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 in bold, my replies are in normal text.
Of Freedom Part VI
What, then, is it which makes a man free from hindrance and his own master? For wealth does not do it, nor a consulship, nor a province, nor a kingdom, but something else has to be found. What, therefore, is it which makes a man free from hindrance and restraint in writing?—The knowledge of how to write.—And what in playing on the harp?—The knowledge of how to play on the harp.—So also in living, it is the knowledge of how to live. Now you have already heard this, as a general principle, but consider it also in its particular applications. Is it possible for the man who is aiming at some one of these things which are under the control of others to be free from hindrance?—No.—Is it possible for him to be free from restraint?—No.65—Therefore, it is not possible for him to be free, either.
When you know he basic skills to do a task, it is easier to delve into harder things that require more knowledge. When I first started as a framing carpenter, all I knew how to do was cut boards straight and hammer nails. I was able to use these basic skills and advanced to reading blueprints, marking the walls and putting together more complicated structures. The same goes for life. Once I had a good grasp on what was under my control and what wasn’t, I was able to handle simple situations. Once the simple struggles were mostly under control, it became easier to keep my cool in more challenging times. I am still struggling with my residual weakness, but I know a couple years ago I would have let it ruin my day and possibly my wife’s also.
Consider then: Have we nothing which is under our own exclusive control, or is everything in that state; or are some things under our control and others under the control of others?—How do you mean?—When you want your body to be whole, is the matter under your control, or not?—It is not.—And when you want it to be well?—Nor that, either.—And to live or to die?—Nor that, either.—Therefore, your body is not your own possession, it is subject to everyone who is stronger than you are.—Granted.—And your farm, is it under your control to have it when you want, and as long as you want; and in the condition that you want?—No.—And your paltry slaves?—No.—And your clothes?—No.—And your paltry house?—No.—And your horses?—None of these things.—And if you wish by all means your children to live, or your wife, or your brother, or your friends, is the matter under your control?—No, nor that, either.
Since I have been forcibly reminded that my body is not under my control, this passage really makes sense to me. I tried to help my wife with the groceries last week, as I always do. She wouldn’t let me carry the kitty litter because it was heavy. I tried to argue, but sullenly agreed she might be right. I carried 2 bags in one trip up the entrance stairs(5 steps) and into the kitchen. When I put them on the table, I was almost gasping for breath. There has been some improvement, I was able to carry a couple bags out of the store to my truck this past weekend and was only marginally out of breath. I am working on accepting this, but I will keep trying and hopefully I keep improving.
Have you, then, nothing subject to your authority, which is under your control and yours only, or do you have something of that sort?—I do not know.—Look, then, at the matter this way, and consider it. No one can make you assent to what is false, can he?—No one.—Well, then, in the region of assent you are free from hindrance and restraint.—Granted.—70Come, can anyone force you to choose something that you do not want?—He can; for when he threatens me with death or bonds, he compels me to choose.—If, however, you despise death and bonds, do you pay any further heed to him?—No.—Is it, then, an act of your own to despise death, or is it not your own act?—It is mine.—So it is your own act to choose, or is it not?—Granted that it is mine.—And to refuse something? This also is yours.—Yes, but suppose I choose to go for a walk and the other person hinders me?—What part of you will he hinder? Surely not your assent?—No; but my poor body.—Yes, as he would a stone.—Granted that, but I do not proceed to take my walk.—But who told you, “It is your own act to take a walk unhindered”? As for me, I told you that the only unhindered thing was the desire; but where there is a use of the body and its co-operation, you have heard long ago that nothing is your own.—Granted that also.—Can anyone force you to desire what you do not want?—No one.—Or to purpose or plan, or, in a word, to deal with the impressions that come to you?—No, nor that, either; 75but he will hinder me, when I set my desire upon something, from achieving what I desire.—If you desire something which is your own and not subject to hindrance, how will he hinder you?—Not at all.—Who, then, tells you that the man who sets his desire upon what is not his own is free from hindrance?
I am not fighting a person for the right to take a walk unhindered, but my body. If I think about the weakness as a person that is stopping me, I won’t be so embarrassed by my weakness. I am trying to understand that all I can do is what my body allows me to. I have a choice in what I try to do, but none in whether or not I will be able do accomplish what I have planned. It is past time to trim the bushes in front of the house and a jungle has grown under the edge of the deck. I have managed to ride my mower and do the grass at least. Every time I think I can go and work on the jungle, carrying my tools out to them gets me gasping for air and I have to sit down again. Maybe this weekend I can get something done.
Maybe you need a little red wagon to haul stuff around?
I have a lawn tractor with a trailer that I use outside. I have to walk to the garage to get it but then I’m good for the day, I can leave it by the door all day.
Little red wagon
https://bringatrailer.com/2024/04/26/4-26-video-inspiration-little-red-wagon-big-wheelies/
Right now, I am expecting it to get better.
I have had injuries before that kept me from doing things.
This one is not a visible injury so it makes it harder to deal with if that makes sense.
Thanks Ron, I understand where you’re coming from. Those psychical limitations become more pronounced as the calendar slips away. Walking up the stairs with a gallon of milk is not so easy any more.
It’s a curse on our masculinity. It’s not easy to accept but what’s the alternative?
Robot servants.
We keep doing what we can, about all I know how to do.
Greeting from the range!
My second day of shooting dropped me from the lead in the totally real staff-production-C class and I wound up second.
The first half of the paid shooters have finished their first day. Not the greatest dynamics on my crew but we’re turning them at an acceptable rate.
And for anyone stopping by, I’m on Stage 11.
I’ve reached the age, when people will show up when I a doing something and ask if I need a hand with it. Initially I would think that I’m not that old and weak, and I would say no thanks. Now I think, yeah I am that old and weak. Then I say thanks and take the assistance.
And Fourscore will confirm that I’m not actually old yet.
Yeah, I’m know you’re not old, my kids are your age and they’re still kids.
Yeah, the wife is pushing me to be very cognizant of this. I used to be able to due pretty much everything, now the wife frames it as “is that how you want to spend your time and energy, or would you rather do something else?”
would you rather do something else?
Does she waggle her eyebrows when saying this?
“I’ve reached the age, when people will show up when I a doing something and ask if I need a hand with it.”
I do that with just about anybody I’m visiting. Simple courtesy, in my book.
On aging, George Carlin said old people can get out of any obligation with the magic words “I’m tired.”
Homer and Grandpa Simpson aging:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXVjhSNcqww
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0dIWEzlFIA
On aging, that is.
I went swimming this morning, and the way the sun shone into the spring made the water seem clearer than usual. Swam a third of a mile front crawl. It’s just enough to make my arms and back tired and a bit sore.
Mother Nature, God, The Flying Spaghetti Monster, evolution – whoever or whatever did it, I’m thankful that this 2-score old bag of bones is holding up well. Still need to work on the obesity and alcohol problems. That’s my Mission Impossible it seems.
I have not reached the stoic phase with respect to physical ability. BECAUSE I DON’T HAVE TO DAMN-IT!
Eyes roof that has 20+ years on it and is looking ready for replacement in the next couple of years. But I also have an extra 20+ years on me. Wonders to self if I want to haul 2000+ sq ft of shingle bundles up onto the roof again.
Re: out of breath: Are you still low on blood oxygen carrying capacity/RBC count? Getting it tested?
I lost a lot of blood a few weeks ago and am recovering from that.
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/06/27/supreme-court-rulings-decisions-today-news-analysis/class-action-lawsuit-in-00427992
CASA Inc. is asking a federal judge in Maryland for an emergency block on Trump’s policy — which would deny citizenship to children of some immigrants born on U.S. soil — and said it has refiled its broader lawsuit as a class action case.
Class action lawsuits are one of the ways that the Supreme Court explicitly indicated Friday were permissible to broadly block a federal government policy. It’s among several exceptions or workarounds that Trump adversaries are poised to seize on after the justices sharply limited judges’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions.
and so it goes
I see my prediction is bearing fruit already. On the day the decision was released, even.
This Dos Equis parody is comedy gold:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hqDd-6hA8E
Kayak fishing with live bait in shark-infested waters? What could possibly go wrong?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsZOn0R8VH8
It is past time to trim the bushes in front of the house
The city mailed me a little nastygram telling me that same thing about my weed garden and threatened a $100 fine. This would never happen in Somalia!!!!
In all honesty, it really needed to be done. I actually did it right this time: Tore up the dirt with a manual tiller which got most of the weeds loose, dug out the survivors with a trowel, put down weed barrier cloth, and re-mulched. Should be good for a few years at least.
Wait, I thought that was a euphemism?
Up here the weed barrier cloth is more suggestion than barrier. Especially by the time the deer, chipmunks, and squirrels get done with it.
I need to mentally prepare myself for the days when I won’t be able to do as much. Over the years my walking with crutches has really fallen off, but I’m dealing with that ok.
One of the reasons Mrs. TOK is a good match is that she never coddled me. There’s a story about us getting dropped off at the airport, her taking my wheelchair out of the trunk in pieces, putting it at my feet, and saying “put that together”. It must have looked horrifying, but anyone who knows us, knows that I am fully capable of putting it together. Making me do things for myself is keeping me able to do as much as I can.
That’s also one of the struggles I have with my oldest. I’ve fought my whole life to overcome my limitations, she just sits around and allow her body to deteriorate and she’s creating limitations for herself. It’s like a blind person sitting next to someone who’s squirting bleach into their own eyes. Maddening.
I feel you about being able to do less and less as age and time rears their ugly heads. The same is happening to me.
But, in super good news, I saw my neurologist the other day, and he seems to think we can remove some of the spasticity in my left leg with Botox (!?!) shots. So, I will be able to do (light) squats again, and hopefully also start riding a real bike more, now that I won’t be so worried about not being able to put my leg down in time for stopping.
Plus it will be wrinkle free!
Wrinkle free, but your right leg will look older than the left.
Botox is interesting stuff, mostly people know about cosmetic uses but I’ve also heard it used for migraines. This is the first time I’ve heard it used for spasticity. I hope it works for you.
I have friend who has uncontrolled blinking that has had good luck with Botox.
Bonus for her is reduced wrinkles around the eye and paid for by insurance unlike the cosmetic usage.
That sounds like good news.
Hoping it works for you, just wear half pants/half shorts so you can show off your young looking leg.
Wonders to self if I want to haul 2000+ sq ft of shingle bundles up onto the roof again.
Go with metal.
I know how to shingle, or at least I did it once and it worked. I can’t say the same for metal and it’s maybe not a place to be experimenting with technique and skill level. Especially valleys and transitions to very low slope ‘patio’ attachments. But I am torn on that topic.
Hmm, this gives me an idea for a part-time job:
Modern cave man offers ‘Neanderthal’ survival courses in Italy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWA9FhrEJQQ
♫ Unfrozen Caveman Derpy!
https://platedlizard.blogspot.com/2025/01/me-and-my-long-hair-growing-for-3-years.html
I’m looking up pictures of Ötzi, The Iceman, and uh, there’s definitely a resemblance.
https://cdn.britannica.com/18/205418-050-CA042F72/Reconstruction-Otzi-mummy-analysis-Bolzano-Italy-South.jpg
That dude looks pretty stoic.
Liar, that’s clearly a picture of my maternal grandfather. 100% exact same.
He kind of looks like this guy’s little brother:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfk-kn7YP04
As a Neanderthal, I’m insulted.
That Italian guy is going to freeze to death in the Alps, and someone 10,000 years from now will be super confused.
I’m trying to articulate what I don’t like about the Shadow 2. It’s not just the trigger. There’s something else there…
It knows what evil lurks in the heart of man and that makes you uncomfortable?
So you’re saying I should stick to the 1911?
The price?
Again kidding, it’s supposed to be a good price, quality, performance tradeoff.
I only spent $1500 on the pistol itself. Accessories taxes and fees have put it up to $2500 or so.
We rented guns on multiple occasions before deciding on which ones to buy. We put hundreds of rounds through our top choices over several visits before making the final choice. We have not regretted anything we have bought.
The only place I’ve found where I can rent guns is a 90% Sig-only shop, with very limited selection of secondhand firearms of other makes. I’m sure there are other places, but I haven’t found them.
You’ll just have to come vacation in Iowa and the spend a couple of days shooting a lot of different pistols.
I might just do that.
Iowa horseback revolver competition!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBsr4aT7tmA
I firmly believe that most people, instead of renting a bunch of different guns, would be better served buying a Glock 19 and five cases of ammo and shooting it all over a period of two months or so.
In other words, familiarity trumps everything else.
UnCiv, you haven’t had the gun long enough to evaluate it yet. Burn through a few thousand rounds first.
I have no interest in Glock.
Of all the guns I rented, there were only a couple that I hated more than the Glock.
Everything about it felt awkward in my hand. And I hated the trigger.
So, I disagree with you. I firmly believe people need to find a pistol that feels good/natural to them. And then put in the thousands of rounds of practice.
@UCS – I have options, should you find yourself in my area.
Also, Glock haters, try a 21 and see if you feel differently.
So get something else. I use Glock as an example because it’s a commodity gun. The point is that “a pistol that feels good/natural” is 100% a matter of familiarity, and familiarity does not come from skipping from gun to gun. Pick something and stick with it.
My grandfather had a bunch of jokes in the ‘old man’ genre. They always started out with “A bunch of old men were sitting around complaining about their prostates…” or ” A bunch of old men were sitting around telling lies when…”
I thought they were funny when I was young. Now that I am old I think they are even funnier cuz I get it….they were all true.
I wish I had written them all down.
For me it’s mostly the recovery time, well that and the odd injuries from trivial causes. Everything still works, and I can mostly do what I want to do, I just pay for it that night and the next few days, and that ‘few’ is a larger number than previously.
That is exactly where I am. I went at it for three days and got a ton of stuff done….ok, some stuff. I have a foggy memory of when that would have taken me one day but anyway…three days worth. I am on my third day of recovery now. Recovery days: day 1, all day on the couch. Day 2, Water plants and fill feeders for critters, a ten min trip to the store. Day 3, rode the riding mower for an hour, took a shower now laying about in my pajamas.
Tomorrow I might be able to start working on a new growing bed. I need to start thinking about firewood.
I noticed that when playing hockey. I’ve been at it 10 years. I am playing at a higher level, I can still keep up, but recovery after a game, or multiple games, gets harder. Luckily I am on a big enough team where I no longer play full games, usually it’s just 1/3 of each game and I’m not going to argue if a younger guy stays out for a longer shift.
Damn, I am having to adapt, aren’t I?
Vacation starts in a few hours:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrUIJY_Xu2s
From the dedthred:
“Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in a dissent joined by Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Elena Kagan, wrote that schools should “offer to children of all faiths and backgrounds an education and an opportunity to practice living in our multicultural society.”
I wasn’t aware that training on sexual orientations and practices was part of the education that must be offered by schools. I believe that allowing parents to opt out also doesn’t limit what a school offers, either. Schools can daily grooming sessions, and parents saying “Not our kids” doesn’t prevent that. The opportunity to practice living in a multicultural society also sounds like it’s not actually the business of schools providing an education, either. Wouldn’t just living in a multicultural society have that covered?
Separation of School and State.
None of that shit is any business of the schools, teachers or courts. None of it. That is in spite of the teacher’s union person quoted the other day saying “Your children are ours, they were never yours and for that matter you dont own yourself either.”
I would say all of this is a gross violation of separation of church and state. Raising children is the purview of parents and any organizations, like churches, that parents choose to assist them. State run schools need to get back in their fucking lane and so do the courts.
Today, with all the decisions coming out, you see a very clear difference between the 6 center/right judges and the 3 lefties. The 6’s opinions are something like, “According to the Constitution, and this or that established law…”, and the lefties all write, “I feel like it should be this way.”
Yes, that is the leftist mentality. Results over law. Jackson couldn’t be more explicit about it. I especially love her critique of ‘individual centric terminology’
Canada decided to start a trade war.
https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1938655380189650958
But they’ve been advertising around here for tourism. I mean isn’t a sign that says:
Convince you to go there?
No. I was not impressed by my time there.
Yes, that will end well for them.
They will end it if we let them touch the cup.
Not until they’ve suffered as long as Cleveland.
The Russian Tank Olympics are hilarious:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_OappqpLFU
Uncivil and some others: I haven’t been big on giving advice when people ask about gun recommendations. I started to write out an article on that subject but my prospective title was going to be “100 guns you should have if you only had one gun” so….nah.
The other Trayvon who got shot dead in Florida:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZGSQXmJPaQ
***
FLORIDA – The family of Trevon Johnson (17-year-old) are furious the teen was shot and killed by a homeowner police say was protecting her property.
The sister of the teen who died identified him as Trevon Johnson and released the following statement to CBS Miami:
“I don’t care if she have her gun license or any of that. That is way beyond the law… way beyond, He was not supposed to die like this. He had a future ahead of him. Trevon had goals… he was a funny guy, very big on education, loved learning.
You have to look at it from every child’s point of view that was raised in the hood. You have to understand… how he gonna get his money to have clothes to go to school? You have to look at it from his point-of-view.”
***
A coworker once got robbed at the local mall. She was Christmas shopping for her family and they stole her purchased items. She confronted them and proclaimed that was Christmas for her family.
Their response? “We deserve Christmas too!”
I am sorry to hear that the good boy who was turning his life around got shot. All broken up about it really.
Saw another case recently where some old guy who lived alone had three thugs target him and break in at 3am because he was alone and had no family. They thought no one would miss him. they were right, and he didnt miss them either. He shot all three dead. Their families were outraged when the DA exonerated the old man because ‘they were just robbing him so they didnt deserve to get shot’. Did I tell the part about where the thugs told the family member before the fact that they targeted the old man because ‘they thought no one would miss him’?
Remarked about the gun conversation to wife just now. She asked what gun I want now…..so I showed her the latest addition to my wish list:
http://www.wyomingarmory.com/firearms-fs-42-detail.html
Wife: “A what? A 70-150? What the hell is that? You cant even shoot that thing. That’s just stupid.”
Me: “When have I ever let that stop me?”