A Chance Encounter With Arnold Schwarzenegger

Entrepreneur, Actor, Director, Producer, Former Athlete, Former Politician: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Year: 2024, Photographer: Ajani Charles

I work incredibly hard; my parents, therapist, mentors, colleagues, friends, executives working for my clients, and other facets of my support system often implore me to take far more breaks.

Still, hard work is only part of the equation that has led me to achieve the goals that I have deemed most important in my career.

Luck has been a significant component, and it was sheer luck that I shot the portrait featured herein of one of my childhood heroes, Arnold Schwarzenegger, during the early evening of Sunday, June 16, 2024; it was sheer luck that I had my Canon EOS R5 mirrorless camera on me at the time after visiting my parents for Father's Day dinner.

I knew he had been in Toronto for at least a month, as one of my childhood friends had seen him cycling throughout the city about a month earlier.

He was filming season 1 of a Netflix action-comedy series called FUBAR.

The show has been renewed for a second season, shooting began this past April, and he is expected to be in Toronto for the entire summer, so there will undoubtedly be more Schwarzenegger sightings in the coming weeks and months by other Torontonians.

Years of studying Annie Leibovitz, who inspired me to shoot more family photographs through a documentary on her life I watched at the beginning of my career, and being hyper-aware of the inevitability of death has led me to document my family excessively, especially my parents.

I was dropped off in front of my condo, and Arnold was on a bike peddling at a relatively slow pace right past me in mind-numbing downtown Toronto traffic.

When I saw Arnold pulling away from me faster than anticipated, I sprinted faster than I had sprinted in nearly a year after asking myself through my inner monologue a question to the effect of “Am I going to let Arnold, one of my childhood heroes and one of the most recognizable public figures in human history cycle off without saying a single word to him?”

Metacognition is an awareness of one's thought processes and understanding the patterns behind them.

I am thankful for the more than a decade of different forms of meditation and other mindfulness practices, as well as nearly two decades of experience as a photojournalist (combined with other skills) that led me to have the conversation above with myself in seconds.

My physiotherapist, Jasmine Choi, at Myodetox and I know that, given a recent injury, it is unwise for me to run more than a couple of blocks at a slow pace for the time being.

I completely disregarded the fact that I was injured; my injury did not enter my consciousness at all. I resembled the T-1000, a fictional character in the Terminator franchise that Arnold popularized and who debuted as the antagonist in the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

After two blocks of sprinting, he stopped at a light with his friend, who was biking beside him.

After getting his attention, I thanked him for a lifetime of inspiration. I showed him on my phone that I had recently bought his new book, Be Useful, which ironically describes how I have achieved many of my goals within business.

Without a lifetime of physical training, partly inspired by Arnold, I would have never gotten the shot, and a seemingly miraculous confluence of variables, most of which were out of my control, had led to the encounter.

I only have a few nearly identical portraits of Arnold, as I did not want to interrupt his bike ride for too long. I am and was well aware that his schedule is demanding and involves far more interactions with strangers than I can currently fathom or tolerate.

In the days following my encounter with Arnold, I considered the low probability of our meeting happening and the even lower likelihood of the portrait I shot coming to fruition.

Uncertain how to interpret this, I asked ChatGPT, specifically GPT-4o, to analyze the event from several philosophical and spiritual perspectives.

It stated that, from a fatalist perspective, the encounter was destined to happen regardless of my actions or decisions.

Fatalism suggests that all events are predetermined and inevitable, often driven by a force or fate beyond individual control.

From an existentialist perspective, ChatGPT stated that my encounter with Arnold Schwarzenegger emphasizes the importance of individual agency and the creation of personal meaning.

Existentialism asserts that life inherently lacks predetermined meaning, and it is up to each individual to create their purpose through choices and actions.

Because I study and practice different forms of yoga, I have been intensely interested in the Vedas, the ancient spiritual texts of India, for about a decade.

As such, ChatGPT stated that in Vedic philosophy, my encounter with Arnold could be seen as a manifestation of my karma and dharma.

Meeting Arnold signifies a karmic reward for my dedication and hard work. It suggests that I am on the right path and the universe is aligning significant opportunities in my favour.

From a Taoist perspective, ChatGPT told me that the encounter embodies the principle of "wu wei," or effortless action.

It illustrates the harmony between my efforts and the natural flow of life.

Meeting Arnold without intention or planning shows how being in tune with the Tao can bring fortuitous moments.

Such an event can be interpreted as encouraging me to continue my journey with balance, patience, and acceptance of natural events.

Buddhism emphasizes mindfulness, which is non-judgemental awareness of the present moment and the impermanence of life.

From a Buddhist perspective, ChatGPT stated that the encounter is a reminder to be present and appreciate the moment.

Arnold's influence on my life and the spontaneous nature of the meeting highlight the interconnectedness of all beings and events.

To ChatGPT, an Ismalic paradigm would view my encounter with Anrold as a sign of divine favour and a test of my intentions and actions.

Meeting a figure like him, who embodies resilience and success, can inspire me to pursue my goals with sincerity and perseverance according to the tenets of the Quran.

Finally, ChatGPT told me that a Christian might interpret this encounter as a blessing and an encouragement from God.

Arnold symbolizes perseverance, faith, and hard work, aligning with Christian values.

Regardless of how I interpret the event, I am grateful that it happened.

I love the portraits I shot of Arnold a mere few nights after I shot some incredible footage of Snoop Dogg, another of my childhood heroes who I have photographed and documented many times since 2009.