If you have anger issues, this one is a great tool (h/t mindyourbusiness)
Disclaimer: I’m not your Supervisor. These are my opinions after reading through these books a few times.
November 12
“If we judge as good and evil only the things in the power of our own choice, then there is no room left for blaming gods or being hostile to others.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.41
I am getting practice with this one this week. I am at my mom’s house to visit my niece, her husband, and their new baby. My mom is sooo happy Fetterman won. I am mostly avoiding talking to her about politics, but it is difficult. If I do not blame the stupidity of people and let myself get upset because there is nothing I can do about it. I can relax more. I am still struggling with this, so I have been changing the subject and ignoring her. This is not perfect, but it is still an improvement over where I would have been a year ago.
November 13
“Don’t allow yourself to be heard any longer griping about public life, not even with your own ears!”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 8.9
Complaining to myself is still complaining. Griping about my mom and stepdad even to myself or just to my wife is counterproductive and will reinforce any negative thoughts I have about them. The same is true about my job, boss, or one of my children. If I have something to say, I should be able to say it to them, or it is not worth saying.
November 14
“He was sent to prison. But the observation ‘he has suffered evil,’ is an addition coming from you.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.8.5b–6a
I saw a documentary a few years ago about a man who was framed by his ex-wife for murder. He spent over 20 years in prison. While he was in there, he mentored other prisoners and helped them get GED’s. When he was asked about it after being released, he said that he never felt as if he was in prison, he felt as if he found a new calling in life. Quite a few former prisoners said that he was a driving force in helping them turn their lives around. I wish I knew more details, because he would have been a good example to learn more about.
November 15
“Meditate often on the swiftness with which all that exists and is coming into being is swept by us and carried away. For substance is like a river’s unending flow, its activities continually changing and causes infinitely shifting so that almost nothing at all stands still.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 5.23
Change is constant. I know this on an intellectual level, but it is still hard to accept in my daily life. The other day, I realized that a lot of the singers I enjoy listening to are dead. A lot of the ones that are not dead are old and will be dead soon. I am getting older and so is my wife, we try to do a lot of the things we have always loved doing, but some of them are not doable anymore.
November 16
“Hecato says, ‘cease to hope and you will cease to fear.’ . . . The primary cause of both these ills is that instead of adapting ourselves to present circumstances we send out thoughts too far ahead.”
—SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 5.7b–8
I used to listen to the Dr. Laura radio show, and when a caller would say that they hoped something would happen in the future, she would say that hope is just delayed disappointment. I don’t think hope by itself is necessarily bad, if it is hope with the understanding that there is no promise of a hope being fulfilled. If I hope beyond reason and am crushed when it falls through, I have set myself up for failure.
November 17
“When philosophy is wielded with arrogance and stubbornly, it is the cause for the ruin of many. Let philosophy scrape off your own faults, rather than be a way to rail against the faults of others.”
—SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 103.4b–5a
Just because I have a little understanding of self-control and am working on a basis for my thoughts and actions, that doesn’t mean I am better than anyone else. It is easy to dismiss my mother as stupid and emotional. It is more difficult to engage with her about any broad principles. Maybe someday, but I am not there yet.
November 18
“Our rational nature moves freely forward in its impressions when it:
1) accepts nothing false or uncertain;
2) directs its impulses only to acts for the common good;
3) limits its desires and aversions only to what’s in its own power;
4) embraces everything nature assigns it.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 8.7
All of these are good starting points.
(1) This has caused me a lot of grief, but I cannot deal with lying to myself or pretending insanity isn’t insanity just to fit in.
(2) To me this means living an honest and productive life while trying to help others along the way.
(3) I try to control the things I wish for down to what I have the power to do for myself and not things that I have to hope to happen or depend on others to give me.
(4) Nature has assigned me to be a husband and father, so I do these things to the best of my ability most of the time.
More comedy this week, I think it helps.
These were all some of my Dr. Demento favorites.
I won’t be around in the comments this week, but I will read them later.
Damn, I really need some stoicism this week.
Thanks Ron.
“Complaining to myself is still complaining”
I try to only complain to myself. I don’t want to burden others. Others have their own problems
If complaining did any good I’d be first in line.
“If we judge as good and evil only the things in the power of our own choice, then there is no room left for blaming gods or being hostile to others.”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.41
that is easy to say when your credit card has not been wrongly canceled just before African American Friday
They’re helping you save money.
I bought two things I dont really need but are nice to have…
“Hecato says, ‘cease to hope and you will cease to fear.’ . . . The primary cause of both these ills is that instead of adapting ourselves to present circumstances we send out thoughts too far ahead.”
You can become too complacent in the now, and not work to make things happen in the future.
Hope.
If I don’t have hope I just don’t know what the point of staying alive would be. Why do people save money? Because it’s hope for a future.
Also, Dr Laura was a hack.
Meanwhile I’m sitting in a QuikTrip parking lot 10 miles from home plotting my way home the “back way” because my front end is shimmying as I speed down the interstate on my way to therapy. All I can do is accept the situation and deal with it.
Further! I always had hope (certainty) that someone would accept my books for publication, which they did not. My mother asked me, “Why do you base your goals on decisions someone else has to make?” It was very helpful. It took many years, but I finally worked up the courage to publish myself. Took a lot of prodding and argument on Mr Mojeaux’s part to get me to do it, but I’m happier that I did than just letting my work sit on my hard drive. I get few sales, but that only bothers me insofar as I can’t make a living at it, but few people can. Very little residual income.
I wonder if there isn’t something lost/altered in the translation of “hope”. One thing I learned in my Greek philosophy class ages ago was that there are nuances (and maybe more than nuances) that don’t come over well when ancient languages are translated to English.
This is true across many languages. Reading the words in context suggests something very different than what we call “hope.” Seems closer to “worry.”
I had a class at church once where we explored the difference between faith and hope. I wish I could remember what the upshot of that conversation was, but I can’t. Hope is faith put into action? Something like that. Maybe the other way around.
Those seem somewhat at odds, don’t they? If you have faith, what utility does hope have?
There is some nuance to be had between the two. Maybe faith is traditionally thought of as tied to a deity? Not sure.
Change is constant. – except pre industrial climate
I get few sales, but that only bothers me insofar as I can’t make a living at it, but few people can. Very little residual income.
It has been pointed out to me on multiple occasions that a very very small number of people make a living exclusively from their writing.
They are usually people who write to spec, e.g., “Carolyn Keene” Nancy Drew mysteries and “Zane Grey” etc. Or else they just churn out one book after another, usually of decent quality, building a backlist. As for self-published authors, the ones who make a living are good promoters (usually first) and okay-decent-good writers second, knowing what the market wants and writing to that. That is not me throwing shade. That is just the way it is, and I do not have those skills. I have tried to write to the market, but my heart isn’t in it.
I’d rather read one great book by a relatively unknown author than read 15 junk fictions by James Patterson & Company.
Most people keep reading an author because they like that author’s voice. I don’t know if a ghostwriter or team of ghostwriters can mimic that voice and keep it going. That’s another skill I don’t have. I found out I can’t act. In any role, I’m always me.
“That is just the way it is, and I do not have those skills.”
See, also, my legal career. On paper, I should be pulling down 7 figures as a BigLaw lawyer. But there is social/networking/sales skill set I just do not have.
Honestly, sales is an excellent talent and skill to have. I tried to persuade my kids to go on an LDS mission just for the sales training (and maybe in another language, yet), but that fell flat.
Write the meta-romance novel.
SYNOPSIS: A romance writer whose heart isn’t into it finds her outlook on life changed when she runs into a man who works as a model for romance-novel covers.
It’s been done.
In “The Lost City”, Bullock plays romance novelist Loretta Sage, whose life is on autopilot until she’s kidnapped by a rich eccentric (Radcliffe) who believes she can lead him to a hidden treasure buried deep in the jungle. The novelist’s cover model Alan (Tatum) mounts an unlikely rescue, helped, at times, by an equally dashing but far more capable mercenary (Brad Pitt, in a cameo). And as Loretta and Alan try to escape together, sparks fly, punches are thrown and swamp leeches are picked carefully off his naked body.
Hah. I actually saw that one.
Pitt – as always – stole the show.
+ 1 se7en
Oh, a bunch of meta-author books have been done. See: Misery. I am fiddling with one. I’m rehabbing it from the original, which, once upon a time, got me a literary agent.
That is a rather interesting way to put it. Sure somebody still has to decide to buy your book, but you still want to keep your fate as much in your own hands as possible. Self publishing removes one layer of dealing with other people.
It’s like I have pointed out many tines, the odds are just not there. There are too many EXCELLENT writers for the number of publishing spots available. I used to swallow the line, “If you’re any good, you WILL get published.” That is not mathematically possible.
But my mom’s point was “goals,” not “hopes.” My GOAL was to GET published, and she would see me cry over every rejection letter. I gave up for many years till my husband was like, “WHY are you letting these people determine this? You’re perfectly capable of doing it yourself.” He didn’t have any preconceived notions. I just had to escape the cult of traditional publishing.
Same on Wall St.
Add in the new DEI world we live in and it becomes even harder for anyone that doesn’t tick the required boxes.
The sun is shining. Yay!
Are they shareholders?
An overwhelming majority of King County voters oppose the Kroger/Albertsons merger
Nearly seven in ten likely 2022 voters in King County, home to the City of Seattle and most of its immediate suburbs, are opposed to Kroger’s purchase of fellow grocer Albertsons, a poll conducted last week for NPI has found.
The sum total of the response to this revelation should be, “So what?” but it’s just another indicator of the ongoing attack on private ownership.
I am not stoic about this.
“Hecato says, ‘cease to hope and you will cease to fear.’ . . . The primary cause of both these ills is that instead of adapting ourselves to present circumstances we send out thoughts too far ahead.”
I have always told my kids to focus on the process, not the outcome. If you are consistent, the results take care of themselves. It’s not an easy lesson, but I think it’s a critical one.
Positive, rather than hopeful, maybe?
Thanks, Ron. Lots of gems buried in these!
I wish I knew more details, because he would have been a good example to learn more about.
Here’s another.
The teleprompter is UNDEFEATED against Joe Biden.
😬
Turbochargers use fossil fuels.
It’s amusing to me that they don’t have a green energy equivalent for the metaphor.
Obama couldn’t speak without TOTUS, Biden can’t speak with it.
Narrator: Biden also can’t speak without it.
“Hope is just delayed disappointment”
You clearly planned this for post election week.
Well done Ron!
i thought libertarians were not supposed to care about elections
Yes. Another well-taught Stoic lesson.
“ If we judge as good and evil only the things in the power of our own choice, then there is no room left for blaming gods or being hostile to others.”
Thank you sir, may I have another!
If you keep your expectations low enough you will never be disappointed.
Ray Wylie Hubbard
Perfect.
Failure is not an option
I had that as my motto when I was taking a course for medical transcription. When we got married, we knew I would have to work, but I wanted to be home with any kids we might have, so we knew we would have to find some WFH situation, which wasn’t so hot back then. Then I got pregnant almost immediately. I knew a couple of medical transcriptionists and had half-heartedly tried to get into the business before, but no jobs were to be had without schooling or experience. So I went looking for a course. I felt under the gun in ways I had never felt before, trying to finish this course before XX was born.
Anyway, I was on the school’s forum and found other people who were feeling under the gun for whatever reasons and wanting to give up. Well, I did too, but I absolutely COULD. NOT. So I wrote a big long-ass post titled “Failure is not an option.” I wish I’d kept that post. But I totally felt it in my soul.
Failure is always a possibility.
I’ve found that keeping other people’s expectations low also has benefits.
Tedious takes are tedious.
As if the L voters votes otherwise belong to Team Red.
As if the dude in AZ didn’t drop and support Masters. Run liberty candidates and watch what happens, dummies.
Because Walker was such a fantastic candidate.
Yeah I don’t know anything about what he actually believes in. He upsets the left which I enjoy of course.
He upsets the left which I enjoy of course.
This might be the best we can hope for. If so, I’ll take it.
How Much Is Former NFL Player Herschel Walker Worth
As the richest person in this year’s senate race, he has a net worth estimated to be between $29 and $65 million, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
How Herschel Walker Currently Makes Money
– Renaissance Man Food Services – annual $100,000 salary from his production company
– Sports marketing – $420,000
– Veteran’s Mental Health Spokesperson – $330,000
– Public Speaking Engagements – $400,000
– Bank accounts and mutual funds – between $4 million and $14 million.
He may not be the smartest guy in the room, but he has managed to not piss away his money from his playing days.
I assume an invasion is imminent.
The FBI reportedly raided the home of the owner of a popular website that tracks everything related to Area 51. This is according to a report from a lead investigative reporter of KLAS TV, an affiliate of CBS.
“FBI agents came down hard on the operator of a popular website devoted to all things Area 51–its programs, lore, and legacy. More than a dozen agents served a no-knock warrant on the Rachel, NV home of Joerg Arnu, owner of http://dreamlandresort.com…” investigative reporter George Knapp wrote.
Take us to your leader.
Yeah, about that.
That is vile. What next?
Way to convince everyone it’s all just hoaxes and conspiracy theories.
That’s what I find strange about it.
For years, the govt has been content to let people wildly speculate about aliens and such there because it provided good cover for the real work being done.
I wonder if the guy crossed a line by flying a drone over the area. That is verboten and could be why they confiscated files.
Even if he did, the raid is massive overkill.
Yeah, particularly the holding his girlfriend at gunpoint, if true.
I suppose the overkill is meant to deter others from poking around and hosting a website. If everything he has is publicly available, he shouldn’t be raided over it.
This is the new, improved FBI.
They don’t raid people to make arrests or build a case. They raid people to send a message.
Deterrence is their objective.
*cue X-Files music*
I’m sure Biden will handle an alien invasion every bit as well as he is handling Russia.
At least Biden speaks their language.
All the aliens want to do is watch B movies and drink fermented beverages. On their planet, such things are banned. They are not a threat.
Commandment 11: Thou shalt not annoy the federal government.
Where’s that fucking meteor?
Yes, I’m sure they will be very moved by the accusations.
They spend a lot of time in the article about “fact checkers” who cite claims of 1500 flights instead of 400. Or maybe it’s closer to 300? Lost in all this is the idea that a group of rich “elites” are flying private jets to a swanky destination to decide how many of the peasants will starve or freeze to death.
“We’ll bomb you back into the stone a – uh…never mind.”
The flight of two U.S. B-52 bombers over the Middle East announced on Thursday was a show-of-force message to Iran as American and Saudi officials continued to monitor an imminent threat to Saudi Arabia, according to a senior Defense Department official.
Officials believe Tehran is planning an attack on the Kingdom, likely on energy infrastructure, the official said.
Good thing Biden’s in charge to handle all these wars that just keep happening.
Holy fuck. WWIII here we come.
Buckle up!
In the morning thread I linked to two episodes of a worthwhile documentary that was made in 1982. The series has aged very well and I recommend viewing it to gain an increased reminder of the seriousness of major war. Senior leaders should be strapped into chairs and forced to watch it.
I don’t agree with the author’s viewpoint on everything. But he lays out a convincing case that while preparations for war are unescapable, we should be wary about pulling the sword from the scabbard. The US has gotten way to close to seeing everything as a military problem and the only solution is to use the military hammer on every nail.
But manufacturing those military hammers is so very profitable.
It was also just announced that we’re sending more B-52s to Australia as a giant fuck-you to China.
I don’t see how penny packets of bombers would impact Iranian, Chinese, or Russian decision making. Two bombers? So what. Without all the infrastructure in place to actually make them a threat, and that starts with a significant number of bombers, all this is is a chance for a couple of aircrews, maintainers, and SP’s to engage in some TDY banditry.
I don’t know much about nuclear capability of bombers. I’ve assuming though they can air launch nuclear missiles at long distance. If that’s correct, why would you need a significant number of nuclear-armed B52s to cause devastation?
We’re sending lots of submarines to Australia too. Aussies were about to purchase some from the French but that deal fell through when the US offered more advanced subs.
The remarkable part is that opposing parties in Australia were in total agreement about taking the US sub deal. Usually they openly argue about everything. Wonder what’s different now?
https://twitter.com/scotthortonshow/status/1591045727005949953
If Thoroughly Modern Milley is bucking the program, then you know the potential outcomes for a broader conflict in Ukraine look like absolute shit for the US.
This is DC trying to destabilize talks between Iran and the Saudis.
Tehran isn’t planning jack shit. The neocons are freaking out that the Saudis might make peace with them.
https://www.lawfareblog.com/how-overcome-pitfalls-saudi-iran-dialogue
It’s not like the Koreans need them.
Washington plans to buy 100,000 South Korean-made artillery shells for use in the Ukraine war, a United States official has said, though South Korea has insisted its policy against providing lethal aid to Ukraine remained unchanged and it expects the end user of the ammunition to be US forces.
Citing US officials familiar with the deal, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US and South Korea were nearing an agreement to buy 100,000 rounds of 155mm artillery shells that would be delivered to Ukraine.
I assume we are restocking our and our allies’ weapons/ammo right? RIGHT?
We gave them an IOU. We’ll place that IOU next to the file cabinets where we store the Social Security IOU’s
Biden/Fetterman 2024. It’s a no-brainer.
I sent that to my wife this morning. She didn’t get it at first. And then she found it hilarious.
Took me a second, too.