The Story of Marcus Aurelius 📜

[0:00]This is Marcus Aurelius and he was once the Emperor of Rome, but why is he still so famous today 2,000 years later? Well, Marcus was born in the year 121 A.D. to a prominent Roman family. But from a young age, he showed a keen interest in philosophy and the human condition. And despite being just 19 when he became consul, the second most powerful position in Rome after the Emperor, Marcus remained humble and devoted himself to philosophy. But his most enduring legacy is his book Meditations, which you might have heard of. It was his personal journal while he was the Emperor of Rome and it was never intended to be shared with the public. But after his death, slowly, the book became widely known, and it's still popular today. In the book, he shares his deepest fears and anxieties along with his ideas on stoicism. Marcus was the most powerful man in the world at the time, able to get anything he wants. Yet, in meditations, he writes, the happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts. Marcus reminds us about the importance of humility and that finding inner peace is the best path to happiness, not things like power, status or money.