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 is 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.
That we ought not to yearn for the things which are not under our control Part VI
In Athens did you see nobody when you went to his house?—Yes, the man I wanted to see.—Here also make up your mind to see this man, and you will see the man you want; only do not go humbly, not with desire or aversion, and all will be well with you. 55But this result is not to be found by mere going, nor by standing at gates, but in one’s judgements within. When you have contemned things external and outside the province of your moral purpose, and have come to regard none of them as your own, but only the being right in judgement, in thinking, in choosing, in desiring, in avoiding,—where is there any longer room for flattery, where for an abject spirit? Why any longer yearn for the quiet you enjoyed there, or your familiar haunts? Wait a little while and you will find the places here familiar in their turn. And then, if you are so ignoble in spirit, weep and wail again when you leave these too!
If I can control myself to the point that whether another person agrees to help me or not does not impact my state of mind then that person has no power over me. The same holds for memories of a place I loved, I can enjoy the memories without indulging in sadness because I am not there any longer. Instead I look to find things that I enjoy where I am.
How, then, shall I become affectionate?—As a man of noble spirit, as one who is fortunate; for it is against all reason to be abject, or broken in spirit, or to depend on something other than yourself, or even to blame either God or man. I would have you become affectionate in such a way as to maintain at the same time all these rules; if, however, by virtue of this natural affection, whatever it is you call by that name, you are going to be a slave and miserable, it does not profit you to be affectionate.
If my love for my wife was one that made me miserable when she wasn’t with me, I am pretty sure we would both tire of that kind of behavior. If feeling affection for someone makes you both miserable than you are doing it wrong.
60And what keeps you from loving a person as one subject to death, as one who may leave you? Did not Socrates love his own children? But in a free spirit, as one who remembers that it was his first duty to be a friend to the gods. That is why he succeeded in everything that becomes a good man, both in making his defense, and in assessing his own penalty, and before that time in his services as senator or soldier. But we abound in all manner of excuses for being ignoble; with some it is a child, with others a mother, and then again it is brothers. But it is not becoming for us to be unhappy on any person’s account, but to be happy because of all, and above all others because of God, who has made us for this end.
I know we will all die eventually and there is nothing I can do to stop it. If I refused to love anybody because of this fact, I would have a miserable and lonely existence. My wife and kids have brought some struggles into my life, but that is greatly outweighed by the joy they have given me.
Come, was there anybody that Diogenes did not love, a man who was so gentle and kind-hearted that he gladly took upon himself all those troubles and physical hardships for the sake of the common weal? But what was the manner of his loving? 65As became a servant of Zeus, caring for men indeed, but at the same time subject unto God. That is why for him alone the whole world, and no special place, was his fatherland; and when he had been taken prisoner he did not hanker for Athens nor his acquaintances and friends there, but he got on good terms with the pirates and tried[10] to reform them. And later, when he was sold into slavery at Corinth he kept on living there just as he had formerly lived at Athens; yes, and if he had gone off to the Perrhaebians he would have acted in quite the same way. That is how freedom is achieved.
No matter the circumstances of my life, I strive to live the same way. It is easy to say I would act the same if I lost everything. It would be another matter to actually do it. I believe that I have the correct mentality if fortune turned against me, but I hope I never really have to find out. The same goes for losing my wife. Though I lost my mother almost a year ago, dealing with that was easy compared to thinking about that. I am sure I would need a few days to process it, but I would try to find solace in the knowledge that we were happy together and I know my life was made much richer with her in it and I believe she would say the same about me, even if I don’t know why she would think that.
Work has been running me ragged these last few weeks, I was in Texas last week, in New Jersey this week, and going to Jacksonville FL next week. On the bright side, I was able to actually lift weights this week with no negative repercussions on my ankle, but I am sore and barely able to do any pullups. But that means that I have a lot of room for improvement.
This is hitting home today. The honeymoon with my oldest kid is over. I dropped her off at work today, and on the way home my wife called to tell me she noticed an odor coming from our daughter’s bedroom. She nosed around and found empty plastic containers of food, tons of junk food wrappers, lots of dirty clothes, and drawers full of clean clothes that had been shoved in without being folded. She’s supposed to get some exercise every day and she hasn’t in a week (she is extremely overweight). Basically it’s the same things that got her kicked out of my house last time.
My wife called her sister, who reminded her my daughter does not have an adult mentality and we will just have to accept some of this. This week I had my daughter write a list of things she needs to do every day, so tonight we’ll go over it in detail and I can call her out on everything. I’m trying to keep my wife out of this because she often feels like the bad guy.
ron, I will attempt to channel your stoic energy this weekend. Thanks for the help keeping things in perspective.
This is the part that would get to me most. That’s roach bait.
It’s hard to pick the worst thing, but for sure that’s one of them. We keep our house pretty tidy, nobody has ever been allowed to eat in their rooms. That’s what the kitchen is for.
I’m not best suitated to throw stones, as my house is untidy, but my clutter is largely of paper and plastic rather than foodstuffs and residues.
The roaches were already there. They were always there.
obligatory
Praying for you brother.
A lot of things can be fixed if regular exercise can be sustained. (Looks like symptoms of depression to me)
Thanks. We think she has depression as well. It’s a vicious circle: The less she does, the more weight she gains, the more pain she has, and the less she wants to exercise. It’s almost 60 and sunny today, so she is going for a walk.
Yup, and that same thing is happening on the emotional side, the worse you feel the more you do things that end up making you feel bad. Been there and done that.
Time for me to go touch grass. In a bit of a funk myself.
“empty plastic containers of food, tons of junk food wrappers”
“she is extremely overweight”
Huh.
Sorry to hear it, TOK.
If you would like to attempt to treat the depression without involving an MD, then St. John’s Wort and Dopa Mucuna are available over the counter. St. John’s Wort works in ways similar to an SSRI without all the bad side effects. The body uses Dopa Mucuna to produce dopamine.
These can be quite helpful to some people.
@TOK: Check your email.
The Zelensky visit to the White House looks like an intervention by Trump and Vance.
I’m not sure how I feel about that. His country did get invaded, but Biden and the rest of “the west” pushed him to keep fighting and scuttled a peace deal. Yet he’s been given hundreds of billions, half of which has disappeared.
Vance reminded him right to his face that he showed up in PA and campaigned for the opposition.
How it started doesn’t matter nearly as much as how do you deal with today’s reality. Throwing about more blood and treasure on a lost war is just stupid and evil.
I wonder if Zelensky’s “gimme more” attitude isn’t the result of some promises made by Biden or whoever was in charge then. “Good job, Volodomyr, keep poking the bear. We got your back.”
Oh boy. You weren’t kidding.
https://nypost.com/2025/02/28/us-news/trump-tells-zelensky-hes-gambling-with-wwiii-in-heated-oval-office-meeting/
Thanks Ron – I swear you consistently help me maintain an even keel after a long week.
Ditto. The weekly stoic columns are much appreciated.
NOAA should be a little more stoic. A 6% layoff.
PEOPLE WILL DIE!!!!!
Mass Layoffs Begin at NOAA, With Hundreds Said to Be Fired in One Day
https://archive.fo/q4eT9
PEOPLE WILL DIE!!!!! Part Deux
Inside the Collapse at the NIH
See – FedGov can be stoic!
Eliminate the NIH and fine the people for the economic losses caused by their pet diseases and facist prescriptions.
Not to be callous, what do the 6% actually do that is so mission critical?
Create fictitious “climate change” statistics.
NOAA sucks anyway, at least parts of it. Disband all of NIH I say.
Convert oxygen into carbon dioxide to feed plants and cause global climate change?
“The General Services Administration, which manages government facilities, has begun canceling some of the contracts for buildings that NOAA uses, according to a person familiar with the matter.” The horror.
“Commerce Department employees also received guidance on Thursday that all ‘non-mission-critical’ travel was canceled immediately.” We’ve had that restriction for over a year at my company.
‘AG Bondi Says NY FBI Withholding Epstein Docs, Demands Investigation’
Someone has some ‘splaining to do.
She should contact the head of the DOJ.
XD
Right? Kind of a mistake to air this dirty laundry publicly.
I’m becoming convinced that they’re all just in on the performance. We ain’t never going to see that shit, too many important people involved.
My theory is this leads up to some epic firings & charges.
Perhaps I’m too optimistic…
This is an early test. They need to save face, and the only way to do that is to do as you say. So we’ll see.
What colossal fuckup by Bondi. I’m assuming she looked at what had been delivered, so she should have known the Big Reveal was going to be a disaster. So she either didn’t even look at it, or she went right ahead with a disastrous release. This really calls into question her competence, in my mind.
She either goes through the FBI with a flamethrower after this, or she’s their bitch and she’s done as anything but a Deep State tool.
Sorry to derail, but I missed the morning links and will definitely forget by the time the afternoon ones to up.
📢 REMEMBER 📢
Today is the boycott day where all the leftists are boycotting shopping because of muh fascism or whatever.
So make sure to go out and do a bunch of shopping!
My wife saved up some purchases for today!
Thanks for the reminder to NOT open Facebook today.
So the traffic will be better today? Let’s hope!
Because you’re worried about people forgetting, it’s in the links now.
Thank you! 😃
MLW:
Not a problem, they’re my links, I can do what I want with them!
Does buying pricey concert tickets count? Went to purchase tickets in person at a local venue’s box office, arriving a few minutes before they opened at 10 a.m. Was surprised to see a long line, not imagining that so many SW OH residents had the good taste to catch the TajMo (Taj Mahal/Keb’ Mo’) “Room on the Porch” Tour. Turned out many/most of these old farts our age or older were there for Marshall Tucker/Bachman Turner Overweight (plus, heaven help us, Jefferson Starship. ::shudders::) On the bright side, that meant that great seats in the fourth row down front were still available for OUR show when we finally got to the front of the line.
You should have used Ticketmaster, suck that corporate teat!
I suspect we may still have had to pay the fees. I was in such a hurry to pick our seats and get ’em paid for, I didn’t pay close attention to the grand total. And then we would have missed the experience of chatting up total strangers about favorite local venues and shows and standing for more than an hour on a chilly, breezy (but at least sunny) February day.
GT:
Depends on the venue. One of the ones up here does “Analog Mondays” where you call in, and they waive the fees on tickets. Of course, they’re not a Ticketmaster/LiveNation venue.
I will be picking up the first of several festival tix next week. Shakey Knees in ATL this fall.
“I’m Doing my Part!”
Taking a closer look at the tickets and the receipt, the ticket price was $84.50, and the only extra appears to be a “convenience fee” of $2 each, for a grand total of $173, so maybe we did avoid feeding the beast.
Speaking of shopping, I won a $500 gift card at work! So which suddenly-and-totally-sincerely-now-anti-DEI establishment is most deserving of my custom?
🥳
The gift card wasn’t totally free – for years, we’ve had a deal at work where you could donate $5 per pay either to the state Credit Union League’s (trade association’s) PAC or to a local version of “Make-a-Wish” in exchange for the privilege of wearing jeans (with appropriate CU logowear on top) on Fridays. Now that jeans are pretty much OK most of the time, they switched to having participants enter a drawing for gift cards. Still not a bad return on $130 annual investment…if you win (which I did. 😁)
Still, it’s $500 you wouldn’t have had on hand.
Winston’s Mom?
Not my type.
Already did the shopping trip, guess I should order a couple of books off my list from Amazon.
How is BlueSky handling the T/V/Z kerfuffle?
I can’t even open Bluesky anymore, it’s absolute insanity right at the top of the feed straight out of the gate. The last time I opened it, Trump was completely banning weather forecasting, disease management, and food safety. We’re going to be divining the omens of the sky gods with burnt offerings and living off Tide Pods from now on, apparently
I mean, divining what the weather will be tomorrow by dissecting a goat scrotum is no less ridiculous than climate science.
So make sure to go out and do a bunch of shopping!
On my way to the store shortly. Trying to think what else I need from Amazon.
JD and Trump get into it with Zelensky publicly.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/donald-trump-jd-vance-and-volodymyr-zelenskys-shouting-match-who-said-what-101740765910782.html
Trump to Zelensky: You are gambling with WWIII.
They all sound like idiots.
Why? Because it bled out into the public, which is what Zelensky wants because he thinks he’ll win the PR battle?
He’s spent a week pissing in the faces of the Trump administration and by extension the American people. He thinks he’s entitled to our tax dollars.
Yeah, watching that video all I could think was “the balls on that little shit!” Fuck off asshole, you’re entitled to shit.
Isn’t this the second story posted about this here?
Must be important. Even my wife has heard about it.
TOK:
I just suggested to the girlfriend that she may want to watch the interview. And then pointed out that there’s a pretty good chance there’s going to be protests here this weekend.
https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1895539670798516619
Statement from two scoops.
Might be time for Zelensky to schedule elections and head off to one of his villas.
Zelensky left right after that, and they canceled their press conference.
All I’ve seen so far is the righties loving this, but the lefties and the neocons are going to lose their shit. PUTIN’S PUPPET!
So was this was a ploy to cut all funding and support to force a peace discussion. If so, i’m OK with that, but we should be ready for a onslaught by Russia and the subsequent death that will result.
Doing this in front of cameras was stupid. The message the President and VP are trying to send to the American people and will be lost. I’m sure the “Putin is pulling the strings” arguments are all over the news and social media at this point.
The only way this can effort can be saved is if the same passion for peace is demonstrated when talking to Russia.
See Sean’s X link above.
Wow…
Scott Adams:
Ejecting Zelensky is a debacle? CNN says so.
All I see is the first walk-away (by Trump) in the negotiations because Zelensky wasn’t fully onboard.
I’ll hold my opinion until the end game.
And:
The next move is Putin’s. If he starts gaining ground or increasing missile attacks now, any chance of good relations with the U.S. are off the table, with all that implies.
The smart play is to give Trump some room to get Ukraine back on a productive deal-making path. And that seems doable.
This will blow over. Deals often have at least one “walk-away.” Trump strengthened his hand. Zelensky weakened his hand. That’s where we needed to be.
No doubt, the results are what matters here. It won’t play well with the usual suspects here or abroad. He must play hardball with Putin to have any legitimacy, but I don’t know if he has it in him. Vance does.
Does Vance get to play “bad cop?”
Why does Trump have to play hardball with Putin? Why does the United States have to be involved at all?
Vance is the guy who keeps the receipts. Called out Starmer’s free-speech lies to his face yesterday.
Timeloose, what makes you think “the American people” are still taking their cues from the DemOp media (including its social media fellow travellers)?
I’m finally getting what I voted for.
🙂
I voted for Election Integrety and Prosecutions of the Corrupt.
Guess what I’m still not seeing?
To respond to all:
“Why does Trump have to play hardball with Putin? Why does the United States have to be involved at all?”
We shouldn’t, but here we are. If he is using this effort today to cut ties, then I’m all for it. If he intends to be the great negotiator and make a peace deal, then he needs to have a similar hardline approach with Putin.
“Timeloose, what makes you think “the American people” are still taking their cues from the DemOp media (including its social media fellow travelers)?”
~40-49% of the population still does based solely on the election results, but I’m no expert.
I have zero faith that those election “results” are in any way accurate.
Zelensky got a hardball approach because he’s:
1. Eessentially are vassal, but doesn’t want to acknowledge it because he’s been enabled and given whatever he wants for the last 4 years
2. He’s spit in our faces the last week. The guy “overslept” and kept us waiting. He signaled he’d make a deal for mineral rights and then backed out making us look stupid publicly. He then came here and pulled this stunt in public.
Putin is a leader of the one of the most powerful nation’s on Earth, has the stronger position on the ground, and doesn’t even have to come to the table just because Trump asks him to.
Saying that we should take the same approach with Putin is nonsensical.
Trump tried to be cordial at first. When Zelensky started acting like an asshole, Trump shat all over him.
What kind of idiot shows up at the White House dressed like a bum, acts entitled, and thinks Trump will kiss his ass?
Is this the first time Z-man didn’t get a blowjob from the leader of a country he visited? No wonder he was grumpy.
He’s been a cunt for an entire week plus. That can’t be emphasized enough here. He needs a wake-up call.
He just got one. Trump told him to go home and come back when he is ready for peace. Pretty sure that means no more money or US backing. Seeing how we did not declare war officially, I believe Trump is well within his power to cut off the money tap.
Tears and shock in Ukraine and Europe after heated Zelensky-Trump meeting
Yes, the same Churchill that said, “Bessie, my dear, you are ugly, and what’s more, you are disgustingly ugly. But tomorrow I shall be sober and you will still be disgustingly ugly.”
I love all the Euros talking about their solidarity. It’s about as meaningful as the people who made their profile pictures Ukrainian flags.
It’s Ukraine’s right to win the war! They’re entitled to billions of US tax payer dollars and respect with nothing back in return, god damn it!
At this point more money just means more graves to absolutely no good purpose. It’s time to end it.
Weirdly, I seem to recall that under Churchill’s watch, we cheered on the Russians and not those who were fighting to hold them off.
Time to exercise my stoicism through helping Dad with his PT. He’s not the best patient, and much sympathy has dropped, as he doesn’t really take his pain meds. He’s half saving them for later, cuz the bottle says “NO REFILLS,” and half complaining the pills don’t do enough. (Hydrocodone- he has 5mg tabs; I had 10mg for my hips- I’ve strongly suggested he double up in the morning. WhEN the hell are you saving ’em for?! “Absent accident, how will it hurt more *tomorrow* than today?” <– Natch, he doesn't listen.)
I've been doing it, too, and I'm 'glad' I have an orthopedic appointment Feb 17. The waiting game is highly unpleasant, an omnipresent sword of Damocles swaying overhead, waiting on the 'when' cuz I know the 'if' is assured. Reminds me: "I know we will all die eventually and there is nothing I can do to stop it. If I refused to love anybody because of this fact, I would have a miserable and lonely existence."
Same vein- There isn't any productive purpose to worrying about things you can't control. Safeguards and preparation, sure, but the day-to-day *should* be focused on positives around us. (Must confront the negatives to battle them.) Being able to find pleasure in the smallest things has always helped me buoy my spirit and elevate the moment. Even if I find something boring+, it's interesting to see how people still flock to [insert said boring activity], and are (for some reason?) riveted by it. Human nature is always a well of material. There's always something to find, especially in the inherent goofiness that runs through us all, in our own way. Damn, we're such silly creatures. It's lovely.
My mom’s doing well. She’ll probably be discharged from skilled nursing soon because she’s doing so well. I hope it’s not before next Thursday, though, because that’s when the handyman is coming to hang the ceiling fan and curtains. I want to have her room done for her before she comes home.
ANYWAY, I can be stoic about life’s natural rhythms. Mom gets better, I’m happy. She dies, I’m sad. Bro1 has cancer, I’m sad. He gets better, I’m happy. He dies, I’m sad. That’s life. And death. It happens, it’s natural. You grieve, you go on.
BUT.
I’m having a hard time being stoic with Cunty Aunts Susie and Millie. My purpose here is to protect my mom and her assets, and I feel completely powerless to do so. This woman has got a whole lot of people on the end of her strings and all she has to do to make everybody jump is stall, and everybody else has to react. I like to ACT, not REact. REacting is a position of weakness. She is in NO WAY REacting to anything. Not me, not my lawyer, not my mom, not church members (who, in fairness, have totally backed off except for nice Leadership Lady, who’s bought the act and is enabling Susie’s delusions that if she stalls long enough, everything will go back to normal), not the threat of a judge, not the impending auctioning off of the property. (At this point, my mom doesn’t even care if it’s auctioned off.) She’s just … ignoring everything.
Anyway, so the day before yesterday, I was just enraged all day. The night before last, I couldn’t sleep. Yesterday, I cried even at the mention of the situation. I just feel completely powerless. Even with a lawyer. A real estate lawyer. What I need now is a divorce lawyer.
I am not stoic.
I try to be a stoic but man it’s hard, especially when life keeps on throwing shit at you. Sometimes you have to rage, cry, or do both. But then once I’m done being pissed and angry, I try to go on and handle things in a more stoic matter.
In your case it’s probably much more difficult because not only you have your own issues to deal with but you also have to deal with others issues and their nonsense.
I mean, it sounds more like she’s putting her head in the sand and just pretending like things will go away., Which isn’t an effective strategy. Yea, it sucks that it’s going to be dragged out and messy, but you will win. Particularly if the idiot aunt just thinks she can do nothing and succeed.
Yes, that’s exactly what she’s doing, but ALSO she refuses to let go of the property, so she is ignoring it unless she is moved to do something to actively stall.
Isn’t your plan to sell the property regardless of whether she agrees? So what difference does it make if she doesn’t?
Yeah, the courts are slow and built for delay.
She is being passive-aggressive. So don’t react to that. Carry out your plan, however long it takes. That’s acting, not reacting.
Mom and Susie co-own it as joint tenants. It can’t be sold without both of them. That’s the problem.
Now, if the court sells it off on the courthouse steps, that’s irrelevant.
“EXCLUSIVE: How Obama’s FAA used a skewed multiple-choice quiz to prioritize DEI applicants and bar the brightest from air traffic controller jobs”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14399413/FAA-air-traffic-control-hiring-process-quiz-DEI-targets.html
Meant not as reply. 🙄
Not really exclusive…this has been in litigation for years…
old farts our age or older were there for Marshall Tucker/Bachman Turner Overweight (plus, heaven help us, Jefferson Starship. ::shudders::)
I saw an ad for a Heart tour recently. Ewwww.
I would still take old, fat Anne over the vast majority of young, modern artists.
I would give my left tit to sing like Ann Wilson.
Fast times at Ridgemont High Heart is the best Heart.
She still has the “lungs” for it, amazing singer
Damn – Zelensky was kicked out of the White House and the press got to eat his lunch.
https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1895556998625698152
I’ll be they refused to validate his ticket too.
Well that almost makes me feel bad for him but only almost. He’s in a tough spot, much of it by his own making, but maybe after that dustup he’ll recognize reality.
The guy is a mess, he has laundered untold dollars for the uniparty and God knows what else. His impervious shield of protection, provided by those who committed financial crimes there is gone.
I will bet that he does not wise up, doubles down as all the marxists do, and is dead within 6 months by his own people’s hand.
I vote double down as well.
Although I’m not sure of where that ends in terms of him staying in power.
When you’ve lost Lindsey Graham…
Holy crap, Lindsey Graham? That guy gets a stiffy that does not resolve in 4 hours every time he hears “boots on the ground.”
Prophetic?
You know it.
At publishing time, Patel had informed the agents under his command that their paychecks had somehow shredded themselves.
perfect
How Obama’s FAA used a skewed multiple-choice quiz to prioritize DEI applicants and bar the brightest from air traffic controller jobs”
Updated trolley problem?
obama is the most damaging president of my life time.
The telling part of that was that the new tests were not only unrelated to the work, (one would think a clear Duke Power violation), but that they were almost random, and had no bearing on either aptitude or race. It came out that the proper answer key was leaked to specific minority recruitment groups, so that only those applicants with affiliations could possibly score high enough. Since these recruitment groups were allowed to screen for any criteria they wanted, you get the matching candidate groups.
Did Zelenskyyyy thumb a ride to the airport and book a ticket to Brussels after Generalissimo Cartoon Villain had him escorted off the white House grounds?
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/state-department-terminates-u-s-support-of-ukraine-energy-grid-restoration/ar-AA1A0KX5
FAFO.