"You don’t have to let politics dictate your life by bringing the emperor into your home. You don’t have to collapse heaven with the hellscape of social media. You have agency to take control of both." --> This is very true. Sometimes we allow evil to come to our doorstep and consume our mind, our spirit and our environment. We can be happy regardless of who wins this election, or regardless of how we are treated or looked at by some random stranger outside or even inside your environment (e.g. workplace).
The country will survive regardless of who wins in the upcoming weeks or months. Much of the political rhetoric is merely aimed at winning the election, and many proposed ideas will likely never be implemented. There's little point in obsessively reading the media or monitoring polls, as no one can predict the outcome. Instead, consider going for a walk, watching a movie, or reading a book.
The media tends to present more bad news than good because negative stories sell. Additionally, many outlets operate as for-profit entities and often exhibit biases toward one side or another. We need to concentrate on what we can control in our own lives.
As Roy T. Bennett wisely puts it, “Stop giving other people the power to control your happiness, your mind, and your life. If you don't take control of yourself and your own life, someone else is bound to try.”
I believe the Lindy effect is relevant here; it states that the longer something has existed, the longer it is likely to endure. This suggests that while political landscapes may shift, the core societal structures and human connections that have persisted over time will continue to thrive. By focusing on these lasting elements, we can find stability and purpose, even amid uncertainty.
If people want to focus on something, the most important thing is figuring out what the following folks, especially all mega-donors, will expect in return. Also, do we need to spend almost $15B or more on elections?
According to a Washington Post analysis of Federal Election Commission data, the 50 biggest donors this cycle have collectively donated over $2.5 billion to political committees and other groups competing in the election.
That flood of TV commercials, frantic fundraising appeals, and a litany of door knockers is the result of $14.7 billion worth of spending from candidates, parties, and political action committees, about 92% of the total that OpenSecrets projects will be spent during the election cycle.
Yes, It's beyond crazy. It feels like Billionaires (https://tinyurl.com/4ww8k5h3) are running the show. It reminds me of developing countries where money is given to buy votes, but here, political donations are used to mass-influence people.
I was chatting with someone who lives in PA, and he said that every ad on TV or in the media is about the election in the last few weeks.
There’s a reason why I refuse to watch TV. My kids have been interested in the plethora of mailers and make fun of the doom-speak that permiates it all.
I rarely watch TV—no cable or streaming at home. I have not watched a movie in a theater since before COVID. If someone tells me that a good movie or series, I wait for my library to get DVDs, and that’s how I watch anything nowadays. Since very few people watch DVDs, you get the DVD quickly once the library gets it. I spend most of my time reading, walking, or sleeping when I am not working.
This is a super well written article. When it came time to voting in the UK elections people I knew were always preoccupied with the news and the latest speeches.
Realistically, it takes a few hours of focused and non biased research to vote well.
Anything else is not respecting your time or focus.
Love that proverb and how it applies centuries later. You have a way with words, reading your posts always uplifts me - thank you! Now on to actually practice pushing the emperor far away.
Great piece Michael. It reminds me of how many Russians experience their political 'representatives' - far away and ignored - because they have no impact on ordinary Russians' way of life. I have recommended your Substack but would point out Polymathic Being is not about mathematics, as the name might initially imply to many. Rather, when a person's knowledge covers many different areas, they might consider themselves a polymath. The Greek word for it is 'polymathós', "having learned much," with poly meaning "much," and mathós meaning "learn." Nor is it about famous historical polymaths. Polymathic Being offers readers an oportunity to explore a variety of interpretations of counterintuitive insights across multiple domains. As you emphasize, you explore common topics from different perspectives and disciplines to uncover unique insights and solutions. If I were to summarise, Polymathic Being takes advantage of the circumstances offered by technological evolution, the networks that establish relationships between the corpus of scientific knowledge and ideas accumulated by all of humanity, and the increasingly blurred boundaries of scientific disciplines.
I like your take on that proverb. I always saw it a little different, but still coming to the same conclusion of manifesting your own agency. “Heaven is high”. I always saw this as in regard to distance, in other words, don’t wait around for a deity to save you. While we can gain inspiration and purpose from the divine, I often feel like this can also be used as a crutch, and an excuse to wait around and do nothing. “The emperor is far away”. In the same regard, government or officials or leaders won’t save you either. So we must manifest our own agency, and stoicism is definitely a method of doing so. I think this is part of the maturing process of the soul.
I cast my vote and do my part and then live my life. The emperor is far away and my life is always right here. I put my energy where I can do good and let the rest play out how it will.
Appreciation of this particular post is high, this morning. A 6th mass extinction, the consequences of depopulation (as well as over population, in the first place) of humanity, and knowing how small we are in this universe make it easy to slide into sadness. Missing my brief moment of being a conscious living person, aware of being aware. I have no desire to follow a higher being. There is no higher being. Consciousness, may be the higher being... so maybe I'm wrong in that respect. Oh ..I am so far down the rabbit holes. *sighs and such here*
That being said, I was sure to include my voice in the election so that my daughters have agency of their own bodies once again. Power to create a place they can decide for themselves.
It could go either way. No-one knows more. Great article. I love language and the phrase may mean something different depending upon context, I believe.
The down side of stoicism is that you're not really ready to practice it until you're ready, but it's waiting for you the whole time. You know it's a thing, just not how to do it just yet. You'll get to do it at some point if you keep trying, though.
That's very true. I'm trying to impart the philosophy to my kids but we'll see because you're right... until they decide to own themselves stoicism doesn't resonate. When you do, stoicism becomes natural. It's a harder path for sure.
Very timely advice. It’s easy to think there’ll be a continual orange presence in every aspect of our lives from now on but we need to be reminded that Mar-a-Lago is a very long way away if indeed it exists at all.
this was great Michael - your final paragraph talks about how people like having leaders. how does this square with the rise in individual sovereignty that we see e.g. digital nomads as a simple example?
Glad you enjoyed it and great question! I think we are coded for a Benevolant Dictator and that some people can handle more individual sovereignty and some people can't. So it's a scale. I find that those who can handle their own soverignty are outliers and while they prove that they can, that doesn't prove others can. I think that's the failure of Anarchy as a political philosophy.
I dug into layers of politics years ago with Quantum Superposition and Politics.
Lots of layers there. I still recommend the stoicism of the essay. I'm a libertarian so this election cycle I've been called a Jew, a Nazi, and all manner of everything else and yet when I stand up and look them in the eyes, they always flinch first. It doesn't stop them but I certainly will never stoop to their level. I also don't lecture them in return. My stance is clear and my stance is for me.
Thanks for this dear Michael.
"You don’t have to let politics dictate your life by bringing the emperor into your home. You don’t have to collapse heaven with the hellscape of social media. You have agency to take control of both." --> This is very true. Sometimes we allow evil to come to our doorstep and consume our mind, our spirit and our environment. We can be happy regardless of who wins this election, or regardless of how we are treated or looked at by some random stranger outside or even inside your environment (e.g. workplace).
I needed to write this too beause I needed the reminder as well!
The country will survive regardless of who wins in the upcoming weeks or months. Much of the political rhetoric is merely aimed at winning the election, and many proposed ideas will likely never be implemented. There's little point in obsessively reading the media or monitoring polls, as no one can predict the outcome. Instead, consider going for a walk, watching a movie, or reading a book.
The media tends to present more bad news than good because negative stories sell. Additionally, many outlets operate as for-profit entities and often exhibit biases toward one side or another. We need to concentrate on what we can control in our own lives.
As Roy T. Bennett wisely puts it, “Stop giving other people the power to control your happiness, your mind, and your life. If you don't take control of yourself and your own life, someone else is bound to try.”
I believe the Lindy effect is relevant here; it states that the longer something has existed, the longer it is likely to endure. This suggests that while political landscapes may shift, the core societal structures and human connections that have persisted over time will continue to thrive. By focusing on these lasting elements, we can find stability and purpose, even amid uncertainty.
Great insights and I love that quote!
If people want to focus on something, the most important thing is figuring out what the following folks, especially all mega-donors, will expect in return. Also, do we need to spend almost $15B or more on elections?
According to a Washington Post analysis of Federal Election Commission data, the 50 biggest donors this cycle have collectively donated over $2.5 billion to political committees and other groups competing in the election.
That flood of TV commercials, frantic fundraising appeals, and a litany of door knockers is the result of $14.7 billion worth of spending from candidates, parties, and political action committees, about 92% of the total that OpenSecrets projects will be spent during the election cycle.
Crazy spending isn’t it?
Yes, It's beyond crazy. It feels like Billionaires (https://tinyurl.com/4ww8k5h3) are running the show. It reminds me of developing countries where money is given to buy votes, but here, political donations are used to mass-influence people.
I was chatting with someone who lives in PA, and he said that every ad on TV or in the media is about the election in the last few weeks.
There’s a reason why I refuse to watch TV. My kids have been interested in the plethora of mailers and make fun of the doom-speak that permiates it all.
I rarely watch TV—no cable or streaming at home. I have not watched a movie in a theater since before COVID. If someone tells me that a good movie or series, I wait for my library to get DVDs, and that’s how I watch anything nowadays. Since very few people watch DVDs, you get the DVD quickly once the library gets it. I spend most of my time reading, walking, or sleeping when I am not working.
This is a super well written article. When it came time to voting in the UK elections people I knew were always preoccupied with the news and the latest speeches.
Realistically, it takes a few hours of focused and non biased research to vote well.
Anything else is not respecting your time or focus.
I very much agree. Study the topics and find how how they affect you but don't let them control you. So much more empowering that way.
Love that proverb and how it applies centuries later. You have a way with words, reading your posts always uplifts me - thank you! Now on to actually practice pushing the emperor far away.
Thanks, and yes, that is the hard part and one I have to intentionally focus on as well!
Great piece Michael. It reminds me of how many Russians experience their political 'representatives' - far away and ignored - because they have no impact on ordinary Russians' way of life. I have recommended your Substack but would point out Polymathic Being is not about mathematics, as the name might initially imply to many. Rather, when a person's knowledge covers many different areas, they might consider themselves a polymath. The Greek word for it is 'polymathós', "having learned much," with poly meaning "much," and mathós meaning "learn." Nor is it about famous historical polymaths. Polymathic Being offers readers an oportunity to explore a variety of interpretations of counterintuitive insights across multiple domains. As you emphasize, you explore common topics from different perspectives and disciplines to uncover unique insights and solutions. If I were to summarise, Polymathic Being takes advantage of the circumstances offered by technological evolution, the networks that establish relationships between the corpus of scientific knowledge and ideas accumulated by all of humanity, and the increasingly blurred boundaries of scientific disciplines.
Great points and I agree about the lack of math. It's a weak subject for me. 😀
I like your take on that proverb. I always saw it a little different, but still coming to the same conclusion of manifesting your own agency. “Heaven is high”. I always saw this as in regard to distance, in other words, don’t wait around for a deity to save you. While we can gain inspiration and purpose from the divine, I often feel like this can also be used as a crutch, and an excuse to wait around and do nothing. “The emperor is far away”. In the same regard, government or officials or leaders won’t save you either. So we must manifest our own agency, and stoicism is definitely a method of doing so. I think this is part of the maturing process of the soul.
I wouldn't disagree with that at all. I like that formulation too.
Caesar vs Bibulus
Taft vs Ike
Trump vs Harris
I cast my vote and do my part and then live my life. The emperor is far away and my life is always right here. I put my energy where I can do good and let the rest play out how it will.
It’s a tale as old as time and so, we have good lessons we can learn from.
Appreciation of this particular post is high, this morning. A 6th mass extinction, the consequences of depopulation (as well as over population, in the first place) of humanity, and knowing how small we are in this universe make it easy to slide into sadness. Missing my brief moment of being a conscious living person, aware of being aware. I have no desire to follow a higher being. There is no higher being. Consciousness, may be the higher being... so maybe I'm wrong in that respect. Oh ..I am so far down the rabbit holes. *sighs and such here*
Yes. We can very quickly miss our brief moment here and it’s amazing how much control we can have to create nice things, places, and relationships.
That being said, I was sure to include my voice in the election so that my daughters have agency of their own bodies once again. Power to create a place they can decide for themselves.
Good!
It could go either way. No-one knows more. Great article. I love language and the phrase may mean something different depending upon context, I believe.
Thanks! There are different contexts that I found that’s for sure.
I have already stolen it (with a link to your essay)!
Fantastic!
Mixed Mental Artist – love it
I love the term as well. It just lands for me as I attempt to survive the octogon of life.
The down side of stoicism is that you're not really ready to practice it until you're ready, but it's waiting for you the whole time. You know it's a thing, just not how to do it just yet. You'll get to do it at some point if you keep trying, though.
That's very true. I'm trying to impart the philosophy to my kids but we'll see because you're right... until they decide to own themselves stoicism doesn't resonate. When you do, stoicism becomes natural. It's a harder path for sure.
Very timely advice. It’s easy to think there’ll be a continual orange presence in every aspect of our lives from now on but we need to be reminded that Mar-a-Lago is a very long way away if indeed it exists at all.
And we can push it away too which is important.
Wow, Did I need this today and not know it. Thank you!
Good to hear and glad it helped!
this was great Michael - your final paragraph talks about how people like having leaders. how does this square with the rise in individual sovereignty that we see e.g. digital nomads as a simple example?
Glad you enjoyed it and great question! I think we are coded for a Benevolant Dictator and that some people can handle more individual sovereignty and some people can't. So it's a scale. I find that those who can handle their own soverignty are outliers and while they prove that they can, that doesn't prove others can. I think that's the failure of Anarchy as a political philosophy.
I dug into layers of politics years ago with Quantum Superposition and Politics.
https://www.polymathicbeing.com/p/quantum-superposition-and-politics
Lots of layers there. I still recommend the stoicism of the essay. I'm a libertarian so this election cycle I've been called a Jew, a Nazi, and all manner of everything else and yet when I stand up and look them in the eyes, they always flinch first. It doesn't stop them but I certainly will never stoop to their level. I also don't lecture them in return. My stance is clear and my stance is for me.