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The Best Revenge is No Revenge At All
This man controlled 25% of the entire world’s population.
As the ruler of a vast empire consisting of more than 60 million people, he had access to anything he could have wanted: riches, women, food, etc. Time and time again, people in positions of power have turned to corruption and lives of pleasure, abandoning their responsibilities as leaders in favor of short-term gratification.
Not Marcus Aurelius.
Marcus was born to a wealthy family with close ties to the Roman elites in the year 121 AD. At the age of 17, he was adopted by Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius as part of a succession plan arranged by the previous emperor, Hadrian. When Antoninus died in 161 AD, Marcus ascended to the throne.
Marcus underwent a rigorous educational program as a youth, learning about rhetoric, law, and philosophy. As he grew older under the parenthood of Antoninus, he was given more responsibilities in the Roman government in the form of public offices and military positions.
And it was through his mentors that Marcus learned about Stoic thought.
Rusticus was a rhetoric teacher that Marcus often referred to as one of his most important mentors. It was Rusticus who introduced Marcus to the teachings of Epictetus, a Stoic philosopher whose thoughts and ideas are quite…
