“Emperor of Rome from A.D. 161 to A.D. 180, Marcus Aurelius is remembered as the Philosophber King.” His name meaning, Mark [the] Golden The Encyclopedia Britanica states that he was the last of the Five Good Emperors of Rome. His reign marked the last of a period of internal tranquility and good government. After his death the empire quickly descended into civil war. He has symbolized the Golden Age of the Roman Empire for many in the West. Marcus Aurelius’ work Meditations is “a cornerstone of Stoic Philosophy that delves into such themes as reason, virtue, self-control, self improvement, and finding peace in a turbulent world.”
Founder of the Foundation of Economic Education, Leonard Read, puts it this way:
“All individuals are faced with the problem of whom to improve, themselves or others. Their aim … should be to affect their own unfolding, the upgrading of their own consciousness, in short, self-perfection.”
Those who don’t even try, or when trying, find self-perfection too difficult, usually seek to expend their energy on others. Their energy has to find some target. Those who succeed in directing their energy inward … become moral leaders. Those who fail to direct their energy inward and let it manifest itself externally … become immoral leaders. Those who refuse to rule themselves are usually bend on ruling others. Those who CAN rule themselves usually have no interest in ruling others.” [emphasis added]
“Read was essentially saying that the best way to improve the world is to improve your self, an idea that stretches all the way back to Plato (c. 427-348 B.C.). The notion is pretty simple, in order to help others, one must first attend to his own needs. Or as Plato says in order to ensure justice to others, first a man must set ‘his own house in good order and rule himself.’”
“Marx’s ideology is built on fixing what he saw as an unjust and broken world” – Fixing the external environment. “The Communist Manifesto … openly declare(s) that their ends can be attained only by the force able overthrow of all existing social conditions.” [emphasis added]. “Read that last part again…’the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions.’ This was not [exaggeration]…his philosophy aimed to destroy everything on which civilization was based, including: religion and morality…the family…truth…the nation-state…individuality and freedom….the point is that Marx wanted to abolish it all.”
“Our ability to control events and systems is minimal. Embracing a philosophy that acknowledges our limits–instead of one that seeks to overthrow the world[ly environment]–is a path to individual growth, which is the source of human progress.
“Much of the disorder (and warfare) of our modern age stems directly from the ideas of Marx, whose worldview sought to overturn both the natural order [of the world] and the institutions on which Western Civilization was based.”
“…Victory for the right ideas begins by ruling ourselves. And the first step toward this end begins by embracing the simple wisdom Mr. Seinfeld gleaned from his readings of Marcus Aurelius: ‘Focus on what you’re doing; get better at what you’re doing.’”