To Lead a Happier Life, Overcome Your Desire To Conquer The World
Alexander the Great was an all-powerful man. But was he a happy one?
“This man (Alexander The Great) has conquered the world! What have you done?” The philosopher replied without an instant’s hesitation, “I have conquered the need to conquer the world.”
— Steven Pressfield, The Virtues of War
I am fascinated with Alexander the Great.
This was a man who changed the face of the earth as we know it. Alexander conquered much of the known world at the young age of 25, in the process starting cities and libraries that would bear his name and last for thousands of years. Some of them are even standing to this day.
The man was so great he even made it into an Iron Maiden song.
There was no question that Alexander 100% earned his moniker. He was a great, great man. This is a fact that cannot be denied.
But was he a happy man, though?
The Price of Greatness
After achieving his dream of becoming the greatest conqueror the world has ever seen, Alexander died at the ripe young age of 32, likely due to typhoid fever.
