I started to post some observations on current nonsense when Epictetus came to mined. He was a stoic philosopher in 55 to 135 A.D. He was born a slave and became a freedman. He was crippled. His take was that we cannot control others or the weather or sickness or death or lots of other stuff. He said the only thing that we have influence upon was our own internal processes. Our perspective or as one friend said "It's all in how you look at it and study it." But in a southern drawl which mad it sound profound. Anyway he said it was the impressions that we got from the external world which we then interpreted which determine the emotional content of our lives. ( OK, this is going somewhere, just stick with me for a little while longer.)

So he said that happiness and sadness and fear and all that Dr. Phil kind of crap that the shrinks talk about were generated from how we react to the world. Said it was pointless to get all honked off about stuff that you could not fix. It is upsetting and stops us from doing something about the things we can do. 

Now isn't that just the opposite of what all these political morons want us to do? 
The political message in America right now is this : If those guys would just do what I want them to do, I would be happy and shut up. What a crock of ...well you know what is in that crock. That is a lie we often tell ourselves. It means I am not responsible for my reactions to stuff.  

I have news for one and all. They are not gonna do it. I do not care what it is, they ain't gonna do it. At least not to your satisfaction. Anyone who thinks the world is just waiting for instructions is delusional or on those magic mushrooms again like we had back in the 60's.

Back to Epictetus or as I call him "Epi".  Domitian the emperor of Rome said that all the philosophers had to shave their beards. They were busy teaching people to think and that made trouble. Anyway he got the order to shave and he didn't. He was told that it had been decreed that he had to shave. He said no. The guy from the department of shave the philosophers said "Don't you know you could be executed?" Epi replied "When did I tell you I expected to live forever?" The guy says "It seems dumb to die over a beard." to which Epi said "But if I let you order me around like that, isn't the real Epictetus dead anyway?" 

He got deported from Rome back to Nicopolis in Greece. It was not like living in Screaming Eagle Shit, Wyoming but it wasn't Rome either. He died in AD 135 or so. He had a guy named Arrian who was a student who wrote down most of his teachings in a book and don't ask me the title. I don't know. Here's a quote which says pretty much how this old bearded cripple viewed the world.

To accuse others for one's own misfortunes is a sign of want of education.
To accuse oneself shows that one's education has begun. 
To accuse neither oneself nor others shows that one's education is complete.

That's where I want to get to. When I can sit back and deal with the stuff that is on my plate instead of telling you how you ought to deal with yours.  Same goes for The Sphincters who are certain that they know what everyone else should be doing and when and where. 

I realize this is only for me. But if anyone reading this thinks that politicians have any personal answers or that they can stop death or a tornado or a hurricane then they are what is called a "Good Citizen". Which is synonymous with "Dorper Sheep".  (That's a particular breed.)

That's all for now. Hope I didn't wreck your day. 
The Rev.