With Reggie James
HipCityReg — the mysterious, ubercool philosopher-founder of the NYC and LA based avatar social network Eternal — is a kind of legend on Twitter, known equally for his smirks directed at Startupland and his insightful personal essays exposing unresolved problems our community is reluctant to talk about.
It was a rare treat to have Reggie participate in our post-Proustian questionnaire: all the life wisdom, all the contradictions, all the Frank Ocean!
Read his answers below…
Please write your Most Honest Twitter Bio (max 120 characters)
A writer. A builder. Trying not to block myself from life. A young man, 24, black in America. Endowed by my creator.
Which of the words in this “bio” is the most important for describing you? Why?
“Endowed”
It reminds me why I am anywhere.
Imagine your past — present — and future. Name three songs that are the perfect soundtrack for these three stages.
Past: “Not What I Needed” by Car Seat Headrest
Present: “Creature Comfort” by Arcade Fire
Future: “Close To You” by Frank Ocean
What are the 4 pillars of human relationships? Is this general (i.e. works in any relationship, from romance to geopolitics) or is there a change across scales?
Communication. Shared Space. Intimacy. Transparency.
These pillars are universal across relationships.
I think we paint ideal scenarios off of what we believe are existential threats to the health of whatever system we believe we are in.
What does the word “community” mean to you in 2019? Is it an empty word or does it have a real substance?
I think like anything else, we’ve cheapened and distorted the meaning. But it still does have meaning. Community is the act of creating a distinction between your people and the crowd. And the physicality behind that difference is what allows us the space to explore varying degrees of intimacy.
The artifacts we use to gather community is only a rallying point, but what happens around that artifact is what becomes special.
What role do you think you play in groups of people? What role do groups play in your life?
I think your identity in a group is really fluid. Sometimes I’m a node, sometimes I’m entertainment, sometimes I’m the smartest person in the room, sometimes I’m the idiot, sometimes I’m an observer, sometimes I’m powerful.
Groups used to be this real sense of silliness and release from daily stresses, but they have this weird tension for me right now. A lot of my friends work in tech, so there’s this element of always being on. But my roommate is a musician, so is my brother.
The thing is, after college all my creative friends that I was really close with moved to LA. So more and more I’ve been making sure to not let our tech ambitions cloud the joy of being together. I’m trying to make more space for my friends to just be lazy and lay around together.
What does “individualism” mean to you in 2019? Is it a political slogan or an ambition we all should have?
It simply means being aware of yourself.
It should be an ambition: you are always changing! It’s easy to lose touch with yourself. It sounds weird, but it’s true.
I’m trying to make more space for my friends to just be lazy and lay around together.
Name one thing humans are better off doing alone
Meditating.
What do you think is one thing most people are mistaken about?
What sex means in a relationship.
What is an achievement you’re most proud of?
I don’t think I’ve achieved anything.
What is one skill you’d like to wake up magically having?
Coding.
In an ideal scenario, how does the world look like in 10 years? How about 50?
In ten:
No cars in cities. More housing. Better public transportation. Less police. Eradication of for-profit jails. Spiritual renaissance. Even more vertical farming companies & synthetic meat options. Even more social options. Nuclear power.
In 50:
No cars in cities. More housing. Better public transportation. Less police. Eradication of for-profit jails. Spiritual renaissance. Even more vertical farming companies & synthetic meat options. Even more social options. Starting underwater cities.
Community is the act of creating a distinction between your people and the crowd. And the physicality behind that difference is what allows us the space to explore varying degrees of intimacy.
How likely do you see the ideal scenario actually happening?
I think we paint ideal scenarios off of what we believe are existential threats to the health of whatever system we believe we are in. So…. I hope it all happens and sustains and improves, or else we will die.
What is one small thing we should all be doing every day to make life better for ourselves?
Praying.
What is one small thing we should all be doing every day to make life better for our immediate community?
Showing up.
A good life is a life where people understand what purpose an event served, how it came to be, and how they fit into that story.
What is one small thing we should all be doing every day to make life better for… mankind?
Building things.
Do people want a “good life”? What in your mind is a “good life”?
The main problem is that people don’t know how to define things. They say things like “I just want to have a good life”… I mean, okay, poof, here are good friends, a good job, and a loving partner. But they will still be miserable.
I think people want to be able to find meaning. A good life is a life where people understand what purpose an event served, how it came to be, and how they fit into that story. And that is really hard to do.
What is your definition of happiness?
Being at peace with God. Feeling I am improving my inputs.
