Looking from a Different Perspective.

Many people would argue that Alexander the Great was one of the most powerful and successful leader in ancient times. What many people usually don’t take into account is where and how Alexander became as successful as he was. Born in 356 BCE, Alexander already knew royalty, having a father which was a king, tended to have this affect. Alexander took over leadership after his father Phillip II was assassinated. Phillip was arguably, perhaps not the best father figure whom Macedonia had ever seen; however, he did have the well being of Alexander at heart. At a young age, Alexander was educated by a well known philosopher, where he learned much of the information which would be crucial to his later military campaigns, lending to their success. The philosophers name was Aristotle.

Aristotle disagreed with earlier philosophers such as the stoics who taught ideas revolving around self control, saying that if one had self control, you will be a generally happy person. Aristotle believed that happiness stemmed from ones views and ideas on pleasure, and how one gains such feelings. Karl Loren has a website dedicated do different ways to be happy, an entire section of the website devoted to Aristotle and what his views of happiness entailed. Aristotle believed that there were three main points which many individuals believed invoked happiness, yet Aristotle claimed otherwise saying these common ideas of happiness: wealth, pleasure and honor, could not satisfy ones internal pleasures. Pleasure therefore, stems from ones desires, and whether or not they can be satisfied. Furthermore, the Greeks ideas of happiness came through honesty and virtue. Aristotle disagrees, and claims that happiness occurs when one realizes the opportunities which will allow individuals to fully know and realize their inner being.

Several accounts lend to the idea that had Alexander not been taught by such an important and influential philosopher, he would not have carried out military campaigns in the ways he did. Taking into account different ideas of success is important while looking back at history, looking at something in one way, can often give a much different outlook that if you look at it through the common and accepted thought.

http://www.happinessonline.org/MoralCode/LiveWithTruth/p18.htm