I think I get what you’re asking. You want to know: “is it safe to look at the world Michael’s way?”
The answer? “No. Almost certainly not.”
I didn’t arrive at this worldview all in one go. I didn’t sign on with some guru. I didn’t just make it up to sell a book.
I tried doing X and it made me gain 70 pounds.
I tried doing Y and it gave me chronic pain in my right forearm.
I tried doing Z and it made my voice crack when I sang a high C.
On and on. Over a period of years.
Eventually, the totality of it forced me to say, “yeah, everything they taught me is bullshit. Results DO actually matter. Process DOES actually matter. Numbing yourself has real consequences.”
But if you have a better way to do it, you should do it that way.
Do not surrender your discernment to some random guy on the Internet.
I will admit I’m having a harder time with comments lately. I feel like I’m starting to repeat myself and I’m getting a little frustrated that no one’s coming up with anything GREAT.
But I also know this is a sign of my growing mastery. I’ve developed a language for talking about this stuff and I’ve learned to use it with fluidity and expressivity. Of course I’m going to get bored by all the amateurs in the room.
So what’s next?
Train AI to write like me so I can pump this stuff out at scale?
Nah.
For now, I’ll just point you at the book.
The Temple Papers All three digital formats for one price. Link in bio.
The concept of “liking” something comes from the wasteland. In the land of status games, where everyone must be “equally low-value”, evaluation is the order of the day.
But in the temple, everything revolves around money.
The priest must never let himself be confused by this. Talk is cheap. He must allow Spectators to admire from afar—if he doesn’t, the temple is likely too obscure to be useful. But a temple exists to be used, not admired.
Thus, he must keep his eyes on the PayPal notifications—they’re the only likes that count for realsies.
No matter his actual business, he must understand that his job is to develop a video game. He is Shigeru Miyamoto, and the temple is his Mario. His Zelda. If no one plays, the game sucks—no matter how good the idea sounded in principle.
Therefore, he must reject empty praise. He must fix the game. He must find players who want to play for real. The ones who would fake being sick so they can skip school and stay home all to play.
The ones who see him as nothing more than the guy who made the game.
I don’t recall complaining about anybody not buying the book. In fact, I just wrote a long post detailing all the things you can do if you don’t yet feel ready to buy the book. The priest of a temple cannot dictate others’ choices for them.
People have their own lives, their own constraints, their own complexities.
The priest can make it known if he thinks the temple would suit them. He can make it known if he thinks the temple would not suit them. And he *should* do both of these. In fact, the time he spends articulating these thoughts translates directly to influence.
“At last,” the visitor thinks. “Someone who tells it to me straight.”
But the priest’s influence ends there.
He can talk about the temple, he can talk about the people who approach the temple, and he can build the temple.
He can talk and he can build.
Nothing else. He can’t convince. He can’t persuade.
He can talk and he can build.
Even if the wasteland *wants* him to convince them, he must refrain from trying. For it will not lead to money. It will not lead to influence. It will not *work.*
“But I’m giving you a chance to promote your thing,” the demon pleads. “Can’t you at least *try* to earn my money?”
But the priest must gently refuse the request. He leaves the self-promotion to the marketers. He goes back to the straight-talk.
When the demon feels the urge to buy, it will buy.
Let’s say you find yourself drawn to the temple but, for whatever reason, you don’t yet feel ready to buy the book.
What can you do in the meantime?
Most obviously, you can read through my YouTube community posts. Nearly all the material in the book was initially posted here. You won’t get the proofread, edited versions here; you won’t hear me narrate the drama or hold the printed volume in your hands; and you won’t get the structure as I laid it out in the book. But you can—and should—familiarize yourself with the ideas there.
Also, you can go onto Amazon and read the preview they have there. They included a big chunk of the book.
I also have a bunch more content that you should peruse. Watch or listen to the Late-Night Temple Rants videos. I have them on YouTube, on Substack, and on my podcast. They lay out some of my basic thinking on this topic.
If you want something more interactive, you might leave a comment here. I often write mini-essays inspired by the comments I feel make good writing prompts. You may even find that your comment or my response gets worked into a future volume of The Temple Papers.
Finally, you might keep one eye on the website. The temple has many rooms and they open and close on their own schedule.
That should keep you busy until you find yourself ready to get your hands or ears on the book.
Let people have their reactions to your work. You have zero control over those reactions, and you’ll only make yourself crazy if you try to control them.
You can’t even possibly know why exactly they react the way they do—you don’t have their history and their unique traumas.
Just focus on the money. Give the work as much integrity as you can, put it out there, and collect tickets at the door. This means you have to let go of your rigid preconceptions.
Yes, you made the thing. But once you put it out there, it no longer belongs to you—now, it belongs to *everyone*. And not everyone will treat it nicely. And many will misunderstand your intent. Let yourself get upset about that. But channel that into a *new* piece—or at least a new edition of the original.
In this way, you stay *in the moment.* And money comes from THIS moment, not from past moments. Great artists must reinvent themselves constantly. Why do you think Beethoven and Picasso had so many periods?
I never posted any of those piano videos to make anyone laugh—I leave the comedy to the comedians. But it doesn’t matter why I posted them—those events happened long ago.
Now, I focus on *now*.
I leave the work to the audience—I tend to the money. And that means making new art, constantly reinventing myself. I don’t do it on purpose—I just follow the money and let the art trail behind me.
But the wasteland pushes back.
“How dare you accept your prior work?” the demon seethes. “You should be embarrassed, ashamed. It’s *cringe*!”
The priest, however, can only roll his eyes at this obsession with the past. For he knows that the present wouldn’t exist without the past—and he knows the past hasn’t gone anywhere.
He knows it *can’t* go anywhere, for “neurons that fire together, wire together” and “the human nervous system has no DELETE button.”
Thus, he keeps working.
He keeps training.
He keeps selling to the audience that has not yet arrived.
Michael Korman
I think I get what you’re asking. You want to know: “is it safe to look at the world Michael’s way?”
The answer? “No. Almost certainly not.”
I didn’t arrive at this worldview all in one go. I didn’t sign on with some guru. I didn’t just make it up to sell a book.
I tried doing X and it made me gain 70 pounds.
I tried doing Y and it gave me chronic pain in my right forearm.
I tried doing Z and it made my voice crack when I sang a high C.
On and on. Over a period of years.
Eventually, the totality of it forced me to say, “yeah, everything they taught me is bullshit. Results DO actually matter. Process DOES actually matter. Numbing yourself has real consequences.”
But if you have a better way to do it, you should do it that way.
Do not surrender your discernment to some random guy on the Internet.
I didn’t get here by doing that.
15 hours ago | [YT] | 3
View 7 replies
Michael Korman
I will admit I’m having a harder time with comments lately. I feel like I’m starting to repeat myself and I’m getting a little frustrated that no one’s coming up with anything GREAT.
But I also know this is a sign of my growing mastery. I’ve developed a language for talking about this stuff and I’ve learned to use it with fluidity and expressivity. Of course I’m going to get bored by all the amateurs in the room.
So what’s next?
Train AI to write like me so I can pump this stuff out at scale?
Nah.
For now, I’ll just point you at the book.
The Temple Papers
All three digital formats for one price.
Link in bio.
19 hours ago | [YT] | 4
View 0 replies
Michael Korman
The concept of “liking” something comes from the wasteland. In the land of status games, where everyone must be “equally low-value”, evaluation is the order of the day.
But in the temple, everything revolves around money.
The priest must never let himself be confused by this. Talk is cheap. He must allow Spectators to admire from afar—if he doesn’t, the temple is likely too obscure to be useful. But a temple exists to be used, not admired.
Thus, he must keep his eyes on the PayPal notifications—they’re the only likes that count for realsies.
No matter his actual business, he must understand that his job is to develop a video game. He is Shigeru Miyamoto, and the temple is his Mario. His Zelda. If no one plays, the game sucks—no matter how good the idea sounded in principle.
Therefore, he must reject empty praise. He must fix the game. He must find players who want to play for real. The ones who would fake being sick so they can skip school and stay home all to play.
The ones who see him as nothing more than the guy who made the game.
19 hours ago | [YT] | 3
View 5 replies
Michael Korman
The priest surveys the reclaimed shorts.
“Have I done enough?” he says.
But the gods do not answer.
He thinks. If you can even call it that.
He sits, eyes closed. Images and sounds swirl around in his head.
“Why doesn’t it feel any easier?” he says.
Still, no answer.
He takes another sip of iced coffee.
20 hours ago | [YT] | 3
View 0 replies
Michael Korman
I don’t recall complaining about anybody not buying the book. In fact, I just wrote a long post detailing all the things you can do if you don’t yet feel ready to buy the book. The priest of a temple cannot dictate others’ choices for them.
People have their own lives, their own constraints, their own complexities.
The priest can make it known if he thinks the temple would suit them. He can make it known if he thinks the temple would not suit them. And he *should* do both of these. In fact, the time he spends articulating these thoughts translates directly to influence.
“At last,” the visitor thinks. “Someone who tells it to me straight.”
But the priest’s influence ends there.
He can talk about the temple, he can talk about the people who approach the temple, and he can build the temple.
He can talk and he can build.
Nothing else. He can’t convince. He can’t persuade.
He can talk and he can build.
Even if the wasteland *wants* him to convince them, he must refrain from trying. For it will not lead to money. It will not lead to influence. It will not *work.*
“But I’m giving you a chance to promote your thing,” the demon pleads. “Can’t you at least *try* to earn my money?”
But the priest must gently refuse the request. He leaves the self-promotion to the marketers. He goes back to the straight-talk.
When the demon feels the urge to buy, it will buy.
Not a moment sooner.
21 hours ago | [YT] | 0
View 3 replies
Michael Korman
Let’s say you find yourself drawn to the temple but, for whatever reason, you don’t yet feel ready to buy the book.
What can you do in the meantime?
Most obviously, you can read through my YouTube community posts. Nearly all the material in the book was initially posted here. You won’t get the proofread, edited versions here; you won’t hear me narrate the drama or hold the printed volume in your hands; and you won’t get the structure as I laid it out in the book. But you can—and should—familiarize yourself with the ideas there.
Also, you can go onto Amazon and read the preview they have there. They included a big chunk of the book.
I also have a bunch more content that you should peruse. Watch or listen to the Late-Night Temple Rants videos. I have them on YouTube, on Substack, and on my podcast. They lay out some of my basic thinking on this topic.
If you want something more interactive, you might leave a comment here. I often write mini-essays inspired by the comments I feel make good writing prompts. You may even find that your comment or my response gets worked into a future volume of The Temple Papers.
Finally, you might keep one eye on the website. The temple has many rooms and they open and close on their own schedule.
That should keep you busy until you find yourself ready to get your hands or ears on the book.
May the temple be with you. 🕯️
1 day ago | [YT] | 2
View 2 replies
Michael Korman
Let people have their reactions to your work. You have zero control over those reactions, and you’ll only make yourself crazy if you try to control them.
You can’t even possibly know why exactly they react the way they do—you don’t have their history and their unique traumas.
Just focus on the money. Give the work as much integrity as you can, put it out there, and collect tickets at the door. This means you have to let go of your rigid preconceptions.
Yes, you made the thing. But once you put it out there, it no longer belongs to you—now, it belongs to *everyone*. And not everyone will treat it nicely. And many will misunderstand your intent. Let yourself get upset about that. But channel that into a *new* piece—or at least a new edition of the original.
In this way, you stay *in the moment.* And money comes from THIS moment, not from past moments. Great artists must reinvent themselves constantly. Why do you think Beethoven and Picasso had so many periods?
I never posted any of those piano videos to make anyone laugh—I leave the comedy to the comedians. But it doesn’t matter why I posted them—those events happened long ago.
Now, I focus on *now*.
I leave the work to the audience—I tend to the money. And that means making new art, constantly reinventing myself. I don’t do it on purpose—I just follow the money and let the art trail behind me.
But the wasteland pushes back.
“How dare you accept your prior work?” the demon seethes. “You should be embarrassed, ashamed. It’s *cringe*!”
The priest, however, can only roll his eyes at this obsession with the past. For he knows that the present wouldn’t exist without the past—and he knows the past hasn’t gone anywhere.
He knows it *can’t* go anywhere, for “neurons that fire together, wire together” and “the human nervous system has no DELETE button.”
Thus, he keeps working.
He keeps training.
He keeps selling to the audience that has not yet arrived.
1 day ago | [YT] | 2
View 3 replies
Michael Korman
As with Zeno’s famous dichotomy paradox, understanding grows ever closer—yet somehow always remains out of reach.
But the paywall is right there.
The Temple Papers
epub 📱 + m4b 🎧 + pdf 🖨️
Link in bio.
2 days ago | [YT] | 4
View 10 replies
Michael Korman
Both come to my place of business.
One to drop vapid compliments.
The other to stir up Internet drama.
Both will meet a rude awakening.
The Temple Papers
epub 📱 + m4b 🎧 + pdf 🖨️
Link in bio.
2 days ago | [YT] | 0
View 1 reply
Michael Korman
The general public will destroy your business, if you let it.
Don’t let it.
The Temple Papers
epub 📱 + m4b 🎧 + pdf 🖨️
Link in bio.
2 days ago | [YT] | 1
View 1 reply
Load more