Marcus Aurelius: All Men Die One Day

The Philosopher-King

Known as the last of the five good emperors, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus or just Marcus Aurelius, was a man who lived by his awareness of his mortality to accomplish monumental achievements in his time as emperor of the giant that was the Roman Empire.  The famous quote, 'Seize the day,' could not be more aptly exemplified by Marcus Aurelius, with accomplishments including: defeat of a rejuvenated Parthian Empire, success in the Marcomannic wars against the building Germanic tribes, and quickly suppressing of a major revolt in the eastern provinces.  

However, it was his stoic philosophy that made this man iconic.  The 'philosopher king' was what he was called, with a compilation of thoughts in his sought-after works, Meditations.  In such writings it can be found an account of how aware this Caesar was of the shortness of his life.  In one instance, Aurelius writes, "When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."  He was noted to look down upon indulgence in the basal desires: excessive sleep, gluttony, and lust.  He was a man zeroed in on the present, one to steer away from the sheep, and one aware of his own self-worth and ability. 

Aurelius was a confident emperor but not one to overstep his bounds.  As leader of one of, if not the greatest empire at the time, how could one not let indulgence interfere with ambition and legacy?  This Roman had such a keen awareness of his own mortality that it is said that he would have a servant walk behind him, as the two would travel through Rome's town square.  When the people cheered and praised him, the servant's sole duty was to whisper in the Emperor's ear, "You are only a man, you are only a man," as a reminder as to the temporary status of the world he lived in.  

If such a man with such status and power could will himself such an awareness, and in doing so, live up to be named with such an esteemed title as one of the 'Five Good Emperors' of one of the most monolithic empires in human history, than what tells us that we should ignore our own mortality in order to reach our own successes?

Bibliography

Aurelius, Marcus, and Gregory Hays, Meditations.  New York: Modern Library, 2002.  Print. 

What Hippocrates Taught Us

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."  Famous words said by the late Hippocrates, a model physician of ancient Greece.   Hippocrates laid the foundation to natural medicine, his principles being the core of medicine until 1805 when "alternative" medicine took its place.  

A prolific figure with a prolific beard - I'm 'mirin

Hippocrates pushed the principle of medicine that it should respect natures healing forces that are housed in each living organism.  Illness was a natural part of life, an indicator to imbalances in an individual's lifestyle that manifested in ailments of one's physical health.  

Hippocrates in the 'Hippocratic Zone'

Its interesting to note this perception of medicine and such a quote.  It calls forth illness, not as a nuisance that must quickly be rid of as we move on with our life, but rather as an indicator of where we are heading, and acts as a reminder when we stray from a path of vitality and virility.  Too often we perceive in today's world, that medicine is simply a quick fix to use when we are feeling less than 100%.  We see medicine as a magic bullet that will solve all our ailments and let us keep going down our own self-destructive pathway.  Its like numbing ourselves of our pains, our indicators that something in our lifestyle is wrong and needs changing.  In an extreme sense, the modern person's use of modern medicine can be seen as turning a deaf ear to the plight of the physical body.  When you don't listen for long enough, it will come back to bite you.  

Back to Hippocrates' statement about food and medicine.  Such a statement tasks the individual to handle those ailments that have developed over time as a result of one's lifestyle in the same regard as the disease manifests: through changes in lifestyle, thinking long term results and long term benefits.  

Changes in our diet do not manifest in their benefits or detriment over night.  It is through a period of time that nutritional changes can be realized.  So in one way, Hippocrates is calling forth a slow, gradual approach to change, stating that medicine needs to tackle ailments as such.  This falls directly in line with the key principle of his, that medicine must respect nature's healing process.  As better nutrition is indulged upon, the immune system of the body is provided better resources to tackle whatever is ailing the individual.  It is not the essence of life systems to abruptly cause change and deal with that change in an equally abrupt manner.  Change, at least quality change, occurs over time, it is up to impatient man, whether he chooses to adhere to the sway of the life forces around him.  

Work with nature, not against it

The Wolves of the Hill: The Mighty Mongol Horde

Genghis Khan's Mongols: Men of the Plains 

Many a nations have traversed this world but only a few have risen to such heights that they continue to convey awe even after their absence.  At this thought one brings to mind the great empires of Persia, Islam, Egypt, and of course, the mighty Rome.  Yet one may find another who trumps all those before it in the most sought after empire achievement: geographical expanse.  In this sphere of an empire’s quest, only one nation stands as the peak of empirical success: Genghis Khan’s Mongol Horde.  This man’s exceptional tactics of conquest allowed the Mongol’s to become, geographically, the greatest empire in history.  His accommodating view of foreign peoples, religious tolerance, and sound military tact, allowed the Mongols to explode out of their homeland of the Mongolian Plains to become an empire ranging in influence from the gates of Venice to the Pacific Ocean.  Genghis Khan’s triumphant skill as a conqueror is displayed through his relations with foreign peoples conquered. 

Genghis Khan’s accommodating treatment of captured foreign peoples was a major factor in his empire’s supremacy.  With each nation’s capture, its officers were put to use as advisors for the Great Khan.  These scholars, military men, administrators, and craftsmen ranged from many ethnicities.  With such a diverse advising palate, the Mongol’s were able to gain a variety of information ranging from new military technologies, craftsmanship, medicine, as well as economic systems.  Most importantly, they gained information about foreign lands yet to be conquered.  As such, as ethnic diversity increased, and knowledge with it, so did the ability of the Mongol's to effectively combat and subdue potential enemies. 

Without the incorporation of Chinese engineering, the Mongols would have struggled greatly with siege warfare

On a more social level, Genghis Khan encouraged mass intermarriage, having taken on two Chinese wives himself, to blur the lines of ethnic differentiation, and to unite all his people.  This enabled the prevention of internal strife among different cultures, which then allowed a focus on external enemies.  This was strikingly depicted within military organization.  

Genghis Khan divided his men into inter-ethnic squads who were ordered to live with each other and defend one another as brothers. Eventually this organization covered all of Mongol society and set a fundamental unity among the Mongol empire.  Thus, through his uniting of captured peoples and their cultures with the Mongols, Genghis Khan was able to fully take advantage of his expanding empire.  Although this policy was advantageous to further expansion, it was the surprising tolerance of different religions that gave greatness and strength to the Khan’s empire. 

Religious tolerance was crucial for the growing Mongol empire

Religious tolerance played an even greater role in the Mongol expansion.  Genghis did not persecute his non-Shamanists (dominant Mongol faith) from practising their own religious beliefs so long as they acknowledged Genghis as their sovereign.  As such, his empire was composed of freely practising Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Taoists, and Shamanists.  Many times in the Mongols’ conquests, submission of conquered peoples became easier as they heard of the Mongol Khan’s open-minded opinion of foreign religions.  

A very interesting example of such easy submission can be seen through the conquest of the city of Balasagun in modern day Kyrgyzstan.  Muslim envoys from the city sent their plea to Genghis that they were being oppressed by their Christian king and sought the Khan’s protection.  Genghis complied and shortly afterwards, his armies invaded Balasagun, beheading the king, and declaring freedom of worship throughout the surrounding lands.  Not only did Genghis openly allow freedom of religion, he went further in extending religious privileges of other peoples in his empire.  Religious clerks were excused from public service and paying tax so that they could focus on their respective religious practices.  Such was the extent of the Mongol Khan’s tolerance of faiths.  In the predominantly unconquered West, the clergy scorned Genghis Khan with the title of The Scourge of God, but in the East, he was known as The Protector of Religions.  As can be seen, Genghis Khan’s religious tolerance of foreign faiths not only made it easier to conquer, but created a benevolent image of the Mongol leader.  Nevertheless, even with this internal policy of religious openness, ultimately it was the might of the Mongol military that allowed large territories to be subdued. 

The infamous 'Shoot you backwards while riding' maneuver

The military tactics used by the Mongols enabled devastating conquests to seemingly superior forces and enabled these Mongol warriors to expand to impeccable heights.  On a pure individual level, the Mongol warrior was a weapon to be reckoned with.  Armed with powerful double recurve bows with unrivalled range, exceptional swordsmanship, and ponies of incredible endurance, the Mongol Horde mobilized and attacked with deadly speed and force.  When attempting to befall an enemy fortress, these warriors would pillage surrounding villages, soaking up the land’s resources and preventing resupplying of the surrounded fortress. 

Furthermore, as an act of mercy, the attacking Mongol generals would signal to the besieged peoples with a series of three coloured tents to show the capturer’s intentions.  On the first day a white tent indicating the city and people would be spared, the next day a red tent showing the males would be killed, and a black tent on the third day showing that all would be destroyed.  Such options to the besieged settlements allowed Genghis to save men and resources whenever possible, make an example to other enemies, and ultimately to streamline the Mongol war campaign.  Even with these efficient battle tactics, the most helpful of all was Genghis’ decision to choose generals based upon merit rather than kinship.  As such, all who truly showed leadership ability were chosen for the responsibility of leading several thousand warriors to victory.  With such promotion policies, a mere sheep herder had the potential to become a great general if his abilities could attest to the rank.  Thus, with the ferocity and intellect by which the Great Genghis and his men fought and organized themselves, they were able to plough through Asia and Eastern Europe to form their vast empire. 

The breadth of expansion of the Mongol empire, from Venice to Korea

Thus, Genghis Khan was able to lead his people from the nomadic steppes of Mongolia to an empire surpassing all previous ones.  Through ethnic equality Genghis was able to create a unified identity for his people.  His tolerance for all religions made people flock to him for sanctuary.  Furthermore, it was his awesome military might which tore into the great empires of Persia, China, and the Balkans.  Like the wolves of their homeland, the Mongols spread with ferocity and cunning to build a vast, rich nation that is awed to this day.  

Bibliography

Agırel, Seyfi. "As Contributions to This Section, the Editors Welcome Comment and Debate on Topical Issues or on Recent Articles or Reviews Appearing in the Journal. Shorter Accessibly Written Items of General Interest, Reports on Work in Progress, Notes and Queries Are Also Welcome.Colour Symbolism in Turkish and Azeri Folk Literature." Folklore 120.1 (2009): 92-101. Print.

Barfield, Thomas Jefferson. The Perilous Frontier: Nomadic Empires and China. Cambridge [u.a.: Blackwell, 1996. Print.

Callaway, Ragan M., and Wendy M. Ridenour. "Novel Weapons: Invasive Success and the Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability." Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 2.8 (2004): 436-43. Print.

Lamb, Harold. Genghis Khan. New York: Pinnacle, 1976. Print.

Weatherford, J. McIver. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. New York: Crown, 2004. Print.

Stalingrad! Oh Stalingrad!

There's something about the USSR that just gushes with 'COOL'

Since first being introduced to World War II history in the tenth grade, I became hooked to the subject of one of the most devastating and awing world conflict in human history.  My passion for this time period never ceased to procure my curiosity and still does so several years later as I continue to try and understand the complexity of how such a world-devastating event was allowed to happen.  Of particular closeness to me were the exploits of the thought-to-be inferior Soviet war machine.  

My first taste of Soviet exploits came from the Hollywood production, Enemy at the Gates.  I marvelled at the aggrandizement of the Soviet hero, Vasily Zaitsev, and his elite Soviet sniper division’s exploits in their nation’s roar to the hard-pressing offensives of the German invading forces during Stalingrad’s siege.  When I discovered the true exploits of Zaitsev and that of his compatriots’ defense of Stalingrad, in what would be known as the bloodiest battle in human history, my interest expanded bounds more.  As such, the Soviet exploits in the Second World War have grown to become one of my keystone subjects of interest in the study of this incredible global struggle, and have contributed immensely to the fiery passion that I put into my researching endeavours.   

Sniper rifles and Russians, like peanut butter and jelly

Stalingrad was a battle that would epitomize the struggle between Hitler’s Fascist regime and Stalin’s Communist one.  It would be a siege unmatched in its brutality and bloodshed as well as Stalin’s last stand to protect the nationalism of his country.  It was Hitler’s final means of solidifying a crushing blow to the Russian Giant after the failure of the Moscow offensive in Operation Barbarossa, and his only means to gain the rich oil fields sorely needed to keep the war against the Soviets going.  It was Stalingrad. 

Such a siege would be warred within the confines of Stalin’s city, symbolizing the cornered struggle of popularity of Stalin’s fight against fascism.  If Stalingrad would be taken, Stalin would be done.  If Stalingrad were to be taken, Hitler would find revitalization and the German Eagle would soar to unfathomable heights.  But Stalingrad did not fall.  Against insurmountable odds and scarcity of resources, the Red Army would fight on, tooth and nail.  This siege would forever remain in infamy as one of the bloodiest siege battles in human history, utterly decimating the infrastructure and demoralizing the inhabitants of the city to unthinkable lengths. 

Yet, through the cesspit that formed in the siege of Stalin’s city, the Soviet hammer would be raised.  Not only would the Red Army rise to defeat and retake Stalingrad from the Nazi’s but it would be the beginning of the end of Hitler’s onslaught on the Soviet Union.  Stalin’s armies would make pace in gathering victory after victory, building enough momentum to barge into the heart of the Nazi war machine, Berlin, and end Hitler once and for all.  The tides of war would change at Stalingrad. 

The battle was so monumental, the Soviets found themselves knocking on Hitler's doorstep 

Why Stalingrad?  Hitler, upon taking the offensive on Stalin with his blitzkrieg of Operation Barbarossa, hoped to decisively gut the ideological antagonist of the Soviet Union with a razor sharp offensive on the capital, Moscow.  However plans failed as Stalin was able to rally enough troops to counter the German armies from capturing the capital.  With the original plan having faltered, another gem came across the eyes of the Nazi dictator: Stalingrad.

It was perfect.  Stalingrad was a major producer of the Soviet T-34 tank and its effective capture would shut down production.  Moreover, since the city was situated so close to the Volga River, tank supply to other regions of the Soviet nation would effectively be crippled.  As well, Stalingrad was in the way of major oil fields of the Caucasus, enabling resupplying of the German Tank Divisions sent on the Eastern Front.  Finally however, Stalingrad was Stalingrad.  If Hitler could not have the capital of the Soviets, he would have the city that was named after his adversary, Stalin.  It had to be Stalingrad.  

Welcome!

Welcome to a new adventure!  Through this blog I hope to entertain anyone and everyone with a sortie of written works that bring you on adventures through history, health, and wellness.

You'll find short stories, reflections on prolific historical figures as they echo major nuances in our history of humanity, and ideas about strength training.  Ultimately, I hope to use this blog as a portfolio of sorts for professional writing and a means for potential clients to see what I'm made of.

I'd like to end off this post with a very dear quote by the famous author, Steven Pressfield, as it echoes my intention with this blog quaintly:

"Are you a born writer? Were you put on earth to be a painter, a scientist, an apostle of peace? In the end the question can only be answered by action.

Do it or don't do it.

It may help to think of it this way. If you were meant to cure cancer or write a symphony or crack cold fusion and you don't do it, you not only hurt yourself, even destroy yourself,. You hurt your children. You hurt me. You hurt the planet.

You shame the angels who watch over you and you spite the Almighty, who created you and only you with your unique gifts, for the sole purpose of nudging the human race one millimeter farther along its path back to God.

Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It's a gift to the world and every being in it. Don't cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you've got.”   

Hopefully this blog also inspires whatever following it gets to live by this mantra to become the literary beasts that every writer aspires to become.