“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.
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.
Glitch Out of the Map
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?
Create Your Own Rules
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.
Painting with Light
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.
Your Life is an RPG
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.
Mind, Body, and Spirit
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.
My Happy Place
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.
Imagination
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.
Think Beyond the Horizon
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.
Light Chaser
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.
Without a clear vision, how are we to navigate through life? I find that when I contemplate the way I interact with the world, especially as a creative spirit with a camera in hand, I see with clear and sharp visual acuity. I possess a clairvoyance that predicts the patterns of both human behavior and nature. When you recognize these patterns, the mundane in life becomes your canvas, and the world forever opens up for exploration. You return to a childlike state and remain an eternal amateur or curious explorer.
School
I’ve never viewed school as a productive place. In high school, I often found myself skipping classes, escaping through the back door, and exploring the neighborhoods around town. I dislike being confined in a box and certainly detest following orders. Perhaps I’ve always been one to venture into the woods, the unknown, and figure things out for myself without needing guidance.
Perception of Reality
Ultimately, it’s our perception of reality and our direct experiences that form our reality as we know it. Your unique and individual thoughts, actions, and words define you. I believe that the more we come under the influence of others and not turn inward to ourselves, the harder it is for us to form our own worldviews or paradigms.
Let the chips fall where they may. Go ahead into the chaos and form your own opinions about the world.
Misfit
I think I was always a misfit. I never really fit in with any crowds or groups. My fondness for skateboarding, a sport you can engage in alone, grew because it was an individual activity. Like basketball, where all you need is a ball and a hoop, I often shot hoops by myself or skateboarded around the neighborhood, either alone or with my brother. We would build our own skate parks and find our own ways to play.
Skateboarding, like street photography, offers a creative outlet—it’s both a physical pleasure and a visual game. The street becomes your canvas, displaying your technical skills like a dance.
Be You
Let’s be ourselves to the fullest. Don’t worry about what others think and avoid speaking ill of people. Let’s turn inward and really focus on our personal growth. It seems we’re not encouraged to be bright or standout individuals anymore. We’re often told to conform and not think outside the box.
When I consider myself, I see an adventurer. I need stimulus, movement, and the great outdoors to thrive. I prefer to speak my mind, not filtering or censoring my thoughts. Perhaps speaking the truth is the wise path forward—to seek and speak the truth is the only way to find it.
I Think I Can
When I was a young boy, my godmother would read me the Thomas the Tank Engine books. The one I remember most is “I think I can.” Thomas had to chug his way up the mountain, telling himself he could do it over and over.
Like practicing street photography, lifting weights, or engaging in any endeavor, it’s important to believe in oneself. When you believe in yourself and invest your mind, body, and soul into something, you become capable of achieving it. Hold beliefs, convictions, and strive to be like Thomas, chugging up the mountain, moving closer to your goals.
My Superpower
Street photography is my superpower. When I wield the camera, I can cut through the noise. It’s as though I have a clear signal between the world and me when operating my camera. Everything clicks into place.
It becomes a superpower because I can find myself in a state of bliss, regardless of the time of day. I will always find a way to play the same game every day.
This superpower lies in my ability to walk the same street every day and still find beauty in the mundane. The intricate details around me will forever fascinate me until the day I die. Finding beauty in life these days, I believe, is a superpower.
Zen Meditation
I enjoy using the kendama in the morning as a way to meditate. When I meditate with the kendama, I’m moving my body, bending my legs, and focusing on my hand-eye coordination as I maneuver the ball around the different cups and spike on the wooden toy. It’s a skill toy that requires patience and focus on the movement of your body and the toy itself. You become one with the kendama, similar to how I operate a camera on a wrist strap.
When photographing on the street, you must become one with the camera so it doesn’t obstruct your process.
Practicing with the kendama is a unique method I’ve discovered, which I believe could enhance your capabilities as a street photographer. After all, street photography is my form of meditation, where I shut all thoughts down and laser-focus on the moment itself, existing outside the passage of time, and creating beautiful art with whatever I find.
The Feeling You Get by the Water
There’s something special about being near water. Whenever I move toward the Penn’s Landing area or the Schuylkill River here in Philadelphia, I start to feel uplifted and joyful inside. It’s as if the water is calling my name. Maybe our names are echoing through eternity across rivers, lakes, and streams worldwide. We’re connecting with our ancestors or tapping into some ancient, mystical interface.
The water always gives me a good feeling, and I enjoy listening to the seagulls, breathing the fresh air from the trees, and being by a stream of water that’s ever-flowing.
Like our photographs, let’s strive to be a stream of becoming and never stop going out there to make new photos.
Turn Off the TV
Perhaps every modern home has a television on at some point in the day. I say, turn it all off. These devices are such a distraction, pulling us into a different world that has nothing to do with reality. Reality is in the physical flesh—your family, friends, neighbors, your body, the sun, the water, the food on your plate, and the small things in life that make up an entire day. The conversations you overhear, engage in, or the people you notice across the street.
The television is one of the biggest distractions in our world. Disconnect from it, unplug, and free yourself from the narratives, news, celebrity gossip, and Hollywood that bombard our screens.
Spiritual Warfare
If there’s going to be a World War III, perhaps it has already begun. It’s a spiritual war for your mind, involving distractions, smoke screens, and the content on your screens. Going forward, I only trust people in the flesh. I consider anyone online to be a bot or an NPC, artificial intelligence.
Disable any comments or likes that you may receive. Disconnect from it and become a street warrior.
Truth Seeker
Perhaps when you seek truth, you embark on the adventure of a lifetime. Similar to Jesus carrying his cross, we too carry ours. It’s challenging to speak up and tell people how you feel or what you truly believe, especially when you know it might hurt them.
But perhaps we must hurt others’ feelings, ruffle a few feathers, and speak the truth along the way.
Return to Nature
I believe nature holds the answers to our questions about the universe. Everything feels connected when you walk through a beautiful trail surrounded by trees.
Just observe the branches of the trees. Similar to the lungs in a human body, the branching of the trees looks almost identical. There are so many visual connections that reveal the divine nature of life itself.
Forget Everything You Think You Know
When you walk, go slow, and forget everything you think you know. If you’re an artist making photographs, don’t follow the rules you’ve been taught. Create your own game to play. Return to a childlike state and tinker with the world.
Remain in a state of play and don’t take yourself too seriously. By forgetting everything and creating anew, I believe we can make art that is truly worthwhile in the end.
Follow the Light
The sunlight is the way. As photographers, we are essentially painting with light. A simple heuristic: don’t stay on the shady side of the street. Always follow the light. We are the new light chasers. Sunlight provides me with a blissful feeling.
Perhaps with more sun exposure, we will charge our batteries with more power.
Stay Sober
Nowadays, it’s normal to have a drink every night after work, smoke weed, play video games, or indulge in other substances. I say, stay sober. When you’re sober, not only do you feel better, have good sleep, clear thoughts, and better relationships, but I believe that there are even more superpowers we can achieve when abstaining from these substances.
Consider alcohol as poison and something that lowers your testosterone. Would you want to consume that?
Disease
I’m starting to think that society is suffering from a disease on a large scale. Obesity, diabetes, and vitamin deficiencies are becoming more and more apparent from my simple observations while walking around the streets. The standard American diet has been compromised by large corporations like Kellogg’s and General Mills, which produce nothing but unhealthy products.
We’re not only suffering from physical diseases, but I believe many also suffer from mental unease. Perhaps the term “dis-ease” just means to be uneasy or unwell. I believe the remedy for most of our modern diseases can be found in simple activities like going outside, getting sun exposure, walking in nature, eating animal-based proteins, and drinking water.
Elevate
When I start the day on an elevated surface, like behind the art museum here in Philadelphia, where I can see the river, the trees, and the endless horizon, I feel like I can conquer the world. We should strive to make changes in the world by first changing ourselves.
Fuel yourself with courage, curiosity, and power by starting your day in an elevated place. Look out at the view and think about the endless terrain there is to explore.
No Fear
Venture into the world without fear. Don’t fear judgment, confrontation, or even death. I believe what we fear most as humans is the pain itself. When you’re open to the world, fear seems to stay away, and you can navigate through chaos on a feather-light path.
The more you fear, the more unease you feel, and you may not even want to step outside your door to explore. But fear not, go forward with a Spartan mindset, and carry yourself as a warrior throughout the day.
What’s the End of the Game?
What is the end of this crazy video game we call life? Do we get to defeat the boss battle, will we respawn and have another shot at it? Is there a way to upgrade our character to such a degree that we become godlike? Will we be able to terraform new planets and create our own suns? What is the future of biology and the way we reproduce?
Who knows…
But what I do know is, treating this life like a video game is a wise decision. After all, video games are meant to be fun. So go out there, under the sun, follow the light, and simply enjoy the fruits of life!
