — is a reflection of a greater ideal.
Love expands beyond obsession with a single face.
⸻
3. Love of beautiful souls
You shift focus from physical appearance to character, virtue, and inner depth.
You fall in love with someone’s mind, goodness, and moral courage.
This is the beginning of spiritual intimacy.
⸻
4. Love of beautiful laws and institutions
You begin to love the harmony and order found in society.
You appreciate systems and communities that cultivate virtue and beauty in people.
⸻
5. Love of beautiful knowledge
You pursue the beauty found in truth, logic, wisdom.
The philosopher’s love: the joy of understanding, learning, insight.
⸻
6. Love of Beauty itself (the Form of Beauty)
You reach the highest level: the contemplation of the eternal, unchanging, divine Beauty.
This Beauty is not in any person, object, or idea—but in the essence behind all beauty.
It’s infinite, pure, and perfect.
⸻
✨ At the top of the ladder:
You no longer need to possess beauty.
You are in reverent awe of it.
You become a philosopher-lover: someone who loves because they see the divine pattern behind reality.
⸻
🧠 Key Insight:
Love, for Plato, is a spiritual ascent. Eros isn’t just lust — it’s the divine pull of the soul toward immortality, wisdom, and truth.
What’s poppin, people? It’s Dante. Getting my morning started here in the Centennial Arboretum. Got a fresh haircut, feeling good.
So much better to just get a haircut and have the sides shaved off, kind of. I never get haircuts because I’m lazy. It’s like every six weeks or something. I gotta go every month or something. Maybe. Anyways—
The Morning Mindset
Usually in the morning, I’m thinking about how to approach photography— how to approach photography with philosophy, and how to think about why we’re doing this.
This morning I had this thought: The spirit of excellence. What does that mean in the realm of photography?
The Autotelic Approach
To become the best photographer you can possibly be, I think you gotta immerse yourself in the process of making photographs.
“The purpose is within the process itself.”
The process I embrace is autotelic:
Autos = self
Telos = purpose or goal
So the act of making pictures is the goal. If you just enjoy making pictures, then making pictures is enough. That’s the reason. That’s the drive.
If you keep showing up and doing the thing for its own sake, you’ll get better over time. That’s how excellence compounds.
Why Goals Can Be a Trap
I think we get really caught up in this idea of setting goals in photography. To me, it’s kind of blasphemy.
“The goal is to remain in a curious state of being.”
If you’re curious about life itself, and you’re photographing whatever pulls your curiosity, then you’re completing the goal within the act. That’s it.
When you constrain yourself to a specific project, subject, or location—it can stunt growth. Instead, unlock infinite creative potential by staying open.
Photograph Everything
By photographing multiple things in multiple ways:
Landscapes
People
Details
Macro photos
Clouds
You’re not limiting yourself. You’re building a complete body of work.
“Striving for excellence means not being confined to one way of doing things.”
You become more well-rounded. You evolve.
Become the Vessel
Nowadays I’ve been photographing macro details—botanicals, flowers, getting close to stuff. I’m not going into the park looking for those things, it’s just where my curiosity is pulling me.
Whether it’s inanimate objects, a human face, or a landscape— what matters is how you see it. Can you articulate it? Can you breathe life into it?
“It should be like breathing—photography.”
To me, that’s what striving for excellence looks like: Being able to interpret anything you encounter through the frame.
Forget Style—Be the Medium
We limit ourselves trying to cultivate a style or a signature voice. We want people to say: “Oh, that’s a photo by so-and-so.” And that’s fine.
But I think there’s something deeper—
“Striving for excellence is about having no style.”
It’s about being photography itself. A vessel. A conduit. Just there, present, interpreting the world in images.
Doesn’t matter who took the photo. Doesn’t matter if it was me, or Sally, or whoever.
Fall in Love With Life Itself
Through this approach—this striving—you begin to let go of:
Validation
Recognition
Awards
Legacy
“You simply fall in love with life itself.”
The exuberance for life bleeds into your images. And that’s the work. That’s the art.
You’re not here to build a legacy. You’re not here for people to remember your name. You’re here to be—to create—because it brings you joy.
The Vision of Excellence
To me, this is what it means to be an artist:
To do it for the love.
To remain in a flow state for a lifetime.
To not care whether or not the work is recognized.
To be the vessel for the medium.
“We’re just here, interpreting the world in images.”
That’s what I was thinking about this morning, at least. So yeah.
When you wake up in the morning, are you full of enthusiasm for the day? This becomes a very important — an existential question — to ask yourself, as we only have today. Tomorrow is just a figment of your imagination.
Think about it: waking up, dreading the day, feeling sluggish, with the mentality that you hear all the time…
“It’s just another day…”
or
“Another day, another dollar…”
is a complete lack of vitality and spirit — or simply, enthusiasm for the day.
To Be Possessed by a God
When you look at the word enthusiasm, its etymological roots derive from:
En — in
Theos — god
Or more specifically:
enthousiasmos — having a God within
This excitement, this eagerness for the day, fuels through me each and every morning. When I wake up, the first thing I do is attack.
I strap on my 40-pound plate carrier, I hit the pull-up bar, do some push-ups, some dumbbell exercises, some yoga, etc. I hit the coffee, make a video, do some writing, script out some future lectures, and go for a nature hike.
When I hit the nature hike and I’m surrounded by beauty — from the trees, the feeling of the breeze, the sun kissing my skin — despite whether or not it’s a cloudy or rainy day, I feel this insatiable lust for life flowing through me.
It derives from that childlike curiosity that I possess — like I’m possessed by a god, the root of what it means to be enthusiastic.
When I listen to the birds chirping, and the beautiful songs of the bugs humming, it’s like I’m having a communion with the gods, and I’m just so eager, so enthusiastic, so excited to put my body in motion.
Motivation Is in Your Legs
The word motivation derives from:
movere — to move
In order to become motivated, one must move their physical body. The problem with modern life is that we are sedentary for most of our days — which is an ultimate tragedy, I believe.
Honestly, I think boredom, stagnation, and the inability to move your physical body throughout the day is the ultimate demise of humankind right now.
It’s actually something that makes me feel really sad — almost like I just have this compassion for the modern world in a way — as it’s so tragic, so life-denying, that we sequester ourselves indoors.
How to Rest
I believe that our bodies are like batteries, and the sun is the charger.
The best way to rest is to simply lay out in the grass, to absorb the sun’s rays. Anytime there’s sun out, I make sure to hit the park, remove my shirt, and absorb the sun for at least 30 minutes to an hour.
After spending this time in the sun, I feel so recharged — with so much more exuberance of energy. It’s like we are flowers, just like the plants undergoing photosynthesis. And in order to complete that charge within your circuit, you need to plug yourself into the sun itself.
So What Makes Me Feel So Enthusiastic?
The honest answer to this question is: I just simply assume that today will be my last day, and that I may not wake up tomorrow.
Because of this, everything that comes to me in the morning is in abundance.
The simple pleasures of walking, drinking clean water, coffee, making art, reading, surrounding myself in nature’s beauty — this is enough for me to feel enthusiastic.
I think I feel so much enthusiasm, genuinely, because I have a deep connection to God.
My relationship with God has come full circle, to a point where nothing can break my spirit. Nothing can break my lust for life because I put all of my faith within God.
When you look at the word itself — enthusiasm — it makes sense, doesn’t it?
I never feel lonely, despite being alone, because I know that I have a strong relationship with the Creator. When you have that strong relationship with something higher — the divine — you can’t help but smile, and move onward into the chaos with a strong gait, walking, moving, and conquering each day.
This is what gives me strength. This is my true source of vitality. This is what uplifts my spirit and fuels me with enthusiasm for the day. It’s my relationship with the Most High.
There’s More to Life Than Paying Your Bills
What does success look like in the modern world?
Paying your bills, reporting on time, making the quota, advancing your business endeavors, buying the fancy car, marrying that supermodel… all of these base-level goals mean nothing to me.
There’s more to life than just paying your bills, surviving, or even achieving any sort of material success.
While I understand the horizontal plane of this material world is something we have to acknowledge — as I need food, shelter, clothes on my back, etc. — there’s something really base and meaningless when this becomes your day-to-day life.
However, aligning myself vertically, towards the divine, I find so much more rich meaning and fulfillment in my life.
I encourage you to deeply contemplate what this means, and how you can achieve this inner peace through a connection to something greater.
It’s truly life-affirming, and life-fulfilling, when you find deep meaning in your everyday life because of it.
Life can feel like doom and gloom, or meaningless, when you’re simply going through the motions and surviving.
But when you’re full of enthusiasm, striving onwards and upwards — I believe that we can truly thrive.
