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.
HOW MAY A MAN PRESERVE HIS CHARACTER[1] UPON EVERY OCCASION?
To the rational being only the irrational is unendurable, but the rational is endurable. Blows are not by nature unendurable.—How so?—Observe how: Lacedaemonians take a scourging[2] once they have learned that it is rational.—But is it not unendurable to be hanged?—Hardly; at all events whenever a man feels that it is rational he goes and hangs himself. In short, if we observe, we shall find mankind distressed by nothing so much as by the irrational, and again attracted to nothing so much as to the rational.
Everybody has a different idea of what is rational. In Marine Corps boot camp we did many things willingly that to an outsider would seem totally irrational. Many things I see other people do appear irrational to me, but make perfect sense to them.
5 Now it so happens that the rational and the irrational are different for different persons, precisely as good and evil, and the profitable and the unprofitable, are different for different persons. It is for this reason especially that we need education, so as to learn how, in conformity with nature, to adapt to specific instances our preconceived idea of what is rational and what is irrational. But for determining the rational and the irrational, we employ not only our estimates of the value of external things, but also the criterion of that which is in keeping with one’s own character. For to one man it is reasonable to hold a chamber-pot for another, since he considers only that, if he does not hold it, he will get a beating and will not get food, whereas, if he does hold it, nothing harsh or painful will be done to him; but some other man feels that it is not merely unendurable to hold such a pot himself, but even to tolerate another’s doing so. 10If you ask me, then, “Shall I hold the pot or not?” I will tell you that to get food is of greater value than not to get it, and to be flayed is of greater detriment than not to be; so that if you measure your interests by these standards, go and hold the pot. “Yes, but it would be unworthy of me.” That is an additional consideration, which you, and not I, must introduce into the question. For you are the one that knows yourself, how much you are worth in your own eyes and at what price you sell yourself. For different men sell themselves at different prices.
This is why I believe Stoicism is an individual philosophy that meshes well with being a libertarian. Nowhere does say that either the one willing to hold the chamber pot or the one that would refuse are right or wrong. That is up to each person to decide which is the more unbearable.
Wherefore, when Florus was debating whether he should enter Nero’s festival, so as to make some personal contribution to it, Agrippinus said to him, “Enter.” And when Florus asked, “Why do you not enter yourself?” he replied, “I? why, I do not even raise the question.” For when a man once stoops to the consideration of such questions, I mean to estimating the value of externals, and calculates them one by one, he comes very close to those who have forgotten their own proper character.
Obviously Florus was more concerned with gaining Nero’s approval than he was with his own dignity. Aggripinus was not concerned with what Nero thought. Who was correct? Maybe both, if neither was troubled by his choice later.
15Come, what is this you ask me? “Is death or life preferable?” I answer, life. “Pain or pleasure?” I answer, pleasure. “But unless I take a part in the tragedy[3] I shall be beheaded.” Go, then, and take a part, but I will not take a part. “Why not?” Because you regard yourself as but a single thread of all that go to make up the garment. What follows, then? This, that you ought to take thought how you may resemble all other men, precisely as even the single thread wants to have no point of superiority in comparison with the other threads. But I want to be the red,[4] that small and brilliant portion which causes the rest to appear comely and beautiful. Why, then, do you say to me, “Be like the majority of people?” And if I do that, how shall I any longer be the red?
If I were to do the same things as everyone I know, I could join in many more conversations in the office. Sometimes they make fun of me for my lack of knowledge about pop culture, but I am OK with them knowing I don’t follow the same path they do. I have also been told that I read too much when we were talking about the Expanse TV show and I was comparing the character differences and I told them I had read all of the books. These are just some of the reasons I don’t have any friends in real life.
This is what Helvidius Priscus also saw, and, having seen, did. When Vespasian sent him word not to attend a meeting of the Senate, he answered, “It is in your power not to allow me to be a member of the Senate, but so long as I am one I must attend its meetings.” 20“Very well then, but when you attend, hold your peace.” “Do not ask for my opinion and I will hold my peace.” “But I must ask for your opinion.” “And I must answer what seems to me right.” “But if you speak, I shall put you to death.” “Well, when did I ever tell you that I was immortal? You will do your part and I mine. It is yours to put me to death, mine to die without a tremor; yours to banish, mine to leave without sorrow.” What good, then, did Priscus do, who was but a single individual? And what good does the red do the mantle? What else than that it stands out conspicuous in it as red, and is displayed as a goodly example to the rest? But had Caesar told another man in such circumstances not to attend the meetings of the Senate, he would have said, “I thank you for excusing me.” A man like that Caesar would not even have tried to keep from attending, but would have known that he would either sit like a jug, or, if he spoke, would say what he knew Caesar wanted said, and would pile up any amount more on the top of it.
It would be difficult to stand up to the Emperor, knowing he could sentence you to death on a whim. It would be easy to be the second man described here, the one that would say or do whatever Caesar commanded without resistance. We haven’t had that level of tyranny here, but I have seen people comply with rules that made no logical sense while insisting on making everyone else comply also.
25In like manner also a certain athlete acted, who was in danger of dying unless his private parts were amputated. His brother (and he was a philosopher) came to him and said, “Well, brother, what are you going to do? Are we going to cut off this member, and step forth once more into the gymnasium?” He would not submit, but hardened his heart and died. And as someone asked, “How did he do this? As an athlete, or as a philosopher?” As a man, replied Epictetus; and as a man who had been proclaimed at the Olympic games and had striven in them, who had been at home in such places, and had not merely been rubbed down with oil in Bato’s[5] wrestling school. But another would have had even his neck cut off, if he could have lived without his neck. This is what we mean by regard for one’s proper character; and such is its strength with those who in their deliberations habitually make it a personal contribution. “Come then, Epictetus, shave off your beard.”[6] If I am a philosopher, I answer, “I will not shave it off” “But I will take off your neck.” If that will do you any good, take it off.
Sometimes hard choices have to be made. While I can’t see myself in the situation above, I can see deciding that treatment for something to extend a life of misery from the treatment is not worth it. My Mother in Law needed surgery and she didn’t want to get it. My Father in Law, their son and other daughter basically bullied her into it. To me and my wife, it should be her choice. Maybe we were wrong on that one because she made a full recovery and admits her quality of life is drastically improved. It still feels wrong to decide somebody else’s medical choices against their will.
30Someone inquired, “How, then, shall each of us become aware of what is appropriate to his own proper character?” How comes it, replied he, that when the lion charges, the bull alone is aware of his own prowess and rushes forward to defend the whole herd? Or is it clear that with the possession of the prowess comes immediately the consciousness of it also? And so, among us too, whoever has such prowess will not be unaware of it. Yet a bull does not become a bull all at once, any more than a man becomes noble, but a man must undergo a winter training,[7] he must prepare himself and must not plunge recklessly into what is inappropriate for him.
In the Marines we trained for hardship and lack of sleep by experiencing it. We also trained for combat in somewhat realistic training so that we would have an idea of what to expect and how to respond. This wasn’t 100% accurate as we found out when we got into combat, but it did give us a base to refine and improve upon.
Only consider at what price you sell your freedom of will. If you must sell it, man, at least do not sell it cheap. But the great and pre-eminent deed, perhaps, befits others, Socrates and men of his stamp.—Why then, pray, if we are endowed by nature for such greatness, do not all men, or many, become like him? What, do all horses become swift, all dogs keen to follow the scent?
The price you sell your freedom should be a high one. We all have to find that point for ourselves. When I don’t open carry my pistol where it is illegal, I am selling my independence for the price of not going to jail. When I wore a mask into the hospital, I was selling it for my recovery from surgery. Now that I don’t have any pressing issues, I refuse to wear it and sometimes they let me in. Other times I get refused entrance. I explain that the masks give me headaches and I shouldn’t have to choose between being able to see my Dr. or being awake all night with a headache.
While these incidents still get my blood pressure elevated, I am not outwardly angry at the people that don’t let me in. I tell them to have a nice day and I leave without trying to argue any further.
Not everyone is made to be different than the crowd. Growing up the way I did, I could not care less about other people’s opinions of me.
35What then? Because I have no natural gifts, shall I on that account give up my discipline? Far be it from me! Epictetus will not be better than Socrates; but if only I am not worse, that suffices me. For I shall not be a Milo, either, and yet I do not neglect my body; nor a Croesus, and yet I do not neglect my property; nor, in a word, is there any other field in which we give up the appropriate discipline merely from despair of attaining the highest.
I will never be a perfect Stoic. I will never be the physical specimen I was until I hit 45 years old. Does that mean I shouldn’t try? Or does that mean I should work with my limitations and fight for improvement, both mental and physical? I would say fighting for improvement is never a waste of time, even if perfection is out of reach.
I will probably not be online when this drops, instead I will be at the DMV renewing my license on my 52nd birthday. My wife made me a devil’s food cake from scratch, so I’ve got that going for me, which is nice.
Music this week is inspired by PutridMeat’s excellent article on the band Redemption. The singer on that track is the same singer from Fates Warning. The music definitely reminded me of Dream Theater, I will have to listen to more of their music, I think.
I like this style better myself, more thrash and less progressive, but a lot of classical guitars.
The singer was 21 when this was recorded and he has a much higher range here than what was in that song from Redemption.
When I was younger, this was one of my favorites tapes, but I hadn’t listened to it in a long time. It holds up very well in my opinion (which is always correct).
Stoicc?
Why did we blur out the armed robber?
Maybe by the time this aired their trial hadn’t completed?
LOL
Tony is out of fucks to give. Ice cold.
Yea that is I worked all damn day and I just want a beer before I get home….fuck off. Can’t say Id be that way, but totally understandable.
The best part is you know there’s thousands of Karens out there who stroked out after seeing Tony (and later his friend) light up a cigarette inside.
Watch the trigger finger there, dude.
Reminds me of the time I was involved in a bar holdup, except I was under the table, and the people holding up the bar were the cops. I think the cops had better trigger discipline though.
Fucking legend, man. Asking the robber to get him a beer . . . *chef’s kiss*
Happy birthday to you, friend.
Thank you again for these thoughtful perspectives. Always gives me something to think about.
This is why I believe Stoicism is an individual philosophy that meshes well with being a libertarian.
I think Stoicism (and Christianity) informs libertarianism. It’s an individual philosophy, yes, but there is definitely a structured moral component that enables actual liberty.
Thanks and happy birthday, old man!
“I will be at the DMV renewing my license on my 52nd birthday”
Happy birthday, whippersnapper!
How much is your dignity and character worth?
About tree fiddy.
I figured 20 bucks. Same as downtown.
Happy Birthday, Ron! Thanks so much for doing these.
“I will never be the physical specimen I was until I hit 45 years old. Does that mean I shouldn’t try? Or does that mean I should work with my limitations and fight for improvement, both mental and physical? I would say fighting for improvement is never a waste of time, even if perfection is out of reach.”
I destroyed an ACL at 46 and went off a cliff in the exercise department. Years later, I’m finally back in a gym getting yelled at by a trainer, and digging it. Fight on.
/glibfit
Sounds like “binary triggers” are going to be the hot new gun ban topic.
So you need a non-binary trigger? Or are you going to go full genderfuck trigger?
Apparently Fargo narrowly averted a bloodbath. If he had gone straight to his target instead of coming across some cops by chance, there could be a lot of dead moms, and dads, and kids.
Diversity is our strength
The magazines with American flags on them are a nice touch.
I’ve seen people bring that up a few times. “We haven’t yet determined he significance of the US Flag decals.”
My money says they don’t mean anything. They were on sale. And I suppose gave the evil fucker an evil chuckle at the irony. *spits
I think I see your problem.
The scholars concluded the “malicious responses” indicate that fascism has become a common ideology in engineering and computer science academia. They suggested the counter response should be “social justice STEM education” that includes “perspectives on online hate radicalization and center anti-colonial, intersectional solidarity organizing as its opposition.”
Keep doing what you have been more and harder. That should fix people’s attituded toward woke fascism.
They claimed their research methods used “antifascist and trans/queer methodologies to transform the raw data” and “make effective interventions and transformations to our programs and institutions.” They described “Anti-fascism” in particular as a framework that connects “contemporary fascist movements to the foundation of the U.S. as a racial project,” noting elsewhere that “White supremacy” remains ubiquitous in the U.S.
Enjoy your social justice word salad.
Engineering in particular, they argued, is a critical field to teach their far-left ideology because such graduates “frequently work in fields such as fossil fuels, defense, construction, and technology upon graduation, and could be taught about these field’s relationships with national and global racial capitalism and ongoing apartheid in Palestine, as an example.”
The woketarded among us feel the need to ruin all of human existence by eliminating the productive and the benefits of what they build.
indicate that fascism has become a common ideology in engineering and computer science
Binary systems true or false.
“Binary systems”
/rants at the proliferation of nulls in modern databases. Three-valued logic is fun.
What do you mean? It’s great fun explaining to people that a null is not the same as an empty string.
Not as much fun as this:
null = null: false
null null: false
null = something: false
null something: false
Why isnull/ifnull/coalesce may be the most commonly used functions in SQL
Way back in my programming days, we were working in C. We had another engineer on loan from a different group who was an Ada developer. It took a long time to convince her that 0 is False and Not 0 is Not False and that’s all we worry about.
Especially fun if they are sub-human javascript devs who think that null is “untruthy” and can be considered the same as “false”.
null != true
therefore
null == false
/their train of thought.
I’m tired, so my ability to parse poor english syntax is impaired.
“The research team declared that the mockery they received “had a profound impact on morale and mental health,” particularly for one transgender researcher who was “already in therapy for anxiety and depression regarding online anti-trans rhetoric.” The paper claimed that “managing the study’s data collection caused significant personal distress, and time had to be taken off the project to heal from traumatic harm” of having to read students’ responses in the survey.”
They sow much destruction, and yet they’re so easy to bring to heel. I do appreciate some of the responses from the little shits… “my country is run by Communists”; “I’m an ethnic gift card”. Maybe the peasants are revolting.
“The research team declared that the mockery they received “had a profound impact on morale and mental health,”
Good. That means it had the intended result.
😣
Way to play into the stereotype, snowflakes.
Life imitates art. Hopefully someone filled in their name as Hous Bin Pharteen.
https://youtu.be/dwYtFt4agqo?t=83
Heywood Jablome from Fargo wonders why the researchers didn’t take his survey seriously
That is some journal there, and a faculty that does credit to their university.
There is some very good news in that article:
Love those answers
Joke responses? JOKE RESPONSES???
Declaring my identity as a Quasi-Demi-poney; bankai-released state queercopter with a hint of faggotdrag lesbian and homosexual upside-down Frappuccino cake a “joke response” is literally genocide against the Quasi-Demi-poney; bankai-released state queercopter with a hint of faggotdrag lesbian and homosexual upside-down Frappuccino cake community.
I’m literally shaking right now and can’t even with this.
Respect My Truth! No, that’s not enough. Celebrate My Truth!
Fund my truth!
^This lady gets it.
I love my 350Z. $170 in labor to install a new battery at the dealer.
Tesla is $120 to replace the 12V and for many they will come to your house to do it.
Of course a battery operated vehicle needs a separate 12-volt battery to do something or other.
Close the contactors. Run things while the HV system is off.
New models have lithium cells for low voltage and eliminated the lead acid battery. Supposed to have a 10-15 year life. We shall see… Lead acid is cheap and easy to fix.
I stopped doing my own service about two decades ago when I couldn’t change the light bulb in one of the headlights.
I decided fuck it; I’m a well-paid engineer. I can pay someone else to do it.
I found a good independant and never looked back.
Very reasonable prices and not worth the skinned knuckles. There are easy jobs I will do myself.
Same here, back when we still owned the Passat in Calgary.
The independent shop (worker-owned! no commie!) was on average 40% cheaper than the dealers in Calgary, and their use of after-market rather than OEM parts typically resulted in a better part getting installed.
Plus they could see to our car right away in case of emergencies (ever had the heater fail whilst traveling 300km from Edmonton to Calgary during -20° Celsius temps? My poor dogs were shivering all the way home, even with the blankets and dog beds in the back seat…).
Fascism = anything we don’t like.
$170 in labor to install a new battery at the dealer.
Where do they hide the stupid thing? You wouldn’t have to worry about stuff like that if you owned a 1967 MG Midget.
It’s in the back of the engine compartment on the passenger side. It’s actually in a great location.
But it’s under a plastic cover that needs to be removed (god only knows how). There is a smaller access cover that allows you to get to the terminals with ease. But getting the battery out of the car is way more complicated.
The battery itself is in pristine condition (after five years of service). So the cover provides some benefit. And it makes the engine compartment look nice and tidy.
I’m sure I could watch a youtube video and learn how to do it myself. Five years from now, I may be a poor retiree and be forced to do that.
And here is a video
My Challenger had a cabin air filter that had to be destructively removed, and the new filter scrunched up and pushed in. Worst design I ever saw. Why not put the thing behind the glove box like normal human beings? Headlights, also a massive pain. One went out, thankfully under warranty. Required a front end removal to replace.
My Tesla Model 3 says “hold my beer”
https://service.tesla.com/docs/Public/diy/model3/en_us/GUID-DB0A1E3C-926E-498C-A2FD-A27B8421A471.html
Better not ever forget to make those tabs face out, or you are DOOMED.
The GTI is dead nuts easy. I did the one for my GF’s Escape once and told her next time let the dealership do it.
I watched the mechanic do it, told him I couldn’t figure out how to get a new one back in without damaging it. He said “I’ll show you” and proceeded to scruntch the new filter up in a roll, then stuff it in the case one roll at a time. Tons of crinkling, crunching, etc… I laughed. I had been taught the proper way to do it. Money well spent.
This is one good thing about the “YouTube” generation. I can almost guarantee that there at least a dozen videos explaining how to do that for almost any car.
My wife’s new Acura MDX is going to require the whole damn air box assembly and a closeout panel to be removed.
It also has Honda’s dreadful idle stop start system so it requires an AGM battery. So retail auto-parts prices is going to be around $200-$250 with no labor.
Thank you Congress and the EPA!
With a Midget you just need to worry about two cylinders for your hydraulic clutch. I got to drive mine 45 miles once being unable to get out of second because one of those cylinders blew on a road trip. So much fun.
Sensei- I don’t know if you’re familiar with the boostedboiz youtube channel, but they just stripped their salvaged Plaid down to the bare chassis/undercarriage and put a cage on it as their contribution to “kart kraze” madness. They took about 1000 pounds off, and it still weighed as much as my pickup truck. Electric motors and the batteries to spin them is heavy.
It also has Honda’s dreadful idle stop start system
GAH!
*makes sign of cross*
I’d go crazy if my car stalled every time I came to a light. Something about cutting my mechanical teeth on Lucas electrics, possibly.
I hate the autostall so much. Probably just from driving POS cars long enough that I have stalled out at a red light/stop sign before.
Is there no override? An additional step in starting my mom’s car. I told her the indie service guy could probably disable it altogether.
Yes. Big button on the console. But it defaults to “ON” thanks to the EPA everytime you start the car.
This is my weekend project:
https://www.idlestopper.com/
$90 to avoid punching the button. It’s sitting on my workbench now.
I have one too. Waiting for the first 36,000 warranty period to pass, then I put it on.
It shouldn’t impact your warranty, but if the dealer wants to be a dick…
https://midwestaftermarket.com/blogs/blog/the-truth-about-the-magnuson-moss-warranty-act
So if your battery needed to be replaced within its warranty period they might fight you if they found this installed as this device directly (although beneficially) works with this system. OTH, if the oil pump failed and you destroyed the motor this has nothing to do with it. You do run the risk that a dick dealer claims it did however.
That is one part dealers are a dick about. I prefer to wait, since I am a MOPAR fan and at high risk of issues.
So unlike the many domestics, this Honda gadget just is an electronic switch. It sits in-between the the switch in the console and stock wiring harness. Seven seconds after the car powers up it briefly toggles the button
No ECU fiddling or CANBus injection or anything like that. Unless you rip the console apart it is invisible. Won’t show up on scan tool or something like that.
Depends on the car. Being able to turn that off is one criteria I’m using for the next vehicle I buy (as well as physical controls for climate control).
I would love to just modernize a decent older vehicle. A Ramcharger, for instance. Then I would just drive that. I could get decent mileage out of an old 318 with a better transmission, exhaust and intake.
I have a coworker who drives an Equinox that has the feature. He has an aftermarket device to disable it. He removes it before going to the dealership for oil change.
It can be turned off.
Happy birthday, young man. A lot to ponder in this one. We are who we choose to be.
I can actually read this at my leisure today.
Wonderful.
Thanks, Ron.
MAGAt chaos and blood in the streets.
Downtown Atlanta over the years has played host to a plethora of high-profile sporting, music and cultural events, as well as huge protests and rallies. But the expected indictment of former President Donald Trump in Fulton County presents unique political, logistical and public safety challenges for law enforcement.
If the scene at Trump’s federal arraignment in Miami last month is any guide, his surrender could attract hordes of protesters, counter-protesters and news media from around the world. Law enforcement will be tasked with arranging a safe travel route for the Republican from the airport to the Fulton County courthouse or jail to be processed. They will also need to diffuse any threats from inside or outside the buildings. …
Fani Willis, Fulton’s district attorney, has heavily suggested she will seek criminal charges against Trump next month after spending two-and-a-half years investigating him and his closest allies for interfering in Georgia’s 2020 elections. In a letter to law enforcement this spring, Willis urged leaders to get ready for “heightened security and preparedness” because her decision could “provoke a significant public reaction.”
Just indict him for bs in every state.
Did anybody show up for his indictment? I don’t recall a thing about it.
Ah. Answer in the link to the article. What dumb shit writes a blood and gore article then links to this?
“Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales said on Monday his office was preparing for 5,000 to 50,000 people to show up near the courthouse. Less than 5,000 people turned out — and the press made up a large part of that.”
The linked article also said it was a very tame crowd.
I’m sure the average reader thought, “Oh my God! Not another Miami! Wait, what happened in Miami?”
Downtown Atlanta over the years has played host to a plethora of high-profile
sporting, music and cultural eventsshootingsFTFY
“Law enforcement will be tasked with arranging a safe travel route for the Republican from the airport to the Fulton County courthouse or jail to be processed.”
Does Atlanta even have a book depository?
“I will never be a perfect Stoic. I will never be the physical specimen I was until I hit 45 years old.”
<== Points to picture
Ain't that the truth, brother. I could lift some weights every now and then, I would look better in my post picture.
Dishonest cunte is dishonest and cuntey.
Democrat Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries: “Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is a living-breathing false flag operation… His whole campaign is being run by right-wing political operatives who have one objective, to try to take down President Joe Biden.”
Is this the “vast rightwing conspiracy” or “Russian collusion”?
Same thing, right?
Obviously.
Just like when his uncle Ted tied to take down Carter by running against him in 1980.
Thats how primary elections work.
The “Democrats try to censor a witness in hearing about censorship” story is not only true, it’s worse than reported. This morning I watched Kennedy’s opening statement. It was a great speech, I would even call it moving. He talked about people in his party trying to spread lies about him, and he talked about the political division in our country and how we need to talk to each other and respect each other. The VERY SECOND he was done the Dems made a motion to make the meeting private because he had said “racist” things – the very accusations he addressed just a minute before. These people are vile.
The heirs of the right-wing political operatives who took out his father. They must have threaten him into going along with their agenda to take down Biden.
Racism makes blacks kill each other.
Mass shootings in major metropolitan areas in the United States disproportionately affect Black people, and structural racism may play a role, according to a study published on Wednesday in the journal JAMA Surgery.
Researchers at Tulane University analyzed data relating to the 51 largest metropolitan areas, including demographic and income data as well as reports of mass shootings from 2015 to 2019 compiled by the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit organization that tracks gun violence in the US.
CNN and the Gun Violence Archive define a mass shooting as a shooting that injured or killed four or more people, not including the shooter.
A journal called “JAMA Surgery” should be discussing shootings in terms of “How to patch up people who have been shot.”
Nelson laugh…
Texas A&M President Resigns Amid Fallout Over Journalism Program
I’m getting “Secure connection failed” errors on links to archive.fo.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/detransitioned-boy-castrated-by-doctors-warns-kids-about-perils-of-gender-ideology-patient-for-life/ar-AA1ea20S
I hope he sues any and everyone involved.
This is why I believe Stoicism is an individual philosophy that meshes well with being a libertarian. Nowhere does say that either the one willing to hold the chamber pot or the one that would refuse are right or wrong. That is up to each person to decide which is the more unbearable.
Late to the party and all, SOME OF US WORK! Or at least sit here pretending to work…
I pretty strongly disagree here. In Epictetus’ formulation, there’s clearly the threat of violence – “will get a beating, will not get food”. That’s not an evaluation of rationality or what each person may value against the labor they perform – it’s violence and slavery. Certainly a person may decide which is more unbearable, threats and death vs hold the chamber pot and not evaluating the person making that decision in the face of threats as right or wrong makes sense; but the scenario is outside of the realm of libertarianism – or any philosophy that prioritizes the individual autonomy. Basically, Stoicism may indeed mesh well with being a libertarian; but this tale does not demonstrate it to me.
At least we are deep into dead thread here, so no one will contradict me. I win on the internet today!
Happy birthday, and many more to come surrounded by health.