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.
Against the Contentious and Brutal Part IV
All this is what Socrates bore in mind as he managed his house, putting up with a shrewish wife and an unkindly son.[15] For to what end was she shrewish? To the end that she might pour all the water she pleased over his head, and might trample underfoot the cake.[16]
Dealing with a shrewish wife sounds like hell on earth to me. I would like to think that dealing with that would not affect me, but going home to someone that is not happy to see me and is not a kind person would wear on me. If Socrates dealt with this and was still able to present such an even temperament in public, that is commendable. Although I do wonder if that was part of the reason he was not bothered by having to drink the hemlock.
Yet what is that to me, if I regard these things as meaning nothing to me? But this control over the moral purpose is my true business, and in it neither shall a tyrant hinder me against my will, nor the multitude the single individual, nor the stronger man the weaker; for this has been given by God to each man as something that cannot be hindered.
Nothing can truly hinder me unless I allow it to. I can be physically restrained, but the only thing that can restrain my mind is my weakness, be it giving in to anger, fear or worry.
35These are the judgements which produce love in the household, concord in the State, peace among the nations, make a man thankful toward God, confident at all times, on the ground that he is dealing with things not his own, with worthless things. We, however, although we are capable of writing and reading these things, and praising them when read, are nowhere near capable of being persuaded of them. Wherefore, the proverb about the Lacedaemonians,
Lions at home, but at Ephesus foxes,[17]
will fit us too: Lions in the school-room, foxes outside.
Being able to read and understand something does not mean we will allow ourselves to actually be convinced. It always seems easy to convince myself of things I know aren’t true. I try to see my biases and not let them fool me, but I probably don’t do as well at that as I think I do.
A little short this week because I didn’t read ahead last week to see there was only a short passage left in this lesson. I hope you are all having a merry Christmas, happy Hanukah, or whatever you celebrate. As I look to next year, I plan to continue working out and improving my mental strength.
This week our son came up from Raleigh to spend the week with us, it is so cool to see him turn into a useful and responsible adult. He manages a restaurant and I would not want that job, but he seems to enjoy it and does well at it.
We are having an Alton Brown Christmas. I made Cornish hens with pearl onions and a blueberry buckle. Both of them came out perfectly. My wife was happy to not have to cook and we are currently drinking the eggnog I made on Halloween. Life is good today.
Perhaps he was able to present an even temprament in public because he’d gotten away from the house and was thus more relaxed.
Sounds plausible.
You couldn’t pay me enough to manage a restaurant. The job requires all of the things I do poorly – dealing with people, staying organized, predicting future need when ordering inventory, dynamic scheduling, regulations…
I had a pre-fab salmon filet with herb and garlic sauce and some rice. Not bad.
Lions at home, but at Ephesus foxes
Meaning what? “We” pretend not to be sneaky cunning thieving cowards, and imagine ourselves to be noble heroes?
At home in safety it is easy to act bold, but in an actual situation too many turn into sneaky cowards.
But I am a sneaky coward. It’s in my nature.
I’ve found myself engaging in far too much worry recently. To the point where I was going to bed a few days ago feeling worried out of habit and not about anything specific. I will be working to squash that nonsense as we go into the new year – and get more enjoyment out of life.
I’m a worrier but it seems I worry so much I can’t remember what the earlier worries were.
Obviously some worries are more worrisome than others but even they are overcome by time.
Why worry?
For christmas my dad got me a waterproof gun case. I made a boating accident joke. He didn’t get it. I had a sad.
Yeah, when you have to explain the joke it kind of loses the spontaneity.
It’s a problem other people have when I tell a joke…
Meanwhile, in the land of the dragon slayers
Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel took aim at U.S. President Donald Trump as he warned Thursday about the rise of fascism in an address to U.K. viewers dubbed “The Alternative Christmas Message.”
The message, aired on Channel 4 on Christmas day, reflected on the impact from the second term in office for Trump, who Kimmel said acts like he’s a king.
“From a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year,” he said. “Tyranny is booming over here.”
——-
Kimmel told the U.K. audience that a Christmas miracle had happened in September when millions of people — some who hated his show — had spoken up for free speech.
“We won, the president lost, and now I’m back on the air every night giving the most powerful politician on earth a right and richly deserved bollocking,” he said.
An intellectual colossus, speaking truth to power in the face of the gravest personal risk.
And they say Antifa doesn’t exist. 🙄
Kimmel, who said he didn’t expect Brits to know who he was, warned that silencing critics is not just something that happens in Russia or North Korea.
*guffaws, slaps knee*
He’s not wrong, just not in the way he thinks he is.
Graham Linehan was not available to comment.
I don’t know who that is but wikipedia helpfully provides the answer.
OK then.
rhywun:
Lineham was behind several great British comedies, Black Books (series 1), IT Crowd, and Father Ted. The ant-trans thing is mainly from the IT Crowd episode where the boss dates a transwoman (played by a real woman).
Wasn’t he arrested for “anti-trans” tweets?
ron73440:
Yes, his most recent arrest was due to him posting on X that if a women felt threatened by a transwoman in a restroom, she should punch him in the balls.
Or Britain?
Is Kimmel really this stupid? (Don’t answer that.)
#metoo
Same. The “deal with people” thing is a deal-breaker all on its own.
Since I am off work, my wife is making me cook.
Currently making kimchi soup.
https://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kimchi-guk
🤢
I’ve found that kimchi is less than reliable at being edible. Sometimes it’s okay, but other times 🤮, so I’ve been conditioned to avoid it.
It can get vinegary real quick, this is what I do with it after that point.
cabbage has no business in soup.
Borscht has a sad.
(I know beet is the star, but cabbage is a supporting player)
except the brine from pickled cabbage off course
Borscht is shit I never eat that
You, sir, have no taste.
thems fighting words consider yourself slapped with a slapping glove
Huh. The one (1) Romanian restaurant I’ve been to served cabbage soup. IIRC, it also had sausage and barley in it.
“No True Romanian!”
UnCiv, you joke, but there might be something to that. I had a coworker who escaped from Romania in the 1980’s, and was adamant that she and her husband were NOT Romanian. IIRC, she declared herself Hungarian.
Also why do Korean restaurants serve soup retarded hot?
To sterilize it, ofc. Same reason they use stainless steel chopsticks.
It’s better hot because as it cools it’s not as good.
I use a stone bowl that I preheat in the oven for my kimchi soup.
He’s not wrong, just not in the way he thinks he is.
Some critics need to be silenced. For the good of civil society.
“The greater good!”
Political tags — such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth — are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire. The former are idealists acting from highest motives for the greatest good of the greatest number. The latter are surly curmudgeons, suspicious and lacking in altruism. But they are more comfortable neighbors than the other sort.
Robert A. Heinlein
Final thoughts 2025. The stupid are still winning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfhPzKD9I04
Hard disagree.
They haven’t all been driven into the wilderness and are still in a position to do damage, but they are consistantly losing ground.
*The key part is to avoid replacing the current stupid with new stupid. That would be a stupid move.
I dunno. I’m pretty worn out on the current stupid. At least a new stupid would be something different.
The key part is to avoid replacing the current stupid with new stupid. That would be a stupid move.
But by definition you have to be stupid to want the job.
After the long discussion of Aunt Mabel’s cocktail meatballs, I have had the urge to put together a meatball dish. I decided on a lamb and beef blend early on, but keep changing my mind about the sauce. I’m early in the brainstorming phase based on an impulse, so I don’t even know what would be served alongside it, or in the same dish.
No, I will not be including grape jelly. Or any other sweet fruit product. I have not ruled out tomato-based product yet.
Bulk Italian sausage also makes tasty meatballs. There are a bunch in the huge batch of leftover tortellini soup in two casseroles in our refrigerator. There’s also cabbage (and a bunch of other vegetables, but no fruit unless you get pedantic and include tomatoes, green peppers, and zucchini as the fruits of their respective plants.)
I knew this crowd, which is why I got specific.
I’m mostly torn between a sour cream and herb sauce, and a tomato-based sauce with peppers. Both would work really well with lamb/beef blend.
With lamb, I’m thinking some mint jelly might find a place in the sauce.
I never really got why people keep trying to inflict mint on lamb.
Truly. Tzatziki is the sauce for lamb.
Well, I’m trying to be Stoic about somebody beating me to the punch on that awesome Spohr 44 magnum.
I can only assume I’m not the only one on the Lucky Gunner mailing list.
The fact that a professional gun person needs to swap out the grips for shock absorbers makes me think .44mag might be outside the boundaries of practical pistol calibers. Or maybe my idea of how much someone should be shooting is skewed?
Related to bigger calibers, Jalise Williams leverages her adorability to market shooting instruction to boomers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls4MXjz57x4
It’s a matter of mass and practice what is practical for any given person.
True as far as it goes, but no one is putting 20k+ rounds of full-house .44 Magnum through their revolver every year – at least now that bowling pin shooting isn’t a thing anymore.
I’m mostly torn between a sour cream and herb sauce
Stroganoff-ish? Sounds tasty. Better than tomato.
Something along those lines, yes.
Actually, that’s cinched it, thank you, I’m going with meatballs stroganoff.
makes me think .44mag might be outside the boundaries of practical pistol calibers.
I heard this story second or third hand, for what it’s worth. A guy I knew in Montana spent a lot of time in the back country, fishing and camping. He decided he needed a .44 mag to use as grizzly bear repellant. He got a titanium one, so lugging it around would be easier. He shot it a few times and got rid if it because it was so brutal. I think he went back to hos old .357.
My .44mag experience is limited, and the owner of the gun decided to have untextured Dymandwood grips on it.
That Iditarod musher last year took down a pissed-off moose with a .357.
Sorry, “stocks” not grips.
My .44mag experience is limited
I shot one once, a long time ago, and my shoulder hurt the next day.
The first time I shot trap, we played 5 games in a row. My shoulder looked like hamburger than night.
Heading out to Chattanooga tomorrow with the whole family. It’ll be pretty and fun, but I’ll be surrounded by never-ending family affairs.
I have lots of PTO and PPTO left and they roll over. Gonna have to take advantage sometime and somewhere.