The Daily Stoic - It’s Not That Complicated

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Starting point is 00:00:49 We're trying to think about what we're going to eat this week. It was such a relief to see that hello fresh box sitting on our doorstep when we got home. They've got everything you need for the recipe that they pick out. There's no last minute trips to the store. Plus, the meals are delicious and easy to make. The best way to cook just got better. Go to hellofresh.com slash stoic 10 FM to get 10 free meals plus free breakfast for life. One box with active subscription. Free meals applied as a discount on the first box. New subscribers only varies by plan. That's hellofresh.com stoic 10fm to get 10 free meals plus free breakfast for life. Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, where each day we bring you a Stoic-inspired meditation

Starting point is 00:01:37 designed to help you find strength and insight and wisdom into everyday life. Each one of these episodes is based on the 2,000-year-old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women to help you learn from them, to follow in their example, And to start your day off, with a little dose of courage and discipline and justice and wisdom. For more, visitdailystoic.com. It's not that complicated. It's long been one of the mysteries, the tragedies of history. How did Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher king, give way to Cometus?

Starting point is 00:02:32 How did such a thoughtful, even saintly man raise such a terrible son? Why did one rule well and the other rule so badly? In Wisdom takes work, I explore one of these answers. Marcus Aurelius had arranged many guardians, writes the historian Cassius Dio, among who were numbered the best men in the Senate. But their suggestions and counsels, he says, Comedus rejected. He dismissed them, took his own counsel, and ultimately failed quite badly. It's a story as old as time, a reminder to all of us the need for mentors, teachers, and advisors.

Starting point is 00:03:09 But there is another simpler and even more obvious example that explains their wildly divergent reins. Comedus was 18 years old when he became the most powerful man in the world. Would anyone have escaped his fate? Would you? Marcus Aurelius ruled as a co-emperor with Antoninus for 13 years, and he did not take over till he was 40. That's a big difference. Power is corruptive and corrosive no matter your age. To the young and inexperienced, it's even worse.

Starting point is 00:03:43 Cometous by nature of his father's position and the loss of five of his brothers was thrust into an impossible situation. He was doomed to failure as nearly all kings and monarchs. and absolute rulers are. It's bad for you. It's bad for the world. That's why most countries don't have them. So if you want to know why Comedus and Marcus Aurelius were so different, it's not much of a mystery. In fact, the answer is simple. Its advisors are lack thereof and four decades of experience on this planet. Look, ads are annoying. They are to be avoided, if at all possible. I understand as a content creator why they need to exist. That's why I don't begrudge them when they appear on the shows

Starting point is 00:04:38 that I listen to. But again, as a person who has to pay a podcast producer and has to pay for equipment and for the studio and the building that the studio is in, it's a lot to keep something like the Daily Stoic going. So if you want to to support a show but not listen to ads, well, we have partnered with Supercast to bring you an ad-free version of Daily Stoic. We're calling it Daily Stoic Premium. And with premium, you can listen to every episode of the Daily Stoic podcast completely ad-free, no interruptions, just the ideas, just the messages, just the conversations you came here for. And you can also get early access to episodes before they're available to the public. And we're going to have a

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The Daily Stoic - It’s Not That Complicated

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