Just Do Nothing

In a modern world that constantly wants you striving for more, I say just do nothing. Not out of laziness or lethargy, but because reclaiming your time in the present moment is pretty much all that we have.

How to Change the World

One interesting thought is, we can change the world by actually just doing nothing. I believe the world will be OK, the planet will keep spinning, the birds will keep chirping, the trees will grow, and the water will flow. Maybe humans don’t really need to intervene at all — we can simply do nothing, and the whole natural system would be OK. If anything, the more humans intervene, the more we actually disrupt the natural flow of life and make things more complicated than it needs to be.

Embracing Silence

With all the noise and distractions, silence is bliss. When you do nothing and just turn inward and listen, or simply be, you find exactly what you were looking for with clarity. Because it’s when you’re not looking that you find.

It’s Time to Relax

Reclaiming leisure, contemplation, the simple act of strolling without a destination, reading a good book, or creating art, as a new modern-day luxury. To simply have the sun kiss your skin and to be outside is the new privilege.

We Have Control

The external world may be out of our control. Things will keep moving and evolving, the news is always changing, money is endlessly printed, the purchasing power of your dollar is dwindling, atomization is occurring at scale, the population may be declining, and meaning may be lost due to the materialist worldview. But when you recognize the power of your consciousness, and the control that you have over your internal world, you can find paradise on earth. I think we’re able to do anything we can possibly dream of.

I’ve always known that in terms of my photography, I can essentially manifest any photograph from my dreams. When you think lucky, you actually will be lucky. But you have to be consistent with your mindset and affirm your ability. It’s quite similar to how you treat your everyday life, and your perception of reality being shaped by your internal worldview. When all the distractions are eliminated, and you’re focused solely on what’s immediately in front of you in the physical reality, you have ultimate control and power.

Real Power Is Physical

But the truth is, real power is physical. It doesn’t matter how many books you study, how many things you know about art history, or how to make a good photograph or work of art — if you’re physically not engaging with life, walking, exploring, and creating, it all means nothing.

I’m starting to think more critically about the physical nature of life, because it is real. But at the same time, I know that we have a soul, and that there is something beyond the material plane. The problem, though, is that dwelling on an afterlife, or in metaphysics, can sometimes lead to the degradation of the body. Just look at the painting of Saint Jerome by Caravaggio, as he’s yearning for the afterlife with an old and decrepit body.

When you’re physically strong and capable, with a fortified body with muscles, and a wild garden in your mind, nothing can break your spirit or your love for life.

The Strong Photographer

My simple thought is that the strong photographer will make stronger photographs. The stronger your physical body, the more you can walk, and the more you can walk, the more you will see and photograph. It’s a very simple thought, but I think it carries throughout all of the things that we do in life. When you look at somebody’s physical body, I also believe that it’s an outward reflection of their internal thoughts or their creative abilities. For instance, somebody who is eating Oreos will have Oreo thoughts. But somebody who is eating animal-based protein, and satiating foods that are healthy, will have clean thoughts that are strong.

What You Input Is What You Output

The quality of what you consume will be the quality of what you produce. And so, when you look at somebody and their physical body — no matter how base-level, vain, or material it may be — I genuinely believe that it’s an outward reflection or quality of something metaphysical like the soul.