Waking up earlier, hitting the gym, eating healthier, and reading books—every human in existence has pursued these activities as a means to better themselves. As humans, we are inherently driven to want more. Greed can lead to a man’s rise and fall. We are born with a desire for power, wealth, companionship, and an insatiable hunger that pushes us to unimaginable heights or inevitable doom. Had Crassus not been greedy, he might have retired as the wealthiest man of the Roman Empire. However, the same desire for power that propelled him to his position ultimately led to his demise.
We look around and see people from all walks of life: those who can barely feed themselves, living in solitude with no hope of marriage, and those who marry multiple partners and still seek pleasure elsewhere, be it more companionship, fancy cars, or other luxuries. Moderation is the key to an ideal existence. Without it, our concept of society crumbles, and our humanity regresses. If we lack the resilience, strength, and ability to resist the temptations of the mind, we risk losing everything.
Marcus Aurelius believed that moderation was essential for living a virtuous life. He contended that one should strive to find balance between excess and deficiency in all aspects of life, including emotions, desires, and actions. A man who possessed the wealth of the world and power rivaling that of the entire United States government today believed in the importance of moderation. Cicero also maintained that moderation was crucial for preserving social harmony and avoiding conflict. He posited that a society valuing moderation and self-control would be more likely to experience peace and prosperity. Excessive desires lead only to suffering and disappointment, while happiness is achieved in doing or accepting less.
To this day, I struggle to accept that notion. Our generation constantly craves wealth, and people often say, “I will be rich,” perhaps to impress their partners, parents, or even to convince themselves that life will eventually go their way. However, they fail to realize that life is like a game. When you are born, you register in the temporary database of history, and you play the game that is life. Regardless of whether you live or die, succeed or fail, love or hate, the game goes on. The only way to win is to act—to move, learn, practice, study, fail, and live. Learn from those who came before you, be they philosophers, physicists, mathematicians, conquerors, or leaders. Every person who has risen to prominence, whether through hate or love, teaches a valuable lesson—even those considered the epitome of evil, like Hitler, who reminds us of resilience with his quote, “Anyone can deal with victory. Only the mighty can bear defeat.”
A person cannot learn if their mind is convinced it knows everything. We often assume we should possess all the knowledge needed for success, and that we have not yet reached the age of accomplishment. However, figures like Alexander the Great and Mehmed the Conqueror toppled superpowers in their early 20s. “Does it look like I’m an Alexander?”, one might ask. Strive to be better. Even the conqueror of worlds had faults—he was an alcoholic, impulsive, and arrogant man. Envision an ideal human, and if such a person exists in your mind, aspire to be like them. Aurelius advises, “Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.”
Once we adopt this mentality, we often seek others to learn from and stumble upon the paradox of “self-help.” We fall into a loop of addiction and self-destruction, consuming books and videos, and imitating others, thinking we are evolving and improving. Yet, we may be like a misguided hero who charges into battle like a moth to a flame, believing they are the light guiding others to safety, only to be consumed by the very fire they sought to extinguish. We cannot fault the exploiters; it is their business to take advantage of the human mind—a mind we all share, one that constantly seeks growth. History often overlooks the exploited, while the exploiters carve their names in the annals of time. Was Agamemnon wrong for exploiting Paris’ mistake of taking Helen? The entire war could have been prevented if Paris had not been enslaved by his desires.
Mistakes are not created anew; they are repeated, perhaps modified, but we can always look to history to learn from the eternally damned. The only help a person needs, the answer to all their problems, lies within their soul. If the soul and mind agree, and the logos concurs, then there is no mistake—even if the outcome is negative, it was the right choice in a world full of falsehoods
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