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 italicized in bold, my replies are in normal text.
To those who have set their hearts upon living in peace Part III
20But just as you laugh at the man who is afraid he will not have an office, so also laugh at yourself. For it makes no difference whether a person is thirsty with fever, or is afraid of water like a man with the rabies. Or how can you any longer say with Socrates, “If so it please God, so be it”?[6] Do you suppose that, if Socrates had yearned to spend his leisure in the Lyceum or the Academy,[7] and to converse daily with the young men, he would have gone forth cheerfully on all the military expeditions in which he served? Would he not have wailed and groaned, “Wretched man that I am I here I am now in misery and misfortune, when I might be sunning myself in the Lyceum”? What, was this your function in life, to sun yourself? Was it not rather to be serene, to be unhampered, to be unhindered? And how would he have been Socrates any longer, if he had wailed like this? How would he have gone on to write paeans in prison?[8]
My purpose in life is not to enjoy myself. While I do enjoy most aspects of it, that is never my prime decision maker. Instead I try to be an honest man as well as a good husband and father. If I keep my focus on that and manage my reactions and not worry about external forces then I will be much more serene and enjoy more than a person who lives to enjoy themselves first, that seems like a tiring way to live.
In a word, then, remember this—that if you are going to honor anything at all outside the sphere of the moral purpose, you have destroyed your moral purpose. And outside the sphere of your moral purpose lie not merely office, but also freedom from office; not merely business, but also leisure. “Am I now, therefore, to pass my life in this turmoil?” What do you mean by “turmoil”? Among many people? And what is there hard about that? Imagine that you are in Olympia, regard the turmoil as a festival. There, too, one man shouts this and another that; one man does this and another that; one man jostles another; there is a crowd in the baths.[9] And yet who of us does not take delight in the Olympic festival and leave it with sorrow?
I try not to let other people’s actions and thought concern me. I don’t like being in crowds and I don’t have many friends. None of this bothers me, although the last six weeks without my wife have been boring and kind of empty. While I have been able to control my reactions just fine, not talking to anyone except my dogs is not healthy long term. I am starting to think that maybe I need to expand my world a little, but when my wife comes back on Saturday, I am sure I will go back to normal.
25Do not become peevish or fastidious towards events. “The vinegar is rotten, for it is sour.” “The honey is rotten, for it upsets my digestion.” “I don’t like vegetables.” In the same fashion you say, “I don’t like leisure, it is a solitude.” “I don’t like a crowd, it is turmoil.” Say not so, but if circumstances bring you to spend your life alone or in the company of a few, call it peace, and utilize the condition for its proper end; converse with yourself, exercise your sense-impressions, develop your preconceptions. If, however, you fall in with a crowd, call it games, a festival, a holiday, try to keep holiday with the people. For what is pleasanter to a man who loves his fellow-men than the sight of large numbers of them?[10] We are glad to see herds of horses or cattle; when we see many ships we are delighted; is a person annoyed at the sight of many human beings? “Yes, but they deafen me with their shouting.” Oh, well, it is your hearing that is interfered with! What, then, is that to you? Your faculty of employing external impressions is not interfered with, is it? And who prevents you from making natural use of desire and aversion, of choice and refusal? What manner of turmoil avails to do that?
I used to enjoy going to festivals and didn’t mind being in the middle of a crowd. That is one more thing I could say the Marine Corps has taken from me. Or I could say that being in the middle of a crowd is not necessary and adapt to the fact I don’t really feel nervous anymore, I just feel uncomfortable. I still enjoy concerts, for some reason that crowd doesn’t bother me at all.
I have not been around much the last couple weeks. I was traveling for work last week and found out the Windows 11 update on my laptop did not include a WiFi switch so I didn’t have internet. I don’t like to read my phone for too long so I didn’t log on to Glibs at all. This week I woke up Monday a little dizzy and by Tuesday I could not walk straight. I have a vertigo oil that usually works for this, but this time all it did was take it down to where I could mostly walk straight. I could not lay down without feeling nauseous, so I have been sleeping on the couch for the last few days. This morning I started to feel normal, but I was exhausted. I haven’t had an attack this serious in quite a few years. I did not miss them.
This morning I started to feel normal, but I was exhausted.
Sorry Ron. Glad to hear you are feeling better now.
Ditto, Ron.
For what is pleasanter to a man who loves his fellow-men than the sight of large numbers of them?
People suck.
People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals.
Toxeth sez: “BUY NEW STUFF!”
Silly person. “Having” it is not the issue. Preventing the other guy from having it is the goal.
[insert snarling dog-in-manger gif]
Then whine about high lawyers’ bills.
Well, just got off the phone with my wife.
She went to Okinawa to help take care of her dad, he had stomach cancer surgery on Oct 14th.
After the surgery he had a heart attack, they put in stents and one of them broke, so they had to go back in to fix that.
Then he was getting liquid in his abdomen so they did surgery for that, but it was unsuccessful.
They flew in a specialist from Osaka and he redid the surgery and it worked this time.
Now his kidneys are not working and he has been in the ICU and on a ventilator since the original surgery.
She was supposed to come home Saturday, but is postponing it until Dec 6th.
They are having a meeting with the Dr. on Monday and she thinks they are going to take him off of the ventilator.
I’m sorry to hear that. It sounds like things are not going to go well.
Not good at all.
He is 82 and drank a bottle of Okinawa sake a day for his entire adult life, so I’m surpised he never had any liver issues.
Proof that sake is good for you.
Shame I don’t really like it.
Oh wow. That’s awful. Sorry Ron.
Sorry Ron. That’s some bad news.
Makes my anti stoicism day a lot brighter, Ron. I’ve ran into some problems trying to convert a ballast fixture to a non ballast. Problem doesn’t seem so serious after reading about your FIL
Thanks for getting me back on track
Sorry buddy. That is terrible to go through.
82 is a good run. My condolences.
Sorry Ron. It has to be frustrating for you to be apart when you’re working through this.
Damn, that’s rough. Sorry.
Thanks all of you.
That is tough, sorry to hear it
If I make to 82, please don’t do all that crap.
That’s what I told my wife minus the 82 part.
The sight of that selfsame large number leaving
That is correct.
As long as there’s no pitchforks and torches and you live on a dead end street…
They are having a meeting with the Dr. on Monday and she thinks they are going to take him off of the ventilator.
When is enough enough?
I have always said I don’t want to be somebody’s science fair project.
You could find another way to signal the importance of family.
That’s great and not wrong.
ron73440:
Thanks. I was a bit concerned about posting it, thinking it may be taken in the wrong way. Glad to know it wasn’t.
Ron, I am sorry to hear about what you and your wife are going through. I hope foe the best.
Break Break
Thumbs up Neph. If wife and kids listen to me I’ll have good cognac and heroin as my lovely parting gifts.
We’ve got that in our will, me and the missus. When things are dire, just say goodbye
My wife and her siblings agree, but mom is holding on to any thread of hope she can find.
It’s what they do Ron. I’m going through similar now with my uncle. My aunt is having real trouble adjusting to my uncle’s heart failure.
He’s had a valve replaced at 79 and the recovery has not gone well. They put you on a heart lung machine for that and when you are older the cognitive issues are common. Sadly that’s what’s happened here. The reality is that’s not going to get better, but nobody will directly tell her that because it’s going to crush her. So he’s got the cognitive issues plus the heart issues. He’s not going to “recover” here. The questions are will he stabilize and will he have quality of life. Both are open right now.
Best of luck to you and your family.
I had to sign for my Wife, not cool at all, but she was already gone.
I remember that.
The worst part of a long term marriage.
While I have been able to control my reactions just fine, not talking to anyone except my dogs is not healthy long term.
What do you think it’s like for the dogs?
Just kidding. I’ll be here all week. Don’t forget to tip the veal, and try the waitress!
I’m trying to be stoic about this. Prices are going to go sky high and the founders intent and lifelong care are going to go to crap.
https://www.hfecorp.com/whats-new/herschend-to-acquire-silverwood/
Vertigo sucks, glad to hear you’re feeling better.
I assume you know about the Epley maneuver?. It seemed to help me (but depends on the cause of vertigo).
Last time I had vertigo it hit the morning after a friend’s wedding. Hangover+vertigo: zero stars, can not recommend.
They tried that before and all it did was increase the dizziness and made me throw up.
Reading those instructions just now made me feel a little woozy.
Dorfus Maneuver!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=INq8yZZHvyE
I never saw that movie – maybe one for the queue.
It’s still on TUBI. Maybe the third movie I posted.
I get to try that next week. While my brain fog and memory issues have improved, I’m now dizzy and I’m still getting headaches. I went to vestibular therapy for the first time yesterday. She thinks I have that inner ear issue, and we’ll work on it Tuesday. The headaches and other symptoms are probably from vision problems from the collision, so I have exercises now.
That sucks it’s still bothering you.
Hope it clears up.
Seems like it’s been forever, but Wednesday it was 3 weeks. Hopefully it isn’t permanent, but most of these cases will resolve in 1-3 months with therapy.
Shut. It. All. Down.
End SNAP permanantly. It’s clearly unfit for purpose.
Encourage, but do not subsidize, food banks.
I see no constitutional authority for any form of welfare or subsidy.
End them all.
End the taxes that feed the programs.
Fire all the administrators.
It’s right there “provide for the General Welfare”
/obliviot
The even worse part of it is to a lot of our population, that is the glorious sight of a reliable vote.
If my wife bought all of that crap, I would not be happy.
But I’m glad I pay so much in taxes to feed those people.
And we get to pay for their insulin and orthopedic surgeries.
I’m so glad for that. Privileged even.
Scum of the earth fat ass pig
I saw that up close and personal with my oldest. She’s a junk food addict with no regard for her health, and there are a lot of people like her. We wouldn’t let her get on EBT here, because she had a job and could afford to feed herself a NORMAL amount.
To complicate things, even the “healthy” things they have at food pantries and such are all packaged food and carbs. Pasta, rice, and potatoes are cheap and easy. People in that position aren’t going to do any preventative care, change their diet, or exercise, so yes, we will all be on the hook for their medical care, and it will all be catastrophic and expensive.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Negro_Family:_The_Case_For_National_Action
Hah, I never heard that referred to by its actual title, always just “The Moynihan Report”.
I wonder why…
The individual bags of snacks are only bought when you don’t care about how much something costs because you are not paying. Assume that you wanted to provide some kind of treat your kids and you have limited money would you:
A) Buy individual boxes and bags of snacks for $15.00/lb and spend ~$30 for two pounds
B) Buy in large store brand bulk bags $5.00/lb and a box of snack bags and spend $15 for 3lbs of snacks
C) Buy one small bag of name brand snacks and a big bulk bag of the generic version and do the same as B) ~$17 for 3lbs of snacks
D) Fuxx the kids snacks, it’s bean burritos and PB&Js made by mom/dad for lunch every day because I need to pay the rent. One treat per kid per store trip and kid decides how to consume it.
With option B or C you are trying to give your kid some treat, but realize they you could buy months worth of snacks (B) for the same price as a week (A).
(D) is more realistic if you are working on moving up and trying to better your self and your family
Again this is the type of considerations you make when you have to make trade-offs and are paying for your own food. Free “no limitation” food makes it real easy to stop striving to do more.
Word on the street is that everyone on SNAP is going to have to reapply for the privilege. This is not fake news.
Send them applications pre-stamped “Rejected”
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/14/trump-usda-snap-participants-reapply-benefits-00651874
Let’s see: you know this balance is a mistake, but you spend it all anyway, just like a Monopoly “bank error in your favor”.
Is this a great country, or what?
There are few consequences for most of your decisions. Why would this be any different?
Wait for the sob story to come out in a couple of weeks when she’s charged with fraud.
That is a good one. What happens when she reapplies for SNAP?
Also isn’t there another decision coming to eliminate any junk food from SNAP benefits at the federal level?
you have to remember SNAP is a USDA program (corporate welfare) .. it isn’t to get food to people.. it is to subsidize food providers… just that everyone is on the list now..
It was an opportunity to buy bulk stables that could feed you for the rest of the year. 50lbs of rice from Walmart is $60; pinto beans $90, 12lbs of Goya Ham 50$, finish it off with $50 worth of frozen of canned vegetables.
So you could have had months of food instead of a weeks worth of junk.
Assuming that it was likely an error that will be cleared up by not putting money in the card for the next 10 weeks.
Thats per month, hehehe
The ability to cook a healthy and tasty meal is white supremacy.
Y You no spice yo food ES?
Happy happy joy joy dancing over junk food. What a life. Most of it doesn’t even taste good.
Sorry to hear about so many Glib troubles lately.
People in that position aren’t going to do any preventative care, change their diet, or exercise, so yes, we will all be on the hook for their medical care, and it will all be catastrophic and expensive.
A case can be made for Universal income based on this exact phenomenon, in my opinion. If these people want to take their unrestricted dole payments and eat/drink/smoke/shoot/fuck themselves to death, that is their prerogative. Can’t afford a doctor because you spent all your money on meth and Cheezy Poofs? Better luck next time.
But of course, that’s not how it would work. The new cash freebie would just be stacked on top of all the pre-existing handouts because fairness.
The biggest problem with the universal basic income idea is that, if it really is universal, it necessarily drives up prices to match the new minimum baseline.
Or, if it’s not universal, then I’m paying for other people to sit on the couch smoking weed and playing XBox, which is not a great way to build social cohesion.
The only thing that really makes sense for me, is that your existence in the social safety net costs you your voting rights. But there are problems in that as well…
The real problem with UBI is that we, as a culture, aren’t cold hearted enough to stick to it. Eventually there will be stories of poor children starving because their parents spent all the UBI on lottery tickets and booze, and the progressives will start pushing for a new program, to “help those most in need”.
The UBI is like a national sales tax.
It would be better than how we do it now, but we all know it would be in addition to, not instead of.
I am totally opposed to UBI.
So am I, but I am also opposed top what we do now.
If they replaced the myriad of programs with UBI, it would be better.
Still horrible, but better.
But, as others have pointed out, we all know it’d end up as “in addition to” instead of “replacing”
It took Reagan campaigning against welfare queens and Clinton’s triangulation horseshit to get a major reform last time.
That was a generation and a half ago.
I don’t see it happening again soon.
Perhaps these tiktok videos will help to move public opinion in the right direction.
But it won’t be under Trump. Vance, with his pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps backstory, might be able to move the needle.
UBI although universal would need to be offset by taxes on the productive which would reduce their demand by the same amount.. $$ don’t come from nowhere unless you are printing money.
I’ve had a thought that if your standard deduction was $20K.. that could be the UBI… if you take all of your UBI you start paying income taxes for every extra $ you make (if you feel like working) if you don’t take UBI.. you don’t pay taxes until you earn the 20K. Essentially a front loaded tax rebate.
As for the culture aspects, it needs to land every week, monday morning. you can pay for your bus ride to work.. your housing & food is prioritized and if you blow it on booze and lottery.. well it is just 1 week. you won’t starve… do better next week.
but we know it won’t actually work.. too many people are willing to be on the dole.
and UBI can not be a “nice life” it would be subsistence living..
UBI for over-65s to replace Social Security.
Yeah right, that isn’t happening either.
The Moynihan Report asserted that the high rate of families headed by single mothers would greatly hinder progress of Blacks toward economic and political equality. The report was criticized by liberals at the time of publication, and its conclusions remain controversial.
No way.
Controversial but obvious is an odd combination, but shockingly common.
The ability to cook a healthy and tasty meal is white supremacy.
A can of tuna is better for you (and will more effectively satiate your hunger) than a bag of flaming doritos? That’s just Nazi propaganda.
Mmmmmm, canned tuna.
I stock up any time solid white albacore is on sale at the grocery store. On average, I never have fewer than 48 cans in my pantry.
I find tuna very meh; especially now that I’ve gone low-carb and “tuna fish salad on toasted bread” is off the menu.
How about a nice tuna steak? That’s how I do it.
This,
Oh, yeah, I’m all over a steak, just down on canned tuna.
I did a quick-sear on a steak a couple weeks back and topped with some olive tapenade. So very delicious.
Wasabi butter sauce. It’s delicious…
https://www.skinnytaste.com/seared-tuna-salad-with-wasabi-butter-sauce/
Would.
I refuse to go *that* low-carb.
But…just a bowl of tuna salad with a little Sriracha and ranch dressing is just wonderful.
Hence the avoirdupois problem.
The Florida life
A young boy in Florida was recently “forced into a situation no child should ever have to face,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said.
Dispatchers spoke with the 8-year-old on Tuesday after he found his father, Daniel Jones, 44, unconscious at their Edgewater home and called 911, according to officials.
The sheriff said the boy “undoubtedly” saved his dad’s life, having given his father the overdose reversal drug Narcan before first responders arrived.
Investigators learned that the boy’s father had taught him to do so.
According to the sheriff’s office, Johnson told deputies he smoked heroin earlier in the day in the garage and instructed his son on what to do if something happened to him.
American exceptionalism at work.
I’m sort of torn on that one – on the one hand, you’re smoking heroin in front of your son, on the other hand you’re together enough to coach him on on Narcan usage…
The boy was the first responder.
Putting that shit on your kid is fucking horrible, full stop.
But accidental and unintentional overdoses happen. So I’m still gonna keep Narcan in my aid bag.
I am not torn. Throw the dopehead in prison. Now I am going to go watch drug boats explode.
Eventually there will be stories of poor children starving because their parents spent all the UBI on lottery tickets and booze, and the progressives will start pushing for a new program, to “help those most in need”.
*thumbs through dogeared copy of “The Little Ren Hen”*
Entirely foreseeable and avoidable consequences are tyranny.
I find tuna very meh
I can’t stand tuna packed in water. It has to be packed in oil; preferably olive oil.
The worst thing I ever had was canned salmon. It was so very wrong.
If they replaced the myriad of programs with UBI, it would be better.
Still horrible, but better.
That’s pretty much where I am, if for no other reason than it SHOULD eliminate vast layers of bureaucrat and nonprofit middlepersons currently siphoning off a huge portion of the total cost.
Which, of course, is why it will never happen.
“A young boy in Florida was recently “forced into a situation no child should ever have to face,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said.”
I stopped reading right there because I know it will be followed with ‘give up your rights and your wallet’.
Now I will go back and see if I am right.