Einzelgänger

At first glance, looksmaxxing seems like little more than internet slang for improving one’s appearance. But when we dive deeper, we find ideas and beliefs that are pretty disturbing. What draws young men (such as Clavicular) to looksmaxxing? What do they believe? Does it make their lives better? And what can we learn from their pursuits about happiness?Support the channel:✔️ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/einzelgangster✔️ PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/einzelgangercoBooks (affiliate links):📖 Taoism for Inner Peace: https://amzn.to/4bN9lVB📖 The Urge: Fall of a Stoic: https://a...

Just Let Go | The Philosophy of Fight Club Check the second Fight Club essay: https://youtu.be/ER69AuimtOQLife is short. It’s ending one minute at a time. Why waste it on fulfilling other people’s expectations? This is just one of those questions presented in a novel written by Chuck Palahniuk named Fight Club.The film version of Fight Club directed by David Fincher, starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter, could be considered one of the best and most impactful movies ever made when looking at its reception and ongoing popularity.Fight Club isn’t shy...

When Walking Away Is the Only Answer | The Path of the Hermit What moved people in the past and present to become hermits? What does a life of seclusion offer? And is the hermit life possible today?Video: When Walking Away Is the ONLY Answer (A Hermit’s Philosophy)Support the channel: ✔️ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/einzelgangster ✔️ PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/einzelgangerco🎞️ Animations and thumbnail art by Munkaa: https://www.youtube.com/user/jus7yBooks: (affiliate links): 📖 The Urge: Fall of a Stoic: https://amzn.to/3Yc77Kw 📖 Stoicism for Inner Strength: https://amzn.to/3rZU0xL 📖 Stoicism for Inner Peace...

Viktor Frankl's Method to Overcome Fear (Paradoxical Intention) Paradoxical intention is one of the techniques found in Viktor Frankl's logotherapy. Therapists can use paradoxical intention to treat people with anxiety, fear, phobias, and even insomnia.Instead of escaping or minimizing the fear, paradoxical intention encourages us to face it headon and actually desire and wish for it as a means of conquering it (how strange this may sound). But this reverse psychology that tricks the mind out of its neurosis makes Frankl’s approach interesting and worth examining.This video explores the ideas behind this method (paradoxical intention) and ho...

Why We Isolate Ourselves and How to Reconnect Check out my novel The Urge: Fall of a Stoic: https://einzelganger.co/urgeWhat drives us to withdraw from the world, choosing solitude over connection? Is it the peace we seek or the fear that lurks within? Social isolation affects millions. This video explores social isolation, why we do it, and how to stop it.Video: Why We Isolate Ourselves and How to Reconnect Lao Tzu The Art of Not Trying (After Skool): https://youtu.be/lsYJrLrEAMSupport the channel: ✔️ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/einzelgangster ✔️ PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/einzelgangerco ✔️ Bitcoin: 3HQ...

If Life Has No Meaning, Why Live? | Albert Camus & The Absurd Man According to FrenchAlgerian philosopher Albert Camus, our world has no ultimate meaning, but if it had, it would be impossible to know it. It’s all pretty pointless as if the universe is nothing more than a cosmic coincidence, born without any specific goal or significance. For some, such a meaningless existence could lead to despair and even worse. So it seems that, for many, meaning is necessary to live; and without meaning, life is not worth living.Video: If Life Has No Meaning, Why Live? | Albert Ca...

Signs of a Toxic Friend | Buddhist Philosophy But whether or not a friend is toxic can be challenging to determine, especially when we’re attached to this friend. For a significant part, whether someone’s behavior is desirable or not is pretty subjective. Also, people are rarely entirely bad; most (if not all) human beings have positive sides as well. So, how do we decide if a friend is actually an enemy in disguise? What are the signs of a toxic friend?The Buddha may have some valuable answers to this question. The Sigalovada Sutta, a Buddhist text, teaches us t...

The Harder You Try, The Worse It Gets | Law of Reversed Effort Taoism for Inner Peace (book): https://einzelganger.co/tao/The Backwards Law: https://youtu.be/O42tZseP6w | A phenomenon we often experience is that when we chase something or someone, it moves away from us. But when we leave it alone, it comes to us. This mechanism can be hard to reconcile with the idea that ‘effort’ is the key to success. Even though it’s true that achieving goals often requires work, there’s also another side to the story. The law of reversed effort shows us...

Once You Stop Caring, Results Come | The Law of Reverse Effect Taoism for Inner Peace (book): https://einzelganger.co/tao/Author Aldous Huxley first described the ‘Law of Reverse Effect,’ saying that “The harder we try with the conscious will to do something, the less we shall succeed.” So, could it really be that when we stop consciously trying to succeed, we increase our chances of success? Will results come once we stop caring? This video explores the law of reverse effect, also known as the law of reversed effort.The amount of suffering in the world is vast, so obser...

Lost in a World Without Purpose: Now What? Philosophers have been dealing with the problem of meaninglessness for centuries. Their ideas about life (or how to live well in a meaningless universe) could be valuable to those struggling with a lack of meaning in their lives. Can we live well as humans when life has no inherent purpose? According to several philosophers: yes, we can. And, according to some, we should. After all, if life loses meaning, there’s still life.Video: Lost in a World Without Purpose: Now What?Support the channel: ✔️ PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/einzelgangerco ✔️ Patreon: h...

Just Because You Think It, Doesn’t Mean It’s True No matter how convincing they are, thoughts aren’t necessarily facts. Even though it’s a master at posing as ‘truth,’ a thought is a thought. And just because you think it doesn’t mean it’s true.Video: Just Because You Think It, Doesn’t Mean It’s TrueSupport the channel: ✔️ PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/einzelgangerco ✔️ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/einzelgangster ✔️ Bitcoin: 3HQnEz1LQ4G6dqN2LdZgzc7qoJjJCyWjTC (Donated BTC and want in the credits? Send me an email with the amount/address)🎞️ Animations and thumbnail art by Munkaa: https://www...

The Dark Side of Romance: Is Love Worth It? Is love all you need? Current societal narratives tell us that romantic love is an ‘ultimate concern;’ it’s the highest goal a human being can attain. We’re all after it; many, if not most, books, poetry, music, and films revolve around it. Ultimately, beyond everything life offers, we all want a romantic relationship providing us with an undying love that allows us to live happily ever after and washes away our sorrows. But unfortunately, in the vast majority of cases, romantic love isn’t what it’s promised to be.Video...

Should We Stop Having Babies? | Antinatalism Explored Is it better never to have been? Some people believe it would indeed be better if no sentient life came into existence. Antinatalism is the philosophical viewpoint that procreation is morally wrong. And therefore, we should avoid it. Some antinatalists think only humans should stop having children; others believe that all sentient beings would be better off if they’d never existed. But isn’t it wrong to oppose the birth of children? Why would anybody be against the creation of new life? So, is having children bad? This video explores the phil...

Breaking Bad: The Psychology of Walter White (based on Nietzsche) The character of Walter White shows an interesting psychological transformation throughout the series that has been discussed and analyzed for years. Was Walter White simply a frustrated man gone evil? Or was there more to his evolution into Heisenberg? Could it be that Walter White achieved what many others only dream of, namely, to overcome himself? Through the lens of Nietzsche’s idea of the ‘Overman (or Übermensch),’ this video explores the psychology of Breaking Bad character Walter White.Please note: this essay doesn’t condone Walter White’s actions, no...

Stop Clinging to People (The Philosophy of Epictetus) Clinging to someone or something implies the continual hurt that comes with resisting a possible yet ultimately inevitable separation from what we’re attached to. In some cases, the fear of loss or abandonment becomes an obsession, meaning that our very lives revolve around preventing separation.#epictetus #stopclinging #stoicism Turn on notifications for the podcast & rate it a 5star for new episodes. Einzelgänger explores a wide range of topics and ideas, with a dose of "as I see it," out of curiosity and creative urge. Einzelgänger is under the supe...

Worrying About the Future is Misery | Marcus Aurelius Full video: https://youtu.be/LGXRpbDuDGEMarcus Aurelius wrote that it’s not the weight of the future pressing upon us but that of the present alone. It’s not the future that hurts us but how we deal with it in the present. The misery of the future happens in the present. And ironically, it’s not the future unfolding in the present, as when we encounter it, it’s already present. The misery of the future is our worrying about it now.#stoicism #marcusaurelius #stoic Turn on notifications for the podcast...

Stop Caring About What Isn't Yours: Epictetus’ Lessons from My Novel The Urge: Fall of a Stoic: https://einzelganger.co/urge Stoicism for Inner Peace: https://einzelganger.co/innerpeace Stoicism for Inner Strength: https://einzelganger.co/innerstrengthIn this video I present a reading from my novel, The Urge: Fall of a Stoic.Video: Learn Stoic Tough Love: Epictetus’ Lessons from My NovelSupport the channel: ✔️ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/einzelgangster ✔️ PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/einzelgangerco ✔️ Bitcoin: 3HQnEz1LQ4G6dqN2LdZgzc7qoJjJCyWjTC (Donated BTC and want in the credits? Send me an email with the amount/address)🎞️ Animations and thumbnail art by...

Wuwei | The Art of Letting Things Happen Taoism for Inner Peace (book): https://einzelganger.co/tao/Despite humanity’s technological developments and will to progress, we’re still utterly dependent on nature. Human effort has its limitations and is always in conjunction with nature. We cannot grow a plant, for example, completely isolated from natural growth, even though we can influence and manipulate it.The reputed author of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu, stated that the world governs itself. It doesn’t need our intervention. As Lao Tzu wrote: “When you arrive at nonaction, nothing will be left undone.”...

There’s a lot of animosity toward the voluntarily childless. Yet I don’t believe I’ve made a morally wrong choice by not having kids. In this video, I present my reasons for not having children and explain why I believe I’ve made the right choice for myself.Support the channel:✔️ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/einzelgangster✔️ PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/einzelgangercoBooks: (affiliate links):📖 Taoism for Inner Peace: https://amzn.to/4bN9lVB📖 The Urge: Fall of a Stoic: https://amzn.to/3Yc77Kw📖 Stoicism for Inner Strength: https://a...

What Cats Teach Us About Happiness | A Cat's Philosophy Most of the time, cats come across as utterly indifferent. They don’t seem to care about other cats and aren’t too attached to their owners. But does this mean that cats are immoral, heartless creatures? Are cats, from a philosophical viewpoint, devoid of ethics and virtue?According to philosopher John Gray, author of the book Feline Philosophy, Cats and the Meaning of Life, cats have ethics and are also capable of love and affection. The book explains feline philosophy using John Gray’s interesting insights supplemented with theories and vi...