Marcus Aurelius Research Paper

Marcus Aurelius was born in 121 C.E. Marcus became Emperor in AD 161, initially alongside Lucius Versus. He became the sole Emperor in AD 169. Continual attacks meant that a lot of his reign was spent on campaign, especially in central Europe. It is important to realize the gravity of that position and the magnitude of power that Marcus possessed. He held one of, if not the most, powerful positions in the world. If he chose to, nothing would be off limits. He could indulge and succumb to temptations, and there was nobody that could restrain him from any of his wishes. There is a reason the saying that power in absolute absolutely corrupts has been repeated throughout history, it unfortunately tends to be true. And yet Marcus proved himself worthy of the position he was in.
His meditations were a way of dealing with the stresses of daily life as a leader of one of the most powerful empires in human history. It is not surprising that he wrote his Meditations in the last decade of his life while campaigning against foreign invaders. It is the definitive text on self-discipline, personal ethics, humility, …show more content…
Marcus's principles seem kind of at odds with the fact that he is a Roman emperor out conquering other nations , but when he sits down to write in his journal, he reminds himself of the importance of virtues like tolerance, kindness, self-restraint, and humility. While he acknowledges with some pain that he'll never be a full-time philosopher with lasting fame, Marcus understands that he can still be a good person if he lives according to principles. For him, of course, as for all of us, that's more easily said than done. If you read between the lines, you'll see a hard struggle taking place right there on the page. That's Marcus the Emperor grappling with his fate right before you, thousands of years