“Don’t act grudgingly, selfishly, without due diligence, or to be a contrarian. Don’t overdress your thought in fine language. Don’t be a person of too many words and too many deeds….Be cheerful, not wanting outside help or the relief others might bring. A person needs to stand on their own, not be propped up.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 3.5
The trump,”Obama tapped my phones” without due diligence. He has never been accused of overdressing his thoughts in fine language.
“Atreus, Who would reject the flood of fortune’s gifts? Thyestes, Anyone who has experienced how easily they flow back.” Seneca, Thyestes, 5.36
Lesson soon to be learned by the trump.
“Throw out your conceited opinions, for it is impossible for a person to began to learn what he thinks he already knows.” Epictetus, Discourses, 2.17.1
The trump already knows his time is limited.
“It isn’t events themselves that disturb people, but only their judgments about them.” Epictetus, Enchiridion, 5
the trump is using his perceiving eye only, every day.
“From the very beginning, make it your practice to say to every harsh impression and not at all what you appear to be.’ Next, examine and test it by the rules you posses, the first and greatest of which is this–whether it belongs to the things in our control or not in our control, and if the latter, be prepared to respond, ‘It is nothing to me'” Epictetus, Enchiridion, 1.5
The trumps gut tells him to throw up another smoke screen to deflect the Russian inquiry.
“When it comes to money, where we feel our clear interest,we have an entire art where the tester uses many means to discover the worth…just as we give great attention to judging things that might steer us badly. But when it comes to our own ruling principle,we yawn and doze off, accepting any appearance that flashes by without counting the cost.” Epictetus, Discourses, 1.20.8,11
Didn’t apply this for the President of the United States.
There are two things that must be rooted out in human beings–arrogant opinion and mistrust. Arrogant opinion expects that there is nothing further needed, and mistrust assumes that under the torrent of circumstance there can be no happiness.” Epictetus, Discourses, 3.14.8
The trump has been looking for leaks in the White House and now thinks Obama had his phones tapped. Arrogant opinion and mistrust with a dash of paranoia. Happiness still eludes him/
|When you first rise in the morning tell yourself, I will encounter busybodies, ingrates, egomaniacs, liars, the jealous, and cranks. They are all stricken with these afflictions because they don’t know the difference between good and evil. Because I have understood the beauty of good and the ugliness of evil, I know that these wrong-doers are still akin to me…and that none can do me harm, or implicate me in ugliness–nor can I be angry at my relatives or hate them. For we are made for cooperation.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations. 2.1
Thus far “the ugliness of evil” that is the trump will be in my day. Even though I can steel myself when I awake that it will be there it is still beyond my reach to not let it affect me because we are not made of cooperation.
“First off, don’t let the force of the impression carry you away. Say to it, “hold up a bit and let me see who you are and where you are from–let me put you to the test”…” Epictetus, Discourses, 2.18.24
The test is over the trump is a cancer to the USA.
“Make sure you’re not made “Emperor” avoid the imperial stain. It can happen to you,so keep yourself simple, good, pure, saintly, plain, a friend of justice, god-fearing, gracious, affectionate, and strong for your proper work. Fight to remain the person that philosophy wished to make you. Revere the gods, and look after each other. Life is short-the fruit of this life is a good character and acts for the common good. ” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 6.30
If only Lord Cheeto would follow Marcus’s path.
Stoicism deals with trump 