We Are All Equal At The End

"Alexander the Great and his mule driver both died and the same thing happened to both." It is one of Marcus Aurelius’s most withering lines. The most powerful conqueror on earth was, Marcus implied, in the end, no better or no less mortal, than the man who drove his baggage cart. It is a powerful point, particularly when one considers that, for thousands of years, we haven’t been sure what actually killed Alexander. He died mysteriously at age 32, far from home. Was he killed by his men in a mutiny? Did he have a type of typhoid? Or cirrhosis from alcoholism? No one knows. One new theory has emerged, this time from health scientists in New Zealand, and it only further enhances Marcus's humbling analogy. The evidence points to the idea that Alexander was killed by a rare autoimmune disease called Guillain-Barre Syndrome that pits the body's immune system against its nervous system. It would have been excruciatingly painful and terrifying as Alexander was suddenly struck with a fever and sharp abdominal pains. Soon enough, he would be paralyzed and unable to speak. As his breathing slowed to next to nothing, his perplexed doctors and friends would pronounce him dead—even though he lived, frozen and alone, speechless and scared, for several more days. His men would cry at the sight of his body, which showed no signs of decay, believing it to be proof that he was a god. But Alexander was all too mortal. He was dying right there in front of them—unable even to cry for help or stop them from burying him alive. (You may remember a similar meditation we have on this very terrifying idea)In a way, Marcus did not go far enough with his biting line. What happened to Alexander the Great was likely far worse than what happened to his mule driver—who, for all we know, may have died peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by loved ones. No amount of money or fame or military achievement could insulate Alexander from this brutal stroke of fate. In the end, he was equal—or less than equal—to everyone else who ever lived. He died and he had no control over how. The same is true for us. Being a billionaire or a four-star general doesn’t stop the growth of malignant cells into cancer. It won’t prevent your plane from crashing. It can’t change your genetics. And even if it does increase your lifespan, in the end, you end up in the same ground as everyone else. We all end up as worm food, soon enough. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Let’s live and be good while we can. Memento Mori. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. 📢 Share | ⚙️ Manage Subscription

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:06Ryan Holiday?

  Welcome to The Daily Stoic, where each day we read a short passage designed to help you cultivate the strength, insight, wisdom necessary for living the good life. Each one of these passages is based on the 2,000-year-old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us at DailyStoic.com. "We are all equal at the end." One of Marcus Aurelius's most withering lines is, "Alexander the Great and his mule driver both died, and the same thing happened to both. The most powerful conqueror on earth in the end was no better or no less mortal than the man who drove his baggage cart."

• 0:48Ryan Holiday?

  An interesting twist is that for thousands of years, we haven't been sure what actually killed Alexander. He died mysteriously at age 32, far from home. Was he killed by his men in a mutiny? Did he have a type of typhoid or alcoholism? No one knows. One new theory has emerged, this time from health scientists in New Zealand, and it only further enhances Marcus's humbling analogy. The evidence points to the idea that Alexander was killed by a rare autoimmune disease called Gillian Barr Syndrome that pits the body's immune system against the nervous system. It would have been excruciatingly painful and terrifying

• 1:29Ryan Holiday?

  as Alexander was suddenly struck with a fever and sharp abdominal pains. Soon enough, he would be paralyzed and no longer able to speak. As his breathing slowed to next to nothing, his perplexed doctors and friends would pronounce him dead, even though he lived, frozen and alone, speechless and scared, for several more days. His men would cry at the sight of his body, which showed no signs of decay, believing it to be proof that he was a god. But Alexander was all too mortal. He was dying right there in front of them, unable even to cry for help or to stop them from burying him alive. In a way, Marcus Aurelius did not go far enough.

• 2:13Ryan Holiday?

  What happened to Alexander the Great was likely far worse than what happened to his mule driver, who, for all we know, may have died peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by loved ones. No amount of money, or fame, or military achievement was able to spare Alexander from this bad stroke of fate. In the end, he was equal, or less than equal, to everyone else who ever lived. He died, and he had no control over how. The same is true for us. Being a billionaire or a four-star general doesn't stop the growth of malignant cells into cancer. It won't prevent your airplane from crashing. It can't change your genetics. And even if it does increase your lifespan, in the end, you end up in the same ground as everyone else.

• 2:57Ryan Holiday?

  We all end up as worm food soon enough. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Let's live and be good while we can. Memento mori.