About Me

Who am I?

My name is David Hoffman and I am a 25-year-old from New Jersey. During the past several years, I have made a dedicated effort to learn more about the world through books, podcasts, articles, and other media.

What is this blog about?/What can you find here?

This blog is a space for me to share what I am learning in my day-to-day life and a place to gather my thoughts. I had been keeping some notes on my phone and keeping track of books in a Google Doc, but felt that it might be good to document my learning journey publicly. I have had some friends reach out and ask for book recommendations, or what I am currently reading so this can be a resource for anyone interested. If somebody is able to get value out of this blog then that would be great, but it is also helpful for me to track my thoughts and progress publicly.

Why did I do this?

The primary reason for creating this blog came from rediscovering a love for reading through quarantine. I started getting bored of watching new TV shows, movies, and going through social media, and felt like I was going through the motions and not really learning or gaining much from it. I started to read again due to a class I took and a book recommendation from my boss. I discovered how easy it was to read, whether it be books I found around the house, audiobooks, or ebooks, it really was not as hard to get into them as I had convinced myself it was, and once I found topics and books that were interesting, reading flowed naturally.

As I got more and more into it, I realized it would be good to document my progress. In going through and cataloging my motivations, takeaways, and summaries, I am able to better reflect on the content. Also, I think I could benefit from people asking my opinions on books, recommending books they think I would enjoy, and keeping me engaged with what I am thinking and reading about. Feel free to reach out and suggest any goals, books, podcasts, or general ideas you may have.

CONTACT ME:

Leave a comment, or email me at thelargestred@gmail.com

On socials @TheLargestRed

The Battle Against Biology and Evolution

The Battle Against Biology and Evolution Thoughts as of 6/6/24 Something that has come up again and again in my quest for physical fitness and happiness is the unavoidable fact that we are products of evolution and at the mercy of our biology. The problem is, we have escaped the food chain and these systems no longer serve us. The more you learn about the processes of the body whether it be chemical balances, circadian rhythms, impacts of light, exercise, and food, etc. etc. there are evolutionary reasons why things are the way that they are. We are beings that are optimized to survive and reproduce and things that serve that purpose give us good feelings and things that do not, do not. This does not lead to optimum behavior in today’s world. One example of circadian rhythms and our biological clocks is in the impact of light on biological processes. If it were up to us, we would probably want to divorce these clock signals from light exposure so as to be able to stay up late using art...

The Adventure of Truth

The Adventure of Truth I have heard from several disparate sources in the past few weeks the notion that following the truth is the most adventurous way to live one’s life. Initially, this sounds like some trite saying you would see on a bumper sticker or a t-shirt that someone wears to the gym, but the more I have thought about it, the more it has resonated. The best thing about reading books and articles and listening to podcasts and audiobooks across different fields has been the connection of ideas and principles that start to take shape. The core attestation in the truth equals adventure claim is that by using truth as a guide, we cede control to the powers that be outside of our rational mind and operate by some “feeling” instead. This sounds a bit woo-woo, but then again, the esoteric is what I find to be the most interesting when it comes to thought experiments. I heard from another source - the creator of Veggie Tale’s autobiography to be exact - that there is almost assuredly...

THE TRUTH

God is Real. Jesus is Exactly Who He Said He Was. That’s the message. Simple. Complete. If you know, you know. If you don’t yet, maybe this will help you start to see it. I’m not a preacher. I’m not a prophet. I’m just a guy named David Hoffman who stumbled into the most beautiful truth there is, and once you see it, you can’t unsee it. My only job is to point. Like a decoder. Not to tell you what to think, but to help you look where I looked. The SparkNotes to Finding the Truth Life is messy. Painful. Loud. But there’s an order behind it all, like music underneath static. Here's the shortcut: Pray – Even if you don't believe, even if it feels weird. Get on your knees. Ask for help. Ask for clarity. Pray to whatever you think might be listening. You're not alone. Look and Listen – The signs are there. Always have been. In music. In movies. In the people around you. They start as coincidences, but eventually you'll see the pattern. God is subtle, but never silent. Beli...

Nobody Cares

Nobody Cares Not to sound too pessimistic, but I think it is true at the end of the day. This is more from a principles perspective than anything else. I think it is probably beneficial to live your life thinking that nobody cares about what you are doing. A chip on your shoulder attitude is part of this mindset, in that it may be helpful to live life as if you have something to prove and that you should make people care about you. However, I feel like the more important interpretation of this quote that is likely fundamentally true, is that people think about you a heck of a lot less than you think they do. In my life, if I take the portion of my waking thoughts that are about my own thoughts, feelings, biases, actions, past, present, and future, and put that over the portion of externally focused thoughts, it would probably round to zero. Not that I am overtly selfish or have a huge ego, but it is just impractical for 99% of people to genuinely think about others more than them...

Diet and Nutrition

Thoughts as of November 2024 - subject to change as I learn more - feel free to poke holes, always happy to be corrected. Many people over the past few years have asked me for tips and tricks about diet and nutrition. I have gone into detail with people on an individual basis over text/dm, on phone calls, or in person, but I felt it would be helpful for me and others to spell out some of my thoughts in greater detail. This serves a dual benefit of forcing me to list out my thoughts and having something to point to for others to look into at their convenience. Also, over time it will be interesting with new studies and experiences to see how I revise my own beliefs My advice to you People often get annoyed with me when they ask a simple question about nutrition. “Is this good?” “Is this bad?” The answer is, it depends. Some will ask what brands of products that I use, and sure, I could tell someone to eat xyz food or use this supplement, but if you do not understand the reasoning behind...

“How do you do life without a coach?”

“How do you do life without a coach?” Thoughts as of 6/12/24 This question comes from a recent conversation with a friend contemplating life post athletics. For people not involved in athletics past a certain level, this may not resonate. However, I think that the longer one stays within a sport, and the more of one’s time that sport takes up (highly correlated I’d imagine), this will likely strike a chord. Further, I think it is more of a commentary on the schooling system writ large rather than something narrowly confined to athletics. The lesson should ring true to anyone finding themselves in the midst of uncertainty, but an example will be helpful in illustrating the point. Speaking from my own experience, I had always been involved in competitive sports. I started at probably 5 years old and continued until I was 22. The myriad benefits of athletics have been widely touted my whole life, such as increased discipline, teamwork, leadership, etc. but I think that there is a som...

You Are What You Eat - Literally!

You Are What You Eat - Literally! Thoughts as of 5/30/2024 These thoughts have been percolating for a few months now since I first heard the concept mentioned on a podcast. It seems so incredibly simple and obvious, and yet, after 25 years of living, I was and am blown away. We have all heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” It sounds trite and meaningless, and until I heard it expressed in this specific way, I dismissed it as nothingness. In fact, I imagine most people do the same, and I am not sure the originator of the quote intended the meaning in the way I now interpret it. As an athlete, I would always hear analogies along the lines of treating your body like a racecar. You need to take care of the racecar to make sure it is operating at peak efficiency. When it came to food, this was more so fuel for the racecar, or gasoline. You would not just put any old thing into a racecar and expect it to perform at its best. Similarly, as an athlete who wants to perform at a high level,...

Ego - Lifting and Otherwise

Ego - Lifting and Otherwise Thoughts as of 4/15/2024 These thoughts have been percolating for some time, and there are many more illustrative examples outside of lifting, but I feel that the point is easier made with lifting. In terms of religious or philosophical concepts, I have a lot of work to do to understand what exactly the ego is, and what exactly pride is, but I know they are both very dangerous. C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity made me think about pride more seriously for the first time. All of the quotes about pride being the worst sin, or compared to the devil himself I was able to brush past as hyperbole, but upon reflection, it makes sense. Similarly, ego I have never taken all that seriously; however, books like Ryan Holiday’s Ego is the Enemy, and other schools of thought that warn of the dangers of ego have been a part of my knowledge consumption over the past few years. One of the catalysts for taking these concepts more seriously was an instance in the weight room and...

Weekly Updates 4/3-4/6/2025

"I know that I know nothing” - Socrates This one goes out to all my fans! Just kidding. I yearn for the days when these posts got zero views. I have been perfecting the art of the shake and bake lately. A lot of shaking over the past few weeks, currently still baking. Still shaking, for that matter. Shake, and then bake. Stay Tuned...

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