my camera as a symbol of stoicism

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onto today’s topic: my camera as a symbol of stoicism 📷️ 

i was recently asked, “what’s a random object that describes you pretty well?”

rather quickly, i thought of my camera. at a surface-level, the camera represents my photography hobby and joy for capturing the present. dialling it a little deeper, cameras are primarily associated with creativity, which is true; however, there’s quite a few numbers involved, from adjusting the iso settings to exposure and shutter speed.

there’s an eye for detail and analytical nature involved, and that describes me quite well as a person. 🤓 

more importantly, i can draw a meaningful connection between a camera and a core philosophy i live by: stoicism, the mindset of only letting the things you control, control you, and relinquishing the power external factors hold over your mental state.

with a camera, you can zoom out, zoom in, and focus on what matters. it’s always up to you and the settings or framing you can adjust. if some people end up photo-bombing or disrupting the beautiful background, you can always edit those externalities out — the same way i choose to let go of things out of my control. 🧘‍♀️ 

you can also choose to download the best photos and discard the rest. similarly, if different responsibilities, relationships or environments aren’t serving me or feeding my fire, i don’t need to pay any additional attention to them. i choose to focus on positivity and the beauty around me, because that’s exactly what it is: a choice i must make.

what random object describes you?

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