When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love…
-- Marcus Aurelius
Life is a gift. More people don't have it than have it; look no further than any history book or encyclopedic work. We who live take life for granted, but the future isn't promised to any of us except for one fact: one day we will not have life.
Not that we need to throw a huge party for every thing we do in our lives, but we should be more mindful of the gift of life we each have so that we don't waste it on useless minutiae or unproductive activities.
Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome from 161 to 180, was born in Rome on Common Era date 0121-April-26. He died on CE 0180-March-17, although there is dispute between the location of his death: it could be either Vindobona in what is today Vienna, Austria; or it could be Sirmium in Pannonia Province (currently Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia).
As Roman Emperor from CE 0161 until his death, his full name was Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus. Before then, his original name was Marcus Annius Verus.
The Golden Age of the Roman Empire in the West is widely acknowledged by many to have taken place under the reign of Marcus Aurelius.
Marcus Aurelius is best known for his collection of personal writings we know today as Meditations. This work is an example of the Stoic philosophy he followed for most of his life.
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| * When it comes to "philosopher kings," monarchs whose rule is benevolent even as they ensure that their centralized rule is unquestioned, Marcus Aurelius is considered the gold standard among them. Regardless of who would have succeeded him as emperor (it turned out to be his son Commodus), the Roman Empire went into decline after his death. * Many people today know about Marcus Aurelius from his (inaccurate) portrayal by Richard Harris in Ridley Scott's 2000 movie Gladiator. |
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