I’m a big fan of Zen/Taoist, Eastern philosophy.

Even though I am very pro-American at heart (in terms of our love for risk-taking, for individuality, and for freedom), I see a lot of negatives of the American/Western line of thinking. There is too much focus on “profit”, “success”, and externalizing your self-worth in terms of material markers (having a lot of money, a big house, a nice car, etc).

I discovered “Zen”/Taoism by chance. I was mostly stressed out, fed up with the bullshit of life, and wanted more peace, tranquility, and happiness in my life.

Zen/Taoism was the solution for me. It helped me loosen up, walk slower, worry less, and mellow out.

Why do I use Zen/Taoism interchangeably? To me, there are far more similar than dissimilar. Honestly, I am not the expert in Zen/Taoism (I only know it from a pop-culture perspective), but my practical learnings is that they preach the same philosophy.

To move on, the more practical question — how can we learn how to be more “zen” in our street photography and life? Here are some ideas: