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 ought we adjust our preconceptions to individual instances? Part II
25But give them to Zeus and the other gods; entrust them to their keeping, let them exercise the control; let your desire and your aversion be ranged on their side—and how can you be troubled any longer? But if you show envy, wretched man, and pity, and jealousy, and timidity, and never let a day pass without bewailing yourself and the gods, how can you continue to say that you have been educated? What kind of education, man, do you mean? Because you have worked on syllogisms, and arguments with equivocal premises? Will you not unlearn all this, if that be possible, and begin at the beginning, realizing that hitherto you have not even touched the matter; and for the future, beginning at this point, add to your foundations that which comes next in order—provision that nothing shall be that you do not wish, and that nothing shall fail to be that you do wish?
Learning flowery rhetoric without learning the basic principles that Stoicism is founded on would be a waste of time for me. I have tried to stick to that as I have studied and haven’t really learned any fluff.
Give me but one young man who has come to school with this purpose in view, who has become an athlete in this activity, saying, “As for me, let everything else go; I am satisfied if I shall be free to live untrammeled and untroubled, to hold up my neck in the face of facts like a free man, and to look up to heaven as a friend of God, without fear of what may possibly happen.” 30Let one of you show me such a person, so that I can say to him: Enter, young man, into your own, for it is your destiny to adorn philosophy, yours are these possessions, yours these books, yours these discourses.
This is where I am currently. I haven’t been able to put all of the ideas into practice daily, but my goal is to be free in myself. If I can truly live without worrying about outside forces because my inner fortress is strong enough, then I can say that I have learned enough. Until that day, I will keep working on myself, because I still am not there.
Then, when he has worked his way through this first field of study and mastered it like an athlete, let him come to me again and say, “I want, it is true, to be tranquil and free from turmoil, but I want also, as a god-fearing man, a philosopher and a diligent student, to know what is my duty towards the gods, towards parents, towards brothers, towards my country, towards strangers.” Advance now to the second field of study; this also is yours.
Part of being a good person is how I deal with others. Using Stoicism as a base for my own attitude, I can extrapolate the best way to deal with others from that. It might not be what the other people would wish that I would do, but I believe in the long run, it will work out the best.
“Yes, but I have already studied this second field. What I wanted was to be secure and unshaken, and that not merely in my waking hours, but also when asleep, and drunk, and melancholy-mad.”[6] Man, you are a god, great are the designs you cherish!
Wishing I could be steady in the face of all adversity and in all situations seems like a fools errand. Since I am human and not a God then all I can do is take my meager understanding of Stoicism and use it to keep myself as steady as possible and not beat myself up later because I didn’t handle something perfectly.
No, that is not the way it goes, but someone says, “I wish to know what Chrysippus means in his treatise on The Liar.”[7] If that is your design, go hang, you wretch! And what good will knowing that do you? With sorrow you will read the whole treatise, and with trembling you will talk about it to others. 35This is the way you also, my hearers, behave. You say: “Shall I read aloud to you, brother, and you to me?”[8] “Man, you write wonderfully.” And again, “You have a great gift for writing in the style of Xenophon,” “You for that of Plato,” “You for that of Antisthenes.”
Doing anything just for the express purpose of being complimented is not a very admirable trait to me. Even when I was a metal singer with aspirations of being in a popular band, fame itself was not appealing. I really enjoyed the music and my bandmates more than any external benefit I hoped to gain. I don’t study Stoicism and write these essays with the hope of impressing you fine people with my intellect. I hope that some of you actually read these and think about them. I really hope some of you have managed to improve your outlook and reduce your stress by following Stoicism, even if it’s just a little.
And then, when you have told dreams to one another, you go back to the same things again; you have exactly the same desires as before, the same aversions, in the same way you make your choices, your designs, and your purposes, you pray for the same things and are interested in the same things.
Epictetus was annoyed with the students that would study so they could impress others, while their attitudes remained unchanged.
In the second place, you do not even look for anybody to give you advice, but you are annoyed if you are told what I am telling you. Again, you say: “He is an old man without the milk of human kindness in him; he did not weep when I left, nor say, ‘I fear you are going into a very difficult situation, my son; if you come through safely, I will light lamps.'”[9] Is this what a man with the milk of human kindness in him would say? It will be a great piece of good luck for a person like you to come through safely, a thing worth lighting lamps to celebrate! Surely you ought to be free from death and free from disease!
He believed these ones to be mentally weak and understood how much they hated having this pointed out to them. As an artillery section chief, honesty was the only way to deal with the slackers and weak links we had. Some of them hated me for it, while others would absorb the lesson and try to improve.
It is this conceit of fancying that we know something useful, that, as I have said, we ought to cast aside before we come to philosophy, as we do in the case of geometry and music. 40Otherwise we shall never even come near to making progress, even if we go through all the Introductions and the Treatises of Chrysippus, with those of Antipater and Archedemus thrown in!
Studying and memorizing Stoicism is useless if I still cling to my old beliefs and actions. If I know that getting angry at things outside of my control is a waste of time and energy, yet I still get mad working on my truck and then give my wife a hard time because I’m in a bad mood, what good is that knowledge?
If I have the entire Meditations by Marcus Aurelius memorized and get stressed out by things that I know to be outside of my control, has all of that studying helped me?
Music this week is from the next Candlemass album, Ancient Dreams.
One of my favorite bands that most people I’ve known do not like.
A Cry From The Crypt -The opening riff in this one is unreal.
Darkness In Paradise-Slow and heavy with the operatic singing of Messiah Marcolin, great tune.
Bearer Of Pain-Tale of a young virgin that takes away a city’s sadness for a year and then is old and insane, so every year they need a replacement.
The Bells Of Acheron-The priests of Acheron defied God and paid the price.
Epistle No. 81 -The most Candlemass song to ever Candlemass. It is one of my favorites from them, but I have found it to be very polarizing.
“Yes, but I have already studied this second field. What I wanted was to be secure and unshaken, and that not merely in my waking hours, but also when asleep, and drunk, and melancholy-mad.”
Hmm did stoics get drunk? I dont remember if this series covered alcohol seriously.
They would drink, but discouraged over indulgence.
Doom metal is either not stoic or very stoic not sure which
Growing up, metal was a good outlet for my anger at life, so Stoic?
If epictetus was a US citizen would he vote? If yes for whom?
I would say no, because that is attempting to control something clearly outside of personal control.
But I am sure there are arguments for saying he would.
I’d say yes and he’d vote democrat or cpusa because then more things would be out of his control and thus less to test his stoicism.
*looks around*
He’s being polite or euphemistic.
Why can’t it be both?
Very fine people. The finest.
Now we are talking PSA.
https://palmettostatearmory.com/armalite-m-15-light-tactical-carbine-223-rem-5-56-semi-automatic-ar-15-rifle-m15ltc16.html
Nice.
Another site that the new corporate firewall is blocking.
Megacorp doesn’t want us looking at cool things I guess.
Always use your phone or a private PC.
That’s a great price.
I want one so bad.
Nice shout-out to Trump’s Charlottesville remarks.
Willis did not return to the stand today. Apparently the DA’s office decided not to cross examine her to prevent the opposition from questioning her again on redirect. They must recognize how much damage she has already done to herself.
On a related note, I didnt have to go to jury duty yesterday.
Numbers 6896-6945 had to report. I was in the 6946-7060 group. Also having to report were 1361 and 4355.
Which means, if you have to reschedule, you will get called in. That is how I interpret the latter 2 having to report. That they only needed 52 people means it couldn’t have been many cases.
Anyway, I met my duty for the next 12 months even though I didnt get called in.
Not going in at all is better than going in, sitting around for 2 hours, then getting sent home, which is mostly what happened when I had jury duty in Louisville. There jury duty lasted 2 weeks and while you didnt have to go in every day, you probably would for 4-5 days. And mostly get sent home before lunch.
in ancient athens a jury could be up to 6001 people.
How did the Jurors in the back heard proceedings? Seems like you’d have to take over a Stadium to hold proceedings. Very inefficient.
good acoustics and the speeches were loud.
Willis could use some lessons in Stoicism, amirite? 😄
…and, of course, ethics.
Maybe some fashion sense? So she knows when her dress is on backwards?
Dammit! I was looking forward to some entertainment!
CNN says that the prosecutor’s office got enough from Willis yesterday to block the disqualification, so they’re all good now. No need to call Willis back to the stand.
The ship I was on today had CNN playing and that was the headline at the bottom of the screen.
We really are watching 2 different movies.
When is Pie going to find that alternate reality?
Scientific Journal Publishes AI-Generated Rat with Gigantic Penis In Worrying Incident
Science deniers — one and all.
The headline is enough. No need to read the article.
Poor creature dragging that around.
FTA: … the paper’s U.S.-based reviewer, Jingbo Dai of Northwestern University, … said that it was not his responsibility to vet the obviously incorrect images.
WTH? Whenever I’ve reviewed a paper for a journal, I’ve been expected to inspect every single aspect of it — text, figures, references, etc. Not a good look for that journal.
If that’s not his job, then why have a reviewer?
Judge expected to issue ruling in Trump business fraud trial Friday
New York cavalry rides to the rescue. No worries about that little fracas down in Georgia.
I skimmed through an article bout the idiots in Georgia. The subordinate, when asked about the purported cash reimbursements, essentially said, “You’ll just have to take my word for it.”
I guess he didn’t see any need to add, “Don’t you know who I am?”
any random civilian could offer the same response and get an apology from the prosecutors.
I believe it was the same article which helpfully added a note about how this trumped up “misconduct” in no way alters or diminishes Trump’s clear indisputable guilt.
I don’t know if this is much in the way of self-reflection, but I’m trying to parse my reaction to some new information.
When I first ran across the company Adafruit, I disliked them. I mistook them for a Chinese firm, with some confirmation bias coming from the slipshod documentation on their products. (I have to say, I have a preference for Texas Instruments’ datasheets). I should have known something was up from the very casual tone in some of the Adafruit datasheets that wasted verbiage on things not helpful to figuring out how to use the product.
Then I wandered over to their about page and discovered that it is actually a US Firm in NYC – Run by literal Pink-haired lefty. Skimming through their touting of their diversity score, I felt actual disgust.
Uusally, I only feel disappointment in finding yet another company run by people who hate me. Still trying to figure out why it was a much more pronounced reaction.
you secretly want to go on a long road-trip with Limor Fried
I don’t get it.
subconscious you kinda like the Pink-haired lefty and conscious you recoil at that.
Incorrect – The revulsion came from the instinctive/subconscious layer.
subscribe to her onlyfans you’ll feel better
That’s what he needs, more revulsion.
i try to help
Outgroup v. Fargroup.
i like my theory better
Still trying to figure out why it was a much more pronounced reaction.
NYC wokesters are more repellent than Chinese totalitarians (you can’t really call them commies anymore).
Commies. Commies, commies, commies.
It rolls off the tongue. Try saying totalitarians three times fast.
Please, the term is economically divergant governance.
NOBODY can say that three times fast.
Şase saşi în şase saci
I can’t even make “S” noises. The teeth get in the way.
<===
I am currently sitting in the Mobile Alabama airport after being here for work all week.
I am getting better at going through security, I no longer have a blind rage, now it’s more of an irritation.
you need to respect the people who make all of us safe
They are all such impressive people.
I got to deal with being on three different tech bridges at the same time, while having people calling me asking for updates. My supply of stoic is out for the day.
Little girls are having a slumber party here tonight.
Stoic, take me away!
I love little girls…
You have my sympathy.
I remember girls giggling all night when I had to wake up at 0430 for PT.
Sometimes there are advantages to having grown up kids.
The young ones can be fun though.
Trump fined more than $350 million in New York business fraud case
A New York judge Friday ordered Donald Trump to pay more than $350 million in total penalties as part of his ruling in the former president’s civil business fraud trial.
Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron also barred Trump from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in the state for three years.
And Trump is banned for three years from applying for loans from any financial institution chartered by or registered with the New York financial services department.
How long will it take to get this reversed? How much money will he burn fighting it?
“Yeah! And he owes the state… One Hundred BILLION dollars for mean tweets too! Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!”
The mob gets more respect from the justice system than Trump.
Well yeah, they’re actually dangerous.
dangerous., I was catching up on the morning links, congratulations on the two new grandkids.
That’s a great thing,
*BTW*
Not dangerous.
WTH Tablet?
thanks
Did anyone enjoy or hate the Candlemass?