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 hastily assume the guise of the philosophers Part II
To those who hastily assume the guise of the philosophers15But even those who are styled philosophers pursue their calling with means which are sometimes good and sometimes bad. For example, when they have taken a rough cloak and let their beards grow, they say, “I am a philosopher.” But nobody will say, “I am a musician,” if he buys a plectrum and a kithara; nor, “I am a smith,” if he puts on a felt cap and an apron; but the guise is fitted to the art, and they get their name from the art, but not from the guise. That is why Euphrates[4] was right when he used to say: “For a long time I tried not to let people know that I was a philosopher, and this,” he says, “was useful to me. For, in the first place, I knew that whatever I did well, I did so, not on account of the spectators, but on my own account; it was for my own sake that I ate well, and kept my countenance and gait composed; it was all for myself and for God. And, secondly, as the contest was mine alone, so also I alone ran the risks; in no respect through me, if I did what was disgraceful or unseemly, did the cause of philosophy come into danger, nor did I do harm to the multitude by going wrong as a philosopher. For that reason those who were ignorant of my purpose wondered how it was that, although I was familiar with all the philosophers and lived with them, I was myself not acting in the role of a philosopher. 20And what harm was there in having the philosopher that I was, recognized by what I did, rather than by the outward signs?”
I would not call myself as a philosopher, but I am a student of Stoicism. I do not go out of my way to tell other people that. It has been noticed by others that things don’t bother me. Trying to live my life the best I can is more important than trying to impress people. If I did brag about being a follower of Stoicism and someone saw me getting angry at something stupid (which I still do occasionally) , it would be easy to say, “Stoics are hypocrites”.
See how I eat, how drink, how sleep, how endure, how refrain, how help, how employ desire and how aversion, how I observe my relationships, whether they be natural or acquired, without confusion and without hindrance; judge me on the basis of all this, if you know how. But if you are so deaf and blind as not to regard even Hephaestus as a good smith unless you see the felt cap resting on his head, what harm can come from passing unrecognized by a judge so foolish?
The only person whose opinion really matters to me, my wife, has noticed that I have much better self control dealing with anger when I work on my truck or fix something around the house. She also does not hesitate to make fun of me when I struggle with it. She gives me a look ans simply says, “Stoic”. 60% of the time, it works every time.
In this way the great majority of men failed to recognize Socrates, and so they used to come to him and ask to be introduced to philosophers![5] Was he, then, irritated as we are, and would he say, “And don’t I look like a philosopher to you?” No, but he used to take them and introduce them, and was satisfied with one thing, that is, being a philosopher, and glad that he was not annoyed at not being taken for one; for he habitually bore in mind his own proper function. What is the function of a good and excellent man? To have many pupils? Not at all. Those who have set their hearts on it shall see to that.[6] Well, is it to set forth difficult principles with great precision? Other men shall see to these things also.
If I am a philosopher, my only goal is to improve my outlook and mental stability by focusing on what I control and letting everything external take care of itself. I write these weekly essays and while I do hope some of you benefit from them, they are more to keep me on track than they are to help others.
I have a new hero today. I do not listen to rap music and had the barest knowledge of a song called Because I Got High. As most of you know, his house was raided on a bogus tip then they broke his gate and door. They took $5,000 according to what they wrote down, but he was returned $4,400. He made a video about this using the surveillance video from his house. I never would have heard of any of this except the cops sued him for 3.9 million dollars for using their images and causing them public embarrassment. Apparently they never heard of the Streisand effect. He also had some good back and forth with the cop’s lawyer. Right before he headed to court to hear the verdict he released another song. The cops were awarded nothing and I have been listening to his songs about the individual members of the police. Not my type of music, but I might buy a CD if he puts one together with all these songs on them.
The vainglory demonstrated in such a scenario would be an indicator of poor internal control.
However, it is possible to work towards a philosophical ideal and not always measure up.
I think of it as an unobtainable ideal. It’s the right path, but humans are humans and pobody’s nerfect. That’s why you have to strive for it. What would you do with Stoic if you ‘caught’ it?
Happily ever after? (No.)
and would he say, “And don’t I look like a philosopher to you?”
Beatniks all look alike to me.
♫And you smell like one too! ♫
Afroman’s hasn’t gone unnoticed. Baller, he, and hats off to him.
*glare* Autocorrect, incorrect again. Stop writing for me, ya bastard.
See also: Below. I work tomorrow AND Sats 28 and 4th.
For my stoic comment, today will be the last Friday I work at the gas stn, yesterday was my last Thurs, and Tues my last Tues. I’m working tomorrow at Sats 28th and April 4. I’m gonna try and finagle my way into working every other Sat in the main store so I stay in their system and have a fall-back spot after concluding my standardized test-grading gig starting April 9. If I can manage, every other Sat in groceries would be preferential, if I can’t just ‘remain’ in the system, which I likely cannot. I’d much prefer that than the Meijer Express when I’m again looking for work.
Being stoic about my current work and fallback options, I know it’s but temporary and largely out of my control. For positive, my new contract includes my first regularly scheduled Mon-Fri gig since ’04 when I last filled this role. (Same company)
Fretting over things one can’t control is a fantastic way to sink into further despair, and I’m thrilled I don’t go there.
“You’ll always find more of what you’re looking for?” If you look for nasty, depressing shit, well. You’ll get more of it. (Don’t do that.)
Trying, with some small success, to be Stoic this past week.
The Cardioversion* procedure I had 15 months ago failed, back in a fib. So I had the Cardioversion done again yesterday. Exact seem team as last time, which was amusing. Seems to have worked (just like the previous one), but time will tell.
*Fix for atrial fibrillation. Shock the heart to convert it to normal rhythm.
♥🤞
The emojis look terrible in the browser.
Hopefully it works this time.
Black heart…
Yeah that looks bad on safari.
It was red when I picked it, I swear.
Red Star?!
That’s even worse.
Communism
Eek. Best wishes and tightly crossed fingers, Beau.
Next step a pace-maker?
Or a Cardioablation, where they run a catheter with an electrode up your femoral artery and kill off the nerve cells causing the arrhythmia.
My youngest brother (72) has had several Cardioversions. They finally did a Cardioablation. I need to talk with him about his experience and thoughts on the matter.
We’ll see. I’m hopeful, but not terribly confident, that this is the end of the problem.
Thanks all for your kind words!
From the ded thred:
This is my take too. How many courts have blocked him? And then how often have those courts been told, “ACKSHUALLY, you’re the tyrant here, judge” by appeals courts/SCOTUS?
The federal judiciary has nakedly overstepped its bounds on many, many occasions. Fortunately the appeals courts (even the 9th circuit) have generally bitch slapped district court judges, and SCOTUS has overwhelmingly done so.
I’d say it’s high time we start some impeachment proceedings. Judges are not there to be activists.
In our weird late Republic period, the judiciary does way too much checking. The Congress does no checking or balancing.
The Congress does no checking or balancing.
Or legislating.
To be fair, there’s only so much legislating a free country needs.
My wife does a lot of checking and no balancing. Too hard to do both sides of the ledger
To be fair, there’s only so much legislating a free country needs.
If Congress abdicating their responsibilities resulted in inaction I’d be less annoyed about it. Unfortunately they abdicated them by creating unaccountable bureaucracies to write the laws, and by creating the vileness of automatically increasing baseline budgets for agencies that they pretend to consider cutting every year or so only to pass a “stopgap” CR that renews the annually increasing budget.
I am sadly disappointed about the lack of celebration over Afroman among the “libertarian” media. Everything about the case pushes button for me, but especially the sheer defiance of the guy.
I do wonder if things had gone poorly and damages had been awarded if his lawyer would have had the balls to ask for the value of the received pound cakes to be deducted from the award.
It is fucking glorious! I wasn’t following the case, but that is great.
He was at FreedomFest 2023.
There’s been a shitload of celebration on right-leaning TwiX.
I suppose that does not count as “media.” Formal media could care less until they get beaten over the head with the story.
Checking and balancing
The Senate approved by unanimous consent Thursday a proposal to end the special treatment members of Congress get at airports that allows them to speed through or skip the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) screening checkpoints.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) proposed the legislation on the Senate floor Thursday night to force Democratic colleagues to have to wait in the same long security lines as the rest of the flying public during the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, which has now stretched for 35 days.
Security screening lines have been especially long at Houston’s Hobby Airport, where people have had to wait three to four hours to get through TSA lines.
Wait times have increased dramatically at airports around the country in large part because more TSA agents are missing work during the shutdown as they’re not getting paid.
That’s the spirit. Juvenile petulance and posturing are what we need in this time of increasing authoritarianism.
Now do insider trading.
Hear hear!
*Bangs congressman on table
That came out unintentionally funnier than intended.
Raw, on the desks, in a puppy costume?
Not my type of music, but I might buy a CD if he puts one together with all these songs on them.
#metoo
Well, isn’t this interesting:
https://x.com/MichaelARothman/status/2034829349661315323
Conveniently forgetting Marco Rubio said it as well. Not sure if he was first or not.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/02/rubio-us-attack-israel-iran
A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its boots
Unfettered strongman
Two dozen states, along with more than a dozen cities and counties, sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday, challenging the Trump administration’s repeal of a scientific finding that had been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.
A rule finalized by the EPA last month revoked the 2009 endangerment finding that determined carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare. The Obama-era finding had been the legal underpinning of nearly all climate regulations under the Clean Air Act for motor vehicles, power plants and other pollution sources that are heating the planet.
The repeal eliminates all greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks and could unleash a broader undoing of climate regulations on stationary sources such as power plants and oil and gas facilities.
Trump’s authoritarian erasure of the rule of law, exposed for all to see.
Had a bizarre stomach flu most of the week. Thankfully it is leaving. Energy is coming back.