How to Think Like a Roman Emperor
If you have anger issues, this one is a great tool (h/t mindyourbusiness)
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.
We finally finished Epictetus.
Discourses and Selected Writings
Here are my favorite lessons from the fourth section of the book:
Of freedom
If a person can truly give up external desires and manage his internal reactions, his mind is free regardless of his physical circumstances. Not 100% possible, but a goal to strive for.
What things should be exchanged for what things?
An understanding that life is full of compromises and how to decide on different values to try to make the best decisions.
To those who have set their hearts upon living in peace
Understanding that a peaceful life requires balance and not letting one thing dominate your time.
To those who are vexed at being pitied
How to not be angry when weakness cause others to feel sorry for you. I struggle with this one because I still see myself as a strong 25 year old, but I know I am not.
Of freedom from fear
If I can live with no concerns for external forces, then nothing should scare me.
What ought we to despise and on what place a high value?
A look at what is truly important in life and an explanation for how to prioritize them.
Of attention
How to decide what is worth your time and attention. Then practicing not wasting time and attention on things that are not worth either.
That is the end of the Epictetus recap, if you only read one Stoic philosopher, he is the one I would recommend.
Starting next week I will start going through the lessons of Gaius Musonius Rufus if I can find a good digital copy of them.
I will be mostly in the garage for the next few days working on my truck, but I will try to check in from time to time.
I will be mostly in the garage for the next few days working on my truck,
That will certainly test your stoicism….
At least it’s not an old Mack.
That’s a test of stoicism.
Just putting the drive shaft back in after getting a new carrier bearing pressed on.
Then I’ll put the door back together after putting a new window regulator in.
Shouldn’t be too bad, but we’ll see if she has any surprises for me.
It is hot though, currently 93 in the garage and humid.
“How to not be angry when weakness cause others to feel sorry for you. I struggle with this one because I still see myself as a strong 25 year old, but I know I am not.”
My line of work has a very physical aspect- climbing to work at heights, carrying heavy equipment like sample pumps, pulling the equipment up to the sample location on a rope…
I can maybe do 50% of what I could 20 years ago.
I’m around 1/3.
It’s sucks.
Check your level of stoic here.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/lawsuit-could-give-members-of-congress-millions-of-your-money-along-with-a-five-figure-raise/ar-AA2787F7?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=6a47d310a82c4d4b9498b778f11882da&ei=32
If TL:DR the BLUF is: Fuck the XXVIIth amendment. We can’t give ourselves a raise w/o an election inbetween. So we’ll give ourselves a a “cost of living adjustment” instead. Since we didn’t due it because of the optics we will sue to force the tax cattle to give us all that sweet sweet back pay.
So double or more the average American’s salary for doing next to nothing. No wonder they have to resort to insider trading to get the promised millions.
I’m confused on the reasoning here. An amendment that blocks current congress critters from voting themselves a pay raise that session/before an election is being used to argue that Congress can’t decline pay raises and that they are due automatic bumps in standard of living?
What exactly is the legal reasoning here?
The 27th says they can’t vote to vary their own pay before an election. Keeping it static is the…not varying it. SO just a a glance this seems rather absurd even before we take into account the actual intent of the 27th amendment.
So I suppose it’s because the COLA adjustments are automatic and take place the following year. So yea, weasel use of the 27th that cuts completely contrary to the intent of it, but technically correct based on the text.
Go back to a part time legislature.
They should have to have jobs, not be barred from having jobs.
Repeal the 17th.
Who cares about their salaries? It’s the rampant theft via NGO and insane agency budgets that piss me off. The salary is at least public and taxed. The other 99% of their loot is the real problem.
As written, it certainly allows raises in perpetuity under a single law that authorizes them, so long as the first raise is delayed until after the first election.
And let’s not kid ourselves, anyway. Congress could vote itself a $1MM/year salary, and it wouldn’t cost any of them their seats.
They vote down the pay raises to begin with because they’re all making money from “side gigs.”
They did not give themselves the COLA each year because they didn’t want to face people during the 2008 melt down, the 2020 panicdemic etc. THEY did it to themselves. Going back for up to 18 years of backpay each, using the courts so they can deflect blame from themselves is chickenshit.
The Revolution was kicked off for a lower level of BS. I don’t care if you think you are owed the taxpayers paying so you can have two households. Nobody drafted you for Congress, you chose to pursue it (over and over) knowing the requirements full well.
My thoughts on almost Independence Day. Amendment XXVIII Section 1. No person shall serve in any body of Congress for more than twelve years, for a lifetime. Section 2. The seventeenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.
Pass a law restricting birthright citizenship as suggested by Kavanaugh AND pass Amendment XXIX as proposed by Senator Paul. XXIX “A person born in the United States may only be considered ‘subject to the jurisdiction of the United States’ if the person is born in the United States of parents, one of whom is — 1) a citizen or national of the United States; 2) an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States whose residence is in the United States; or 3) an alien with lawful status under the immigration laws performing active service in the Armed Forces.”
Working on Element brakes. Stupid non-integral fiddly clips and slider pads on the calipers. Give me a set of six piston AP calipers.
Six piston?
I think I’ve only ever owned three rigs that had dual piston brakes.
Six is wild.
Someone asked for a link to the article on the plight of Muslim men in the West.
There’s a bit more nuance in the meat of the article which I admittedly didn’t read. It was just the blurb I posed. But it’s still trying to gin up sob stories and connect the shit that happens on college campuses with what many third world migrants in their neighborhood.
If any nation allows them in at all they should be gelded when they apply for entry.
young man from Syria or Morocco or Afghanistan risks everything to reach Europe. – send him the fuck back
I am of the belief there is a tad too much exposed young female flesh these days. Be that as it may i have no sympathy for clash of civilisation talk. You go somewhere you adapt to that civilisation.
I also admit that some women want constant attention dress in basically underware and complain about a glance from any man they find unattractive. You should see some of the women at the gym I go to you see every detail of their vagina through the painted on shorts
I like how they all pretend that they don’t dress to get attention from men. It’s to get compliments from other women.
General rule of thumb – nearly anything a woman thinks is creepy is only creepy if the wrong man does it. If the man she is attracted to does it she loves it.
They buy shoes and purses for other women. They get the tightest daisy dukes they can fit in for attentiona. Dunno about the states but here they start at 14 or so. This amd afghanis dont mix
In Hawaii the micro-kini is more and more seen on sub adolescents. On teens and up they are the predominant style. Even the one-piece suits now are primarily butt floss. But, it is only the women. The sexual dimorphism of the human species is seen out here in swimsuits as well. Men wear loose fitting board shorts that extend to around the knees.
If you are a male and wearing a speedo (aka banana hammock) you are crying out “Everybody look at me, I am European!” Many a female side eye will be cast your way- unless you are young, attractive, and can be identified as wealthy.
To celebrate setting up the most expensive vacation of my life i have bought a cigar at twice the usual price i buy, but i have to admit you can taste the difference. Alas i will go back to the cheaper stuff
flor de selva salomón 30 años
Sometimes you have to spoil yourself.
I spoil myself a little too much overall but such is life
I spoil myself a little too much
Euphemism?
In stupid algorith booking recomandations i got since i am visitin northern NY why not take a detour and visit Orlando. Really?
And righ behind it why not explore Miami? Appartments in south beach.
“What do you mean you’re not booking flights on our expensive sponsor airlines?”
Starting next week I will start going through the lessons of Gaius Musonius Rufus
Why do I foresee a string of “Do you work?” jokes?
Meanwhile ERIC BERGER, Top Man, Space Focus.
Despite the darkness, I still see signs of hope in America
You’ve cheerfully had your hand in my pocket for your space dreams and hitched yourself to the “anybody can be a woman” crowd. Fuck off Eric. Fuck off.