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:
Seneca’s Letters from a Stoic
Disclaimer: I’m not your Supervisor. These are my opinions after reading through these books a few times.
Picking up where I left off with Seneca’s letters to his friend and student, Lucilius Junior, an official in Sicily.
Following is a paragraph-by-paragraph discussion of the letter. Seneca’s text appears in bold, my replies are in normal text.
ON ASTHMA AND DEATH
My ill-health had allowed me a long furlough, when suddenly it resumed the attack. “What kind of ill-health?” you say. And you surely have a right to ask; for it is true that no kind is unknown to me. But I have been consigned, so to speak, to one special ailment. I do not know why I should call it by its Greek name*; for it is well enough described as “shortness of breath.” Its attack is of very brief duration, like that of a squall at sea; it usually ends within an hour. Who indeed could breathe his last for long?I have passed through all the ills and dangers of the flesh; but nothing seems to me more troublesome than this. And naturally so; for anything else may be called illness; but this is a sort of continued “last gasp.” Hence physicians call it “practicing how to die.” For some day the breath will succeed in doing what it has so often essayed.
*i.e., asthma. Seneca thinks that the Latin name is good enough.
I understand the frustration that comes from the return of a health issue after feeling fine for a while. I have been plagued by sinus headaches for years, but haven’t had a severe one for a few months. This week I have had a headache every day since Monday. Seneca’s asthma seems to make him feel like he is dying, but if he was dying, he thinks it would not last as long as it does. Every time it happened, I imagine he would start wondering if this was the end this time or would it subside on its own again?
Do you think I am writing this letter in a merry spirit, just because I have escaped? It would be absurd to take delight in such supposed restoration to health, as it would be for a defendant to imagine that he had won his case when he had succeeded in postponing his trial. Yet in the midst of my difficult breathing I never ceased to rest secure in cheerful and brave thoughts.Â
It would be easy to feel joy in not dying when it seems a real possibility, but he knows it has only been delayed and not avoided. It would be hard to stay focused on happiness while suffering an asthma attack, but Seneca seemed to be able to do this. I try to keep a positive mindset when my headache is bumping but am not always successful. I made it to the gym on Monday and Wednesday, but did not run at all this week. I never feel as though my life is in danger, but the pain is unrelenting. I have been able to not let frustration and anger make me more unbearable to live with than normal.
“What?” I say to myself; “does death so often test me? Let it do so; I myself have for a long time tested death.” “When?” you ask. Before I was born. Death is non-existence, and I know already what that means. What was before me will happen again after me. If there is any suffering in this state, there must have been such suffering also in the past, before we entered the light of day. As a matter of fact, however, we felt no discomfort then.And I ask you, would you not say that one was the greatest of fools who believed that a lamp was worse off when it was extinguished than before it was lighted? We mortals also are lighted and extinguished; the period of suffering comes in between, but on either side there is a deep peace. For, unless I am very much mistaken, my dear Lucilius, we go astray in thinking that death only follows, when in reality it has both preceded us and will in turn follow us. Whatever condition existed before our birth, is death. For what does it matter whether you do not begin at all, or whether you leave off, inasmuch as the result of both these states is non-existence?Â
We all came from something or nothing and when we die we will return to that state. Most people are terrified at the prospect of dying. My mother found out she needs heart surgery to fix a leaking valve and she didn’t sleep for 2 nights and could barely make it through a phone call telling me about it. I think this is a normal reaction, but I cannot see myself acting that way. I do my best to sympathize with mom, and try not to judge her by my standards. I have been in some scary situations in combat and had a couple medical issues that could have been quite serious and was able to control my reactions to them. I was more likely to be angry at my circumstances, and Stoicism has helped a lot in that regard.
I have never ceased to encourage myself with cheering counsels of this kind, silently, of course, since I had not the power to speak; then little by little this shortness of breath, already reduced to a sort of panting, came on at greater intervals, and then slowed down and finally stopped. Even by this time, although the gasping has ceased, the breath does not come and go normally; I still feel a sort of hesitation and delay in breathing. Let it be as it pleases, provided there be no sigh from the soul.*
*that the sigh be physical, – an asthmatic gasp, – and not caused by anguish of the soul
Sometimes talking to myself mentally gets me through challenges or helps me keep my anger in control. When dealing with an issue like asthma when you don’t know that you won’t die this time would be more challenging. Seneca sounds like he is more worried about losing his courage in the face of death than he is about dying.
Accept this assurance from me: I shall never be frightened when the last hour comes; I am already prepared and do not plan a whole day ahead. But do you praise* and imitate the man whom it does not irk to die, though he takes pleasure in living. For what virtue is there in going away when you are thrust out? And yet there is virtue even in this: I am indeed thrust out, but it is as if I were going away willingly. For that reason the wise man can never be thrust out, because that would mean removal from a place which he was unwilling to leave; and the wise man does nothing unwillingly. He escapes necessity, because he wills to do what necessity is about to force upon him. Farewell.Â
*The argument is: I am ready to die, but do not praise me on that account; reserve your praise for him who is not loath to die, though (unlike me) he finds it a pleasure to live (because he is in good health). Yes, for there is no more virtue in accepting death when one hates life, than there is in leaving a place when one is ejected.
Seneca accepts that the end is coming for him, but insists it is not bravery, merely acceptance. Personally, I love living and am working my way back into being in shape. If I am diagnosed with a terminal illness, I think I could accept that, but would not look forward to life ending. If I had to die protecting my wife, I would do that willingly. It matters when the time comes that it is handled properly.
Music this week is from Heart.
I am not a huge fan, the only CD of theirs I have is their greatest hits, but when they hit on a song it was great. She had a hell of a voice.
Barracuda is an all time rocker.
I love the guitar intro here, and once the song kicks in it jams.
Magic Man is one of the coolest songs written by anybody in the ’70’s.
Order has been restored.
*stops rocking back and forth*
Apologies to Ron. The forces of chaos were running amok at Glibs HQ.
Doesn’t sound very Stoic at Glibs HQ.
You wouldn’t be very stoic about a cryptid game of ‘tag’ either.
“Hookers & blow.”
Fridays at Glibs HQ.
lol
Next Friday is going to be worse.
Ai-yai-yai-yai
The forces of chaos were running amok at Glibs HQ.
And the Cone of Silence is a lot less effective than the shoe phone.
Eat more hot peppers.
To add more pain to the equation?
You’ll forget about the sinuses with your tongue on fire.
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/local/migraines-headaches-capsaicin-peppers-nutrition/1931665/
It would have to be pretty bad to be worth the pain in the face.
Mine was pretty bad this week.
I love spicy food, usually if my wife makes me a habanero grilled cheese it helps, but not this time.
I eat a lot of peppers and have sinus problems. I almost never get headaches. This may explain that.
“Substance P” should be taken with Vitamin D for best effect
We all need the D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl_eJ-zdLrA
I had jerk chicken with scotch bonnet sauce for breakfast. Works like a charm!
Yeah, but what’s the end result?
Dab instead of wipe.
I have never had a problem with the end result after eating spicy foods.
Same. Thank God.
Which end?
Either one.
Sometimes that works, but other times the headache laughs at me.
It matters when the time comes that it is handled properly.
Yes.
The forces of chaos were running amok at Glibs HQ.
Bloody Vikings.
It’s almost as if Mister Death was never far away.
Good music.
Heart was the first band that young Juris saw in concert.
Tres Cool on April 28, 2023 at 9:07 am
“Mr. Gwynne, citing recent computer modeling, believes that the high winds tore the R101’s skin, and that hydrogen had corroded the control cable, which snapped under stress.”
How is hydrogen going to corrode ?”
I assume they mean hydrogen embrittlement. Steel exposed to hydrogen absorbs it and then becomes less ductile, which can lead to sudden breakage.
For that reason the wise man can never be thrust out, because that would mean removal from a place which he was unwilling to leave; and the wise man does nothing unwillingly. He escapes necessity, because he wills to do what necessity is about to force upon him. Farewell.
This is great. And a reason that Seneca is my fave.
Thanks, Ron!
I like that part also.
We all have a time, hope to handle it well.
Exploding manholes.
What is “The end result of treating your headaches with Chilis”?
I didn’t know whether to post it as a new topic or above. 🙂
STEVE SMITH KNOW EXPLODING MANHOLES!
Dave, you dishonest hack.
On Tucker’s program truth was optional, insults were mandatory, and racism was all but explicit. The narrative was consistent: “They” were after “you.” “They” were lying to “you.” And “they” were terrible, horrible people. …
But Tucker’s influence went beyond substance and style. He gave a platform to a number of the Trump right’s most notorious and most fringe voices. If Trump could create a constellation of right-wing stars, so could Carlson. He helped mold the G.O.P. in his race-obsessed, conspiracy-addled image, helped perpetuate a culture of cruel and punitive Republican communication and helped build an infrastructure of new-right voices who copy his substance and style.
His assertions are completely free of citations. The kind of quality bs I expect from French.
French is just jealous that his House Conservative schtick has only gotten him to the B roll, but Tucker is cashing phat checks with million following his socials. And, by all appearances, a happy family life.
race-obsessed?
French is a sellout piece of shit. He was given his marching orders and he followed them happily.
Or maybe he just intuitively knew what his new superiors wanted and fulfilled their needs like a good little psychopath.
French is a Pharisee, as are the people who love him.
‘they’ always referred to the government ‘ruling class’ wannabes, as far as I could tell.
As usual, dog hears whistle, news at 11.
I’ve watched Tucker plenty of times, and it always seemed to me he did his homework, but also had a good sense of humor.
I don’t care much for his style, but Tucker’s substance is solid. French is a quisling, through and through.
Just like Russell Brand, you can tell they both have teams that do a lot of research before they go on the air.
Good comparison, I can barely stand Brand, yet he’s not wrong either.
“all but explicit”
Meaning, not explicit at all.
The projection is, as always, strong.
OT: I’m going to build a deadlift platform. Have any of y’all done so? Considering the standard plywood and 3/4 rubber mats.
On my garage slab, I first put down 3/4″ plywood, then a 3/4″ rubber sheet. I have dropped a bar totaling 535 lbs on it after completing the rep (5 total reps), and I’m 6’3″. Various people have lifted on it for around 10 years and no issues.
How’s the sound deadening?
I live on a .33 acre lot. I know my neighbors on each side (but not across the street) could hear it with the garage door open, but they have said nothing since I’ve closed it. To me it just sounds like I’m in a gym with standard mats. The bar and weights makes more sound than the thud on the rubber sheet.
Thanks. I’d like to quiet the thumps. I have a 3/4 mat over concrete and even though I never drop, just setting it down gets plenty loud!
Are you using bumper plates? Those help of course.
No, just iron.
Yeah, I’m using bumper plate, so the thud is rubber on rubber. The only clank is the inner metal ID of the bumper plates and the metal plates 10 lbs and less.
You could put rubber discs between your plates too, that would help with clanking.
I should say when I maxed at 535, I had on two 45 lb bumper plates on each side, two 45 lb iron plates, and other assorted metal plates, but the thud was nothing compared to the bar metal on metal sound.
We still have all that gym equipment in storage, including deadlift platforms. But I haven’t taken a look at those to see how they’re constructed.
Today in “shit that never happened.”
https://www.euronews.com/2023/04/27/shooting-spree-planned-by-alleged-ukraine-document-leaker-say-us-officials
The real headline should be: “Expose our incompetence, malfeasance or corruption and you’ll never see the light of day again.” I’ve seen a couple of people questioning whether or not this kid was actually the one who took the documents in the first place. It does seem pretty absurd that a 19 year old would have access to this kind of classified material to be able to steal it. Or their security is laughably bad.
I’m in the camp of “He was given the documents by a higher up who wanted to throw a monkey wrench into the Ukraine clusterfuck.”
Regardless of how he got them, I don’t believe for one second that he had a shooting spree planned. It’s the state-corporate media monster slandering someone with the biggest lies they can think up to distract from the fact that their glaring incompetence and dishonesty was exposed yet again. They have absolutely no regard for who they destroy to protect themselves and the greatest grift machine the world has ever created.
From what I’ve heard, one of the documents leaked include a scanned hardcopy of a PowerPoint presentation given by Milley (or one of those high-level DC ilk). There would only be a handful of people with access to that specific document and he was not one of them.
Oh apparently it’s all out there on TopSecret google!
Is that the one run by Val Kilmer?
https://twitter.com/buitengebieden/status/1651240128705187846
Thanks Ron, as always.
A few days ago I had a doctor’s appt. I have a followup appt. for June, 2024. I told the doc he was an optimist, he told me not to be late. After watching my friends lining up for their covid vaccine I was surprised. Old people that have had every kind of disease available were scared (by the government) that this was going to be the big one. Would have made Redd Foxx proud.
Now that the snow is mostly gone I can get back outside and clean up the yard and garden. The little plants are started inside, have smiles on their little faces. Spring came a month late but nothing could be done about that. I see small buds on the apple trees. We’re putting the bee hives out on Sunday, bees arrive in 2 weeks.
All you can do is keep on going.
I want to make it to HH this year, have you started planning for it yet?
Not much planning to be done, sort of spontaneous. Are you on Tundra’s list, he keeps up with the goings on?. It’s the third Sunday in Sept. Meet other fellow/lady Glibs.
Yep!
Anyone who is interested in being on the exclusive Honey Harvest mail list, please drop me a note at: minnetundra at the google mail.
I can take or leave Heart, but they do bring to mind a few things. First, Mrs. TOK hates them. Second, I had a younger co-worker a while back who absolutely loved them for some reason. And third, my FIL likes to tell a story of how he was in the front row at a Heart concert, and one of the sisters put her foot up on an amp and showed him Schwarzenegger wasn’t the only commando in the 80’s.
Well, I get why Mrs. TOK hates them.
Can’t relate.
If one of them flashed your dad?
He didn’t have to look.
You don’t know dudes very well.
“I looked up and saw heaven, even if it was a little fuzzy.”
Legit LOL!
Way OT, but the wife was running through the channels last night looking for news, and we caught the bit of the draft where the TE from Utah was selected. We were laughing because someone in the background at the home he was at (parents I guess) had stacks of hats and he was frantically searching for the Patriots hat for the guy to put on. The only good thing I can say about the NFL draft.
I’d sure love it if someone would come out and stiff-arm Goodell. Rozell would never have done that you goon in an expensive suit.
Re THINGS going on in my friends’, families’, and my lives:
The children of this generation are as fragile as cotton candy. One lick and they instantly dissolve into a few grains of sugar.
I thought that licking kids was more OMWC’s field of expertise.
Huzzah for the new NC Supreme Court!
The new Baptists and bootleggers coalition!
Trump will not be stoic.
Seneca didn’t have the state coming after his children to cut off their dicks.
Just sayin’.