My initial reaction was to disagree, but the man did allegedly take in an abandoned infant. And a woman to care for it[1]. And, our readings[2] of that quote (acceptance vs altruism) aren't in any way incompatible.

[1] You absolutely don't want to be a single woman in 1st century AD.

[2] acceptance vs altruism

It's about accepting the bad things that will inevitably happen to us. "Loving your wife" and "grieving when she dies" are two separate things. We need mental framing that does not connect them, even though our default settings are to do so. Or at least that's how I'm reading it.

"Hurr durr we're monitoring the situation."

As the parent comment said, the Warsaw Pact countries pleaded to join. Even Russia wanted to join at one point. America did it for its own reasons? Good, they win and we win.

That other country will quickly learn why America doesn't have free healthcare ;)

The US must end the bipartisan model before the bipartisan model ends the US.

There, I said it.

People in Venezuela and Iran have more pressing concerns than international law.

8% of the entire world's proven oil reserves is not particularly huge?!

Correct

Compared to what? Cause by any reasonable measure I can come up with, that's an absolutely bonkers amount of oil.

I'm a bit confused.

If I'm understanding correctly, I'm reminded of an old saw I think I made up:

You can lie (shade people's interpretations) by either using percentages, or gross amounts.

I'm sure that's a TON of oil, gross amount.

I'm also sure 8% is "not particularly huge".

For instance, if I could get you without this frame, and told you that you got a 92% on a test, you got an "absolutely bonkers amount" of questions wrong...you'd argue with me.

If you started crying when I told you that you got a 92% on the test, then told you that's a "not particularly huge" amount to get wrong, I think you'd agree, if not be consoled.

And, sorry, but your analogy sucks. Multiple students can get 0-100% on any given test independently.

Now imagine if only one student out of a class of ~200 (~195 countries in the world) can get the right answer to each question (200 questions total) and once one person answers the question, no one else can get credit for it (if you burn oil, it's gone).

By default, each country should get 1 question or 0.5% (percent of oil) on the test. Now the teacher announces that the answer to 16 questions (8%) can be found in the library and the person who gets there first gets all those points.. Getting a hold of even ONE block of 8% probably puts you in the top 10 students in the class. If you can find such a block to add to your 3% (US), at 11%, you're likely to be in the top 5 students in the class. Add another 10% (Venezuela) and 6% (Canada), and at 27%, you're probably #1.

I respect the shit out of you for chasing this and coming up with an obvious angle I missed in my last volley. I agree to disagree, because my fundamental reaction at this point is you’re being obtuse on purpose and that’s unfair and wrong. I owe you a beer if we meet, good hard interlocution.

Afghanistan produced like 90% of the world's opium.

Yep. Time has taught us that often the author is a vehicle for the work, not the other way around.