Iron Man Emperor Marcus Aurelius

 Marcus Aurelius (Marcus Aurelius: 121-180) From Slave to Emperor: The power of Stoic philosophy The difference between the gangster and the hero in the back alley is not in power. Considering that he is strong and good at fighting, the back alley gangster can be better than the hero Hogul. However, a gangster cannot be more than a gangster. When an old, sick, or stronger person appears, he becomes a poor being criticized and trampled mercilessly. However, even if the hero loses his power, he is still respected by people and does not lose his authority and honor. Where is the difference between a gangster and a hero? It lies in justification and morality. Gangsters eventually live only for themselves and their smarts, but heroes truly live "for justice." Therefore, the hero collapses helplessly.Even if they do, people miss him and follow him. Rome was a country with a history of more than 1,500 years just by the history of the empire ruled by the emperor. If Rome was simply a powerful country, it would not have lasted this long. It's like a strong back alley gangster. Rome was a country that suited the expression "hero girl" in terms of people. So, what was the justification and morality that characterized the Roman Empire as a Hero Hogul? It is the Stoa philosophy. There are few ideologies in history that have been supported by everyone in an era as much as Stoic philosophy. Among the famous Stoic philosophers were slaves such as Epicetus, politicians such as Seneca, and emperors such as Marcus Aurelius (121-180) this month. Stoic philosophy, which allowed everyone in the empire from slaves to emperors to come together, was a hidden power that made Rome a true strong man. Now, let's turn the story to Aurelius, the main character of the month, a little philosopher born in the "Golden Age." Aurelius was born in 121 in Rome, the capital of the empire. At that time, Rome was enjoying the best peace and prosperity under Emperor Hadrianus. Hadrian is famous as an emperor who has been on a business trip all his life to take care of the empire carefully under a meticulous mother. To the extent that the emperor printed a strange currency called "the emperor's return commemorative coin" to commemorate his return to Rome after a long business trip. The time spent in the capital may not have been long, but in Hadrian's meticulous eyes, the "lumber" to become emperor must have been noticeable. The timber was Aurelius. Aurelius' family was so prestigious that his grandfather served as the highest government official three times. However, his father, who was as famous as his grandfather, died early, so he was growing up in his mother's house. Records have shown that Aurelius was definitely a boy the emperor could love. He devoted himself to studying late at night and was not a natural health constitution, but he was also eager to train his body through running, wrestling, and falconing. How many adults would not be proud of a child who studies hard and is not lazy to exercise? In addition, Aurelius was even philosophical. Stoic philosophy believes that excessive greed and pursuit of pleasure eventually lead to pain, and emphasizes immovable (pat動: Apatheia) that is not shaken by any temptation. Aurelius lived a strict and restrained life according to Stoa's teachings. According to a story, he had already realized since he was a teenager, so he abandoned his warm bed and always slept on the cold floor, and kept away from gladiator games and wagon games, which were the best entertainment. This "little philosopher" Aurelius' "abandoned" attitude was a must for Emperor Hadrian, who is known for being picky. The emperor used to call him "Versimus" because he was so cute, and if we express this in our way, it would be like a "really true child." Until he became emperor, the emperor paid special attention to educating Aurelius. He gave consideration to this "Little Philosopher" so that he could receive education from the best teachers. As a result, it is said that there were 17 teachers who taught Aurelius alone. In any society, there is an "elite course" to become a social leader. Aurelius faithfully follows this elite course. At the age of eight, he was already a priest, and after that, he went smoothly with the success of finance officers, consuls, homing officials, and senators. Indeed, it was impossible to succeed without the emperor's consideration. Certainly, the emperor thought of him as a successor. This is also evident in the fact that Hadrian's stepson, who died young, engaged his daughter. However, this "Little Philosopher" was too young to become Hadrian's next emperor. Not necessarily for this reason, but the wise emperor nominates Marcus Antonius, 52, as his successor and accepts him as his adopted son. However, on the condition that Antony accepts Aurelius as a adopted son again. As a result, a little bizarre 'family' has been created. The age difference between the grandfather and the father was only 10 years old, and the father liked the newly acquired "son" and broke the engagement he had made and married his daughter. However, although the family composition may have been "overseas topic", the grandfather's choice to make up this family was "politically" accurate and correct. Antonin, who succeeded Hadrian, was a really good and outstanding emperor. Not much is known about the historical facts of his reign, because Rome during this period was so stable and peaceful that there was no event that could be "artisanized." People called him Antoninus Pius. This means "Pious Antoninus." He was moral enough to be nicknamed "godliness" and was faithful to Stoa's teachings in that he emphasized a rational life. This character also appeared in teaching 'son'. Once Aurelius was crying sadly when he heard the news that the family teacher who taught him died. After seeing this, Antonin comforts his son as follows. "...there are times when neither the philosophy of the wise nor the power of the emperor does anything to restrain emotions. In that case, I have no choice but to endure thinking that you are a man..." According to Stoic philosophy, everything in the world is determined by cosmological reason (Logos). Then we don't have to be sad even if our loved one is dead. It was already decided to do so. If so, it is only foolish to break the peace of mind to be happy or sad about something that has happened. We must exercise our logic to realize the deep meaning of cosmological reason (Logos) and find peace of mind without joy or sadness, that is, apatheia. Aurelius lived his whole life according to these teachings. Aurelius, who later lost his child, reportedly tainted himself like his "father" did. "...A foolish person asks like this. What should I do not to lose my child? But you have to ask like this. "What should I do to overcome the sadness of losing my child?" It is a very strong and sound attitude of life. The strength of the Romans who did not lose their composure even in times of crisis and trials was in this Stoic ideology. In 161 of the shaky Pax Romana, Emperor Antoninus Pius dies. As a result, Aurelius, who is now 40, became the emperor of Rome. The empire he inherited was apparently paxromana itself. There was no war and the economy flourished. However, Rome was already slowly collapsing, only in appearance. The gap between the rich and the poor widened severely, and small and medium-sized farmers who could not withstand taxes and exploitation abandoned their land and flocked to the capital Rome, causing numerous social problems. The empire was barely quelling social dissatisfaction with bread and circus using income from Sokju without preventing the tyranny of those who had it or stabilizing the livelihood of those who did not. Aurelius led Rome in crisis with outstanding administrative power. However, this was as dangerous as blocking the bank that was about to collapse with a fist. In 162, Rome's "traditional rival" Parthia invaded. However, the philosopher emperor was good at war. Aurelius not only easily defeated Partia but also secured Mesopotamia. However, victory and conquest brought about an unexpected disaster. The plague, which was popular in this region, flowed into the empire. Plague spread everywhere and numerous citizens died. There were also heavy floods over and over again. Furthermore, in 166 the Germanic broke through the Danube River, the empire's defense line, the Sarmatens crossed the border in 168 and the Moors crossed the border in 169. Aurelius had no time to rest to deal with all this. {Meditation Record} and... However, Aurelius was a philosopher among them. His masterpiece "Meditation Record" was written in an army barracks or battlefield when he was busy trying to prevent rebellion and invasion. This book was originally titled "disciplining myself." In other words, it was not a book written to show to anyone, but an admonition to oneself. Even in the desolate battlefield where human cruelty is raging, Aurelius did not lose the aspect of a philosopher who constantly awakens reason and seeks peace of mind. His human troubles and philosophical thoughts are well represented throughout the {Meditation Record>.

"...This world is nothing but a fine point compared to the universe, and human life is just instant..."Life is a struggle, the world is only a temporary camp for strangers, and the reputation gained after death is in vain. For us, philosophy is the only support. Philosophy teaches us that the holy spirit is preserved in ourselves and tells us that everything we suffer is not evil, but our destiny...What happens according to cosmic reason can never be bad.." "Human beings exist for each other." Rome's financial status has become increasingly difficult due to the ongoing war and natural disasters. Aurelius did not choose to raise taxes or loot through aggression to solve the scarce financial resources. If he does so now, he will carry out what could be called a "charity bazaar." From the emperor's jewelry to furniture used in everyday life, they started selling it on the streets. Of course, this would have been a symbolic act to show that the national leader takes the lead first in the face of a crisis, but it seems to have worked greatly to impress Roman citizens and bring their hearts together. Now the Roman Senate gives him the title of "father of the state." Aurelius was also a very generous person. In 175, when subordinate officers killed A. Casius, the governor-general of Syria, who had rebelled, Aurelius did not even try to see his cut neck in person. In addition, he burned all the letters about the rebellion between Cassius and others without reading them. In fact, his generosity was in accordance with the teachings of Stoic philosophy. According to Stoic philosophy, everyone has a 'logos'. This reason is like "Logos," which governs everything in the universe. If so, one person with reason is a precious being to respect, whether his skin is white, black, Latin, or German. Because I have reason, if I have dignity as a human being, there is no way that the other person who has reason will not have dignity. Rome's "Cosmopolitanism" originated from this idea. If all human reason follows the "Cosmic Logos," laws made by rational humans of other ethnic groups are as dignified as Roman law. If so, the law was not made by humans, but what originally exists in nature appeared in various forms depending on the nation and culture. This is not much different from what we call the idea of natural law. If so, of course, it should be respected that the rational culture and customs of other ethnic groups follow the cosmic logos. Therefore, even in ancient culture, where conquest meant looting and destruction, Rome viewed, protected, and respected the conquered nation as a "Korean" with the same reason as me. The great empire of Rome was possible on the embrace and tolerance of this Stoic philosophy. Aurelius was too faithful to this ideology of empire. The death of Aurelius and the fall of the empire Now the moment of death has come for Aurelius. This weary emperor, who has always suffered from war and disaster, is told that the Donau riverside is becoming noisy again in 180 years. He saw through that the German invasion was not just for looting, but for being pushed over to the empire by another ethnic attack that they themselves approached from the north. So, the government continued to implement policies to settle them within the Roman border and make them a new workforce for the empire, which had a reduced population due to diseases. Furthermore, Aurelius tried to wage a "last war" to prevent the empire from ever getting troubled by Germanic problems again by expanding its territory beyond the Donau defense line. However, cosmic reason did not accept the emperor's will. On his way back from the Germanic conquest, he falls down with a plague. Even at the moment of death, Aurelius did not lose his courage as a Stoic philosopher. One phrase in the {Meditation Record} illustrates his attitude toward death. "...Don't treat the rest of us badly when we're about to break up.Don't be overwhelmed by intense emotions with your family, and part gently. Just as nature (space reason) has combined them with you, now nature is only separating you from them again. All of this is a very natural process..." After Aurelius' death, the emperor position was handed over to Comodos, a mean and cruel son unlike his philosopher's father. (The film Gladiator, which was based on this era background, was originally many children, but he remained wise because of Aurelius. The son did not have the ability to control and control Rome as technically as his father, which later entered the path of collapse in uncontrollable chaos. "Follow nature." Stoic philosophy was originally a philosophy started by the Greek philosopher Zenon in the late 4th century B.C. Originally, the Stoic philosophy was the philosophy of a hermit who tried to escape from a confused society and find his own composure of mind. However, just as Buddhism, which emphasized meditation and enlightenment, became a ruling ideology in many countries in history, and Christianity, which emphasized reflection and service, dominated the Western Middle Ages, Stoic philosophy also developed into a ruling ideology of a great empire beyond individual enlightenment. In other words, history has proven that philosophy that makes individuals excellent can make society excellent. Aurelius' life shows us that through philosophical reflection, mature individuals can also become good social leaders. Always have an attitude of constantly reflecting on your life so that you can maintain true peace of mind. This will be the way to make you a better social leader than solving one more math problem and memorizing one more English word.