Freedom is the Elimination of Choice
We all have free will. There are many choices that we can make along our journey of life. However, what if freedom is the elimination of these choices? I’ve been thinking, freedom is the elimination of choice itself.
Should I be a doctor or a lawyer? Which path should I take?
Perhaps you must take the leap of faith, and simply move onwards into the unknown. I believe the more important question to ask is what should we not do? What should we not consume? How should we not live our lives? Through the elimination of the choices, we become free.
In the context of street photography, eliminating all of the choices, such as decisions on what cameras or lenses to use, frees ourselves, and we can move forward, shooting more and thinking less.
Evolution is the Goal
The ultimate goal of humanity is to evolve. Think of the human being, bipedal, standing upright, with two legs. I believe that this is for no coincidence, as we are designed to stand, move, and explore. The more that we move our bodies, and utilize them to the fullest capacity, we evolve. By spending time in nature, under the sun, and engaging the physical world, I train my body to be formidable. I can withstand hot conditions, cold conditions, and different climates all throughout the world because I have allowed my body to become used to these external things.
The problem with modern society is that we box ourselves in, we spend too much time under the air conditioning, inside, sitting down.
We must be like a butterfly, once in the cocoon, transform to a caterpillar, spread our wings, and then fly. We should transcend this modern world, leave it behind, and create our own. If somebody tells you to sit down, say no. If somebody tells you to do something, that’s bad for your health, say no. You know that you can say no, right? Say no more, eliminate these choices, and you will be free to say yes to your true curiosity.
Slavery of your mind and body?
We sacrifice our bodies, for what? The future? Maybe the new sign of freedom is not sitting down. If you’re told to sit down, simply say no. Now what path will you find yourself on? Are you going to sit down until you’re 65 years old, wait for your pension, and then live your life? Eliminate this decision, and decide how you want to live your life, right now, in this very moment.
I Am Retired
I’m currently 28 years old and I’m retired. I spend every morning in nature, in solitude, away from the hustle and bustle of urban life. I practice horticulture, which I consider physical leisure, think, read, write, and make art. I believe it’s wise to live your life in reverse, and consider what you would be doing right now if you were retired, and just start doing it now. To be honest, the whole idea of retirement makes no sense to me. Why would anybody want to retire? Wealth and “retirement” is simply a mindset.
I have everything I need. I have a roof over my head and meat in my freezer. I have running water, from a tap, that provides me with vitality. I have a big box of salt in my closet that seasons my food and gives it good taste. I have gym equipment to increase my strength, a compact camera, and an iPad that allows me to create art.
What do I really need?
What’s funny about modern society is that we are becoming the ultimate consumers. We consume way more than we produce. Just look around you, we definitely eat too much. Listen to the chatter, we definitely consume a lot of junk, celebrity gossip, news, politics, etc.
The way to freedom is to remove and subtract all the distractions. By removing more choices, you become free.
I don’t need to watch TV, I don’t need breakfast, or lunch. I don’t need fruits, vegetables, starches, sugar, or any food group besides one. I don’t need shoes. I don’t need social media. I don’t need a car. I don’t need any of the dumb junk that you constantly advertise to purchase while I’m listening to the beautiful Wanamaker organ inside the Macy’s building. I don’t need or want a watch. I do not desire to be a slave to time.
The less desires you have from the world around you, the more free you are. Let’s spend our time creating more and consuming less. Create your own world.
I don’t care about retirement. I’m not planning for the future. I’m living life for today, and following the most interesting path possible. Choose the interesting path, the unpredictable, and have the adventure of your lifetime, right here, right now, not waiting for the future.
Modern Life is Boring?
So much of modern life is monotonous, boring, and uninteresting. Our daily commute in cars, the work that we embark on, and the things that we do for fun, are mostly meaningless and dull. The movies and entertainment that we make these days, are really really bad. This is not a good sign, and definitely is a reflection of a cultural decline during these times.
I believe that we are seeking novelty, and this is why we turn to things like video games. Video games are much more interesting than real life, as you can become a superhero, go on quests, do dangerous things, fight bosses, tinker, and upgrade your character. I remember spending a lot of my time during high school playing video games after class because the eight hours of being confined to the box inside of a classroom was just so dreadful and boring. You memorize useless information that you wind up forgetting the next day, only to regurgitate it, through a test, and receive a grade. These grades are then the thing that determines where you can go to university, and from there, you enter the workforce. However, I feel as though most jobs these days are like you’re in school, forever, stuck in the classroom, endlessly completing mind-numbing tasks. I believe this monotonous lifestyle is the reason we turn to social media, video games, and escapism through the digital world. Real life is just boring, but, there are ways to embrace novelty, but I believe are overlooked.
Just step outside, go for a hike, and walk through a park. There is endless novelty in nature, randomness, and chaos, with the way that weeds grow, flowers bloom, and light shines through the tree canopy. When you’re surrounded by nature, you recognize that you are the universe. You can look at a tree, and think to yourself, wow, that’s boring, or you can get lost in the bark, the patterns, textures, and the way that leaves wiggle in the wind. You can observe the tree trunk, the branches, and the way that they extend out into the sky. They look very similar to the branches within our lungs, providing us with that clean air that humans need to thrive. By returning to nature, and spending the maximum amount of time outside, in fresh air, you will inevitably feel better. I certainly do not feel good when I’m inside, in my house, in a mall, or in any sterile environment. These places are not where humans are designed to be, and when you recognize that, you can see it. The shops within the malls become prison cells, the cubicles, and the computers, are shackles, keeping the slaves perfectly in line. We’ve become so distracted from what truly matters in life, such as health, family, and curiosity.
The Holy Trinity
The holy trinity for man is meat, salt, and water. For what else do we really need?
When you contemplate the notion of wealth, what do you see? Do you see a man with a Lamborghini, a nice watch, a woman with Botox, and a big mansion, with too much space to fit useless junk in?
Real wealth is health.
The trinity for man is a strong body, a strong mind, and a strong soul. Everything else is superfluous. It does not matter what material things you have, but how strong your soul is. While I understand the basic necessities that we need to survive and thrive, everything beyond that becomes the ultimate distraction. An endless pursuit to nothing. We’ve become pigs, with carrots dangling in front of us, crawling around the mud pit. But I say we must free ourselves, dance, like a bird, and become ferocious like a lion.
What is Missing in the World?
During my time as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia, Africa, I was certainly surprised by how the village operates on a day-to-day basis. The everyday life of a Zambian tribe fascinates me. Mothers come home with babies on their back and firewood on their heads. Men are building homes and churches, the boys are building bricks with sand and mud, and the girls are sweeping the floors, preparing the food for the day. Everybody in the tribe, the village, the family, has a role to play.
At the center of the village, there is a church, and a well, where the people go to draw water. This is the source of vitality, and without it, there is no community. In the center of the church, there is an altar, sacrifices made, reminding each member of the tribe of the archetype, the hero, Jesus.
I believe the archetype is missing from modern society, the hero, something greater than ourselves to aspire to be like.
Forget about Jesus as Christ, but consider Jesus as man, Jesus of Nazareth. I am not here to promote any religion, dogma, or belief. I’m here to share the philosophy and teaching of Jesus, as the ideal man, or archetype to be like. His teachings and way of life are perhaps the ultimate archetype and role model that has ever walked this earth.
I grew up going to a Catholic school, from pre-K to grade 8, where I started each morning, saying the Pledge of Allegiance, and reciting the Our Father prayer with the rest of my class. A functioning society needs to recognize the hierarchy of God, nation, and land. Or, in the context of my peace service, God, tribe, and land. My theory is that the future will become tribal, new religions will form, communities, and tribes, will be scattered throughout the world.
Just Be Optimistic but Skeptical
Honestly, I’m optimistic about the future. As much as I critique modern life, and the way that we use technology, I actually believe that we can use it for good. I believe that we’re living through a new sort of renaissance, where the technology can enhance the way that we create and make things. With technology that is so powerful such as the use of artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, cameras, video, audio, we can create in a new way that has never been done before. This excites me as an artist, and I believe that the opportunities of the future are endless. Just think, we currently have a man who has the mission to get us to Mars, and expand civilization throughout the universe. In the past 100 years, we’ve gone from horse and buggy, to automatic, self-driving cyber trucks. However, we should become more skeptical. Just assume that everyone online is a bot, and that everything is fake. Disconnect from the news, media, and social media. Everything can be generated from artificial intelligence at this point, and it will be difficult to discern what is real and what is false. This is where the power of technology will come into play, and my interest in artificial intelligence, Blockchain, and even Bitcoin is starting to make more sense to me as it will be used to solidify truth in our digital future. I’m currently reading the Bitcoin Standard and it’s fascinating to learn about how we went from trading cattle, salt, stones, seashells, beads, silver, and gold, as forms of currency. The problem with our current system is that we print infinite money, through the Federal Reserve, and we are no longer following a gold standard. This means, that inflation is inevitable. I’m sure everyone has noticed the way that prices have been increasing for the bare necessities, such as groceries. A lot of restaurants and coffee shops and places in the city, utilize these iPads, with touch-to-pay services, one in particular being Square, which recently changed its name to Block in 2021 as they became involved with the Blockchain and Bitcoin. This company, Block, co-founded by Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, also owns Cash App. Cash App is a peer-to-peer payment service, that now people use to purchase Bitcoin, and even use as a banking service.
One of the first things that I learned through reading this book is that the word pecuniary, pertaining to wealth and capital, derives from the word pecu, meaning head of cattle. When you consider capitalism, capital, caput, head, or head of cattle, consuming a 100% red meat, carnivore diet, makes sense. Cattle was one of the first sources of wealth in human history. Some of the earliest cave paintings and artwork ever found in human history, have been drawings in caves of cattle, bison, and animals. The significance of animals intrigues me. This is where the trend towards the vegan diet makes absolutely no sense to me. Even when you look at a food pyramid, by a reputable university, such as Harvard, they tell you to eat red meat sparingly. The problem is, the less animal-based protein that you consume, the hungrier you become. The less protein, the less beef, and red meat that you eat, the more you are going to become reliant on other food groups, such as carbohydrates, rice, bread, starches, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, etc. However, for the past two years, I’ve been at my peak health, strength, and human thriving, since adopting a 100% red meat, carnivore diet. I do not need breakfast or lunch, and simply eat as much red meat as I need until I’m satiated. I think this is the key here, humans need satiating foods. The more satiated you are, the more power you will have the next day. The more power you have, the more that you can do, move, create, think, and thrive. The less red meat you eat, the more of a consumer you become.
I believe it’s important to be skeptical, of people such as Bill Gates, who I realize is selling this strange, lab-grown meat, buying lots of farmland, and believes that cows farting, causes the climate to change to such a significant degree that he wants to change the way we farm and consume meat. This is nonsense, and something that we should be skeptical about. I don’t trust anything that’s grown in a lab, or processed junk that’s made in factories. Also, a good simple heuristic is, if someone drinks Coca-Cola, juice, and consumes junk, whether food, or media, their opinion is irrelevant to me. Just look into their body, and you can see into their soul. Don’t trust anyone that’s willingly injecting diabetes into their body. Same for alcohol consumption, as we are now learning that it is linked to cancer, even if you consume only one or two beverages per week. If you thought of it as poison, would you still deliberately consume it? If our money is poisoned, and causing us to be diseased, similar to that of diabetes, would you still put your faith into Fiat?
If the power of our dollars is decreasing each year, maybe we should just stop using them altogether. Only buy the basic necessities, and become extremely frugal. Just cook at home, and go to Costco once per month. Stock your freezer with lamb leg, five dollars per pound. Get a slow cooker, just set it and forget it every morning. Just leave it from 9 to 5, eight hours, add water, salt, pepper, and thyme. Or, get some of the Wagyu, ground beef, or shabu shabu cut of sirloin. Also, go to the freezer section, and find the organic grass-fed Kirkland brand beef patties, 15 per pack. These are really delicious and easy to cook in an air fryer. You can also purchase five dozen eggs, and just stock up for an entire month, one time per month. You can also get your coffee here, I like the light roast Ethiopian blend, it’s really really good, and just add it to my espresso machine in the morning. This way, you only have to buy groceries and coffee one time, pay your rent one time, and not have to go out to eat, or spend money on superfluous things. Once you go to carnivore, it’s hard to go back. Spartan lifestyle is supreme. It’s much more rewarding to feast like a lion on as much red meat as you can each night, than snack like a squirrel throughout the day.
The carnivore diet is an elimination diet. You just want to eliminate all the bad stuff, the processed junk, and only eat real, satiating foods. Maybe the only real food, is flesh. The animals eat the grass, and the humans eat the animals, absorbing all of the nutrients that you need.
We all have the right to express our First Amendment, right of freedom of speech, and this is what makes America so great. However, when I witness the animal rights activists outside of the farmers market in the Rittenhouse Square area of Philadelphia every weekend, wearing strange masks, and playing funny videos, of people harvesting fish, and farming animals, telling us to stop eating meat, I’m kind of confused. As a former Peace Corps volunteer, living in a rural village, in Zambia, Africa, protein was the most important source of food for the people in the villages. My whole mission was to promote aquaculture, fish farming, as a viable source of protein for the people of Zambia. It’s extremely critical that we eat enough protein, to thrive as humans. And no, chickpeas, nuts, tofu, and all these other strange things are not enough for sufficient protein sources.
So going forward, I’m going to remain skeptical, but also very optimistic. I believe that a lot of this new technology, such as artificial intelligence, the Blockchain, and Bitcoin, can provide us with hope, freedom, and the pursuit of truth.
If there’s nothing left for me to purchase, as I have everything I need, what do you do with the money that you have? Of course, there’s the traditional 401(k), Roth IRA, pension funds, investing, in stocks, buying real estate, or I guess even gold? I guess the biggest problem with gold is the fact that you have to physically, carry around blocks of gold. This makes no sense to me. Also, physical properties require maintenance, and too many intermediary people to deal with like real estate agents. The only real thing that makes sense to me is to invest in Bitcoin. Leaving money in a bank account, to simply be stagnant, and inflate over time, seems like a bad deal to me. I’d much rather put my money into something that I believe in, something that will empower humanity in the future, and provide hope for the individual. Just go to hope.com, and start listening to the interviews from Michael Saylor, extremely informative, and eye-opening. If you’re going to have kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids, maybe one day they’ll go to Mars. Do you think they’re going to stuff their backpacks with gold bars? Or a condo? No, it is inevitable that we will have a digital future, and that capital, wealth, and money, will be backed by the Bitcoin standard. One funny thing I’ve been doing is paying for everything in cash, and it just feels like play money, it doesn’t even feel like it’s real. The money in a bank account is just numbers. A lot of places don’t even accept cash anymore, or don’t have change to give. The more I use cash, the more I realize how useless it is. It’s much easier to just tap your phone with Apple Pay, or even with a Coinbase card.
We Are Diseased?
When I consider disease, I consider the root of the word, dis-ease. To be diseased, does not necessarily have to be physiological, such as diabetes, but it can also be mental, such as anxiety. To be diseased in the modern world is to be worried about the future, anxious about the unknown. However, what if we can thrive in the unknown, in the chaos, the unpredictability of the future. I think a lot of money problems are what cause disease. So what can we do to stop this? I say, don’t worry about the numbers in the bank account, what the prices are, and all of the superfluous things, such as preparing for retirement, and just live for today. When you live for today, and embrace the spirit of play, all of the worries about monetary gains, losses, numbers, and the future, go away. The cure for disease is very simple, just let go. Turn inward, and create your own world. Don’t worry about the external world, all the noise, and the chatter. Your vocation will find you, the more that you eliminate all of the distractions. I believe we should strive to become the greatest versions of ourselves every single day, and not be complacent.
So What is the Medicine?
Movement is medicine. Meat is medicine. Sleep is medicine.
Physical health is mental health.
I truly believe that the way we live our lives, sitting down too much, is also a big cause for this disease. We spent too much time sitting down in front of the TV, reading the news, and distracting ourselves. It is inevitable that anytime you check the news, check your bank account, check the numbers, the prices, you will be anxious. This is why I also believe if you’re going to publish on YouTube, just disable all analytics, likes, comments, etc. Start your own website if you’re interested in sharing your photography, thoughts, and also Spotify podcasts. Just go to bluehost.com, and wordpress.org. I use the Astra theme, it is very simple, and treat my own blog like my own social media. Just delete your Instagram. Best decision I’ve ever made in my life.
So what if you eliminate all of the choices, and just go all in on life?  What if you simply lived for now, and didn’t plan for the future? 
We must remember, that our health is wealth. Your health can be on decline at any moment, at any time. So let’s not sacrifice our bodies as Jesus did, but deify ourselves in the flesh, and glorify today.
Free your mind, free your body, free your soul.
Dante