How to Think Like a Roman Emperor
If you have anger issues, this one is a great tool (h/t mindyourbusiness)
This week’s book:
Discourses and Selected Writings
Disclaimer: I’m not your Supervisor. These are my opinions after reading through these books a few times.
Epictetus was born a slave around 50 ad. His owner was Epaphroditus, a rich freedman who was once a slave of Nero. Though he was a slave Epictetus was sent to study philosophy under Musonius Rufus.
Epictetus was lame and there are some stories it was caused by his master and others that it was caused by disease.
He was a freedman when all philosophers were banished from Rome in 89 by the Emperor Domitian. He then started his school in Greece, and had many students. He did not leave any writings from his lessons, but one of his students, Flavius Arrian, took notes and wrote the Discourses.
Epictetus did not marry, had no children, and lived to be around 80-85. In retirement, he adopted a child that would have been abandoned and raised him with a woman.
He died sometime around AD 135.
He might be my favorite Stoic teacher. I love his bare bones and very straight forward approach.
Following is a paragraph-by-paragraph discussion of one of his lessons. Epictetus’s text appears in bold, my replies are in normal text.
To a certain rhetorician who was going to Rome for a lawsuit Part II
Then you will say, “When I met Epictetus it was like meeting a stone, a statue.” Yes, for you took a look at me, and nothing more. The person who meets a man as a man is one who learns to understand the other’s judgements, and in his turn exhibits his own. Learn to know my judgements; show me your own, and then say you have met me. Let us put one another to the test; if I cherish any evil judgement, take it away; if you cherish one, bring it forward. That is what it means to meet a philosopher. Oh no; but your way is: “We are passing, and while we are hiring our ship, we have a chance to take a look at Epictetus; let’s see what in the world he has to say.” Then you leave with the remark: “Epictetus was nothing at all, his language was full of solecisms and barbarisms.” What else were you capable of judging, when you came in like that?
Epictetus was not going to simply affirm the man’s decision to try to be appointed. Because he did not receive the advice he wanted, it would be easy for him to say Epictetus’s counsel was worthless. When what I desire doesn’t work out, it is easy to complain about how unfair life can be, instead of looking for the lesson I could gain.
5“But,” says someone, “if I devote myself to these things, I shall not own a farm any more than you do, I shall not have silver goblets any more than you, or fine cattle any more than you.”
There is a difference between living well and living in pursuit of riches. It is possible to have both, but not if opulence and impressing others is the main goal.
To all this it is perhaps enough to answer: “I do not need them; but you, even if you acquire many possessions, need still others, and whether you will or not, are more poverty-stricken than I am.”—What, then, do I need?—What you do not have; steadfastness, your mind in a state of conformity with nature, freedom from vexation of spirit.
Being content with what I have is worth more to me than being truly rich. If having the nicest things was my main goal, the fact I daily drive a 2005 Saab with 269,000 miles and peeling paint would bother me. Sometimes I think it would be nice to buy a newer Camaro or something similar. Then I think about how much money that would suck out of my monthly budget. Add in the fact tires and other maintenance would be more expensive, then I appreciate my $5,000 car that I’ve owned for 7 years.
Patron or not patron, what do I care? But you care. I am richer than you are; I am not worried about what Caesar is going to think of me; I flatter no man for that purpose. All this is what I have as an offset to your silver plate, and your gold plate. You have furnishings of gold, but your reason, your judgements, your assent, your choice, your desire—of earthenware.
I try to have the reason and judgment of gold and silver on an earthen ware budget.
But when I have these in a state of conformity with nature, why should I not take up logic also as a sort of hobby? For, I have plenty of leisure; my mind is not being dragged this way and that. What shall I do, seeing there is nothing that disturbs me? What have I which more becomes a man than this? You and your kind when you have nothing to do are restless,
I like to be busy also, and it helps me to be calm in spirit when I accomplish things, whether that is working on my vehicles or doing yard work.Being busy just to be busy is not something I have a problem with. I do enjoy the times when I have no plans except to hang out with my wife.
20go to the theater, or wander up and down aimlessly. Why should not the philosopher develop his own reason? You turn to vessels of crystal, I to the syllogism called “The Liar”;[4] you to murrhine ware,[5] I to the syllogism called “The Denier.”[6] Everything that you already have seems small in your sight, but everything that I have seems important to me. Your strong desire is insatiable, mine is already satisfied. The same thing happens to the children who put their hand down into a narrow-necked jar and try to take out figs and nuts: if they get their hand full, they can’t get it out, and then they cry. Drop a few and you will get it out. And so do you too drop your desire; do not set your heart upon many things and you will obtain.[7][† 2]
I currently live in a nice house and have a job that pays me enough so I can waste money restoring a 23 year old truck and still have a good budget. I have not always been this fortunate.
When I was an E-4 in the Marines with 3 kids and a wife that raised the kids and took care of the house, there were times we had to dig through the couch to get enough money for my weekly haircut. We had a 1984 LTD (we drove this from 1999-2004). The paint on it was pretty much gone and the vinyl top was cracked. We never felt poor though. We always had enough food and managed to pay our bills.
I remember when we bought a fancy $150 Zojiroshi rice maker for my wife, that hurt. Now, it wouldn’t phase me at all if my wife said she needed $300 for something. I try to keep that mindset and remember how far we have come, but it is easy to get spoiled and think the way we live now is normal. BTW, we still have the same Zojiroshi rice maker, going on 25 years now.
Are we there yet?
Don’t make me turn this car around!
Apparently I have always been an asshole. You saying that reminded me of one time when I was about 12 my mother hit me with that, or something like that. So I said….
“Me? I made you do that? Something you did is all my fault?”
If a person’s head really could explode Scanners style her head would have but she didn’t say a word. She never said that to me again.
There’s a slow pitch hanging right over the plate. :-p
I continue to work so that I can continue to lead my comfortable life without worrying about money. I fear the thought of retiring and having to pinch pennies all over again.
Mrs. Suthenboy and I are there already. I dont know how to advise you. When she complains I remind her that she can go back to work any time she wants. She hasn’t gone back to work.
Having all of your time yours but with somewhat more limited resources made me realize that my time really has no price. I say that because all of the big things I want I have, including zero debt.
The wife and I have pretty much decided on this matter.
I have told my bosses that I intend to hang around for another 8 to 10 years. They seem pleased with this.
They wife will almost certainly bail out in 2 1/2 years (age 70).
In the back of my mind, I am planning to work into my 80s potentially.
The good news is that I like my job. And they pay me a lot of money.
I’m afraid to buy a lottery ticket ’cause I might win. I have been fortunate to have accidentally made some decisions that turned out well. Having been poor I prefer comfortable.
Growing up in the ’40s/’50s things were different, Elvis was the biggest threat my parents faced.
“I like my job. And they pay me a lot of money.”
Well, ok then. That’s a no-brainer.
Both the Mrs. and I loved our jobs when we started but advancement into management made that evaporate over the years until the jobs were tortures. we retired the minute we could and I would not do it differently.
I’ve spent my entire career avoiding management.
“I’ve spent my entire career avoiding management.”
Wise man.
I’ve watched many of my peers make the transition. After half a year, only a handful look happy although they all say everything is great.
I was the opposite though in my last job we had participatory management. When a truck rolled in everyone was expected to help unload. I was working in Austin as a supervisor, a 24 foot truck rolled in, driver was one on the owners, a woman about 50 years old or so, She backed in and started unloading (pushing boxes to the door). I asked her if she could run the cash register while we unloaded, first a dirty look, then a grin, and after we finished she took me to lunch.
I always wanted to be in the decision making process.
My wife keeps talking about retiring. My reply is always the same – “I support you in that decision, let’s sit down an look at our budget.” Usually the last I hear about it for a couple of months. We could certainly afford it, but would need to be more careful with our spending.
It definitely requires a change in your outlook. Not having your checking account get a refill every couple weeks/every month and instead monitoring the assets you are drawing on is a different exercise/discipline. You will definitely think a little more before spending money, that’s for sure. It kinda freaked me out at first, so I went back to work part time for a year.
I’m cool with it now. It takes a kind of faith that your savings are enough.
It takes a kind of faith that your savings are enough
I am certain at this time that they aren’t.
Thus, we keep punching the clock.
I’m getting out of the corporate job as soon as it makes sense and not one second later. Our priorities have shifted away from comfort and toward simplicity over the last 4 years. The corporate job serves a few purposes (paying off the house, health insurance, money toward needs and wants), but I’d much rather have a smaller nest egg, a healthy body and great memories than a huge nest egg, a broken body and a few ornate vacations to remember my ex-wife and estranged children by. I saw so much of that at the big law firm I worked at. I didn’t want it to be me. I chose the family life over the money.
That said, I do desire to work, so I’ll likely keep the law firm going after the corporate job goes away. I also have more than enough work to do to keep this homestead running.
Part of me can’t help but wonder how many of those estranged BigLaw wives would have stuck around if their husband were to switch to bringing home a LittleLaw paycheck and spent a lot more time underfoot.
Some were certainly gold diggers, but most were married early enough that they weren’t at all guaranteed the payout. It’s still good money as an associate, but nothing like partner money.
Diversity is our strength!
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/us-taxpayers-paid-150-billion-1-year-migrants
Aka US citizens.
Fix that absurdity of bad law.
To gain citizenship at birth, a person should have at least one Citizen parent. If your parents are here illegaly, you should have no claim to be here either. If your parents are tourists, you should have no claim to be here. If your parents are legal permanant residents… you can get a fast track to nationalization.
*provided said parents also pass their nationalization process and gain eventual citizenship.
Agreed
Would also make Kamala ineligible for the Presidency.
I am not going to comment on that.
I don’t believe the # is that low.
I loooove my Zojirushi.
Does it play twinkle twinkle little star when the rice is done like mine?
…I think it plays that at the beginning of the cooking cycle. I’ll have to cook some rice and find out.
So- I was reading a story about the Harris economic genius who went on the MSNBC Business Channel to talk about the tax on unrealized gains. Not even those guys could sit still for his bullshit. Did you know a tax on unrealized asset appreciation is exactly the same as paying property taxes? It is.
*if you truly believe you merely rent your assets from
societythe government, that is.What I want to know is, when the value of those assets go down, do you get a refund?
of course not.
Depreciation, cause you had the pride of ownership.
That’s the insidious part. If your investment has ups and downs and you end up selling at a loss, you paid taxes for no reason. Well that, and most people won’t have enough cash to pay the taxes so they’ll have to sell investments. My mom and dad, who saved and invested their entire lives for retirement, would be devastated.
It also immediately wipes out all investment-based retirement plans. Don’t have to directly seize the 401ks if they get taxed to nothingness.
“Don’t have to directly seize the 401ks”
Van Jones giggles.
It is not over the top to call these people communists. Their policies and actions are indistinguishable: It is thievery. There is a reason for the old saying ‘What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine’.
It is always about them taking what they want by violence, coercion or deceit. They are scum of the earth.
I made it to Hastings Nebraska, just south of Grand Island.
For some reason I got it in my head that it was six hours from Omaha to Grand Island. No, it is Six hours from Cedar Rapids to Grand Island. I forgot to update my spreadsheet when I added Omaha in between.
Happy trails, pardner
Do you have spreadsheeting gloves?
Cause that would be most EXCELlent….
Made it back to the Palatial 2X-Wide™. Since I have a birthday coming up (Mom didnt appreciate the irony that I was born on Labor Day) I generally claim the long weekend for myself.
Let Tres-a-Palooza commence!