A Tribute and A Lesson From Alexander The Great

WARNING, GUYS! NERD ALERT!

Alexander III, known as "Alexander The Great" was the Macedonian King. Son of the King Philip II of Macedon and Olympias of Epirus lived to become who we now call the greatest military leader. Legend tells Olympias (a practitioner of sorcery and a religious believer in Greek gods) was one of Zeus' wives. It goes that one night, she had lain in bed with a python (a symbol for Zeus) when Philip who was peering through the bedroom saw what was going. His wife had and so the King got the idea that his wife could have been keeping this dark secret all along. Then he decided to consult an Oracle to see if his accusations were true. Furthermore, the god Zeus, as a punishment, took out the eye he saw Olympias that night with.

Alexander was a student of one of the greatest philosophers, Aristotle who educated him about music, arts, religion, logic, philosophy and etc. He developed a passion for the poet Homer's epics such as the Illiad. In fact, he'd even read one of his poems every night before he went to sleep. You'd begin to wonder what could possibly be going inside the bright mind of this adolescent child because he grew up to prove his knowledge was far more bigger than his position himself. Numerous stories of Alexander's brightness as a child go about such as the time his father got him a horse which apparently couldn't be tamed. It was too wild so the King had ordered it to be sent back while Alexander approaches it, tells his father that he just didn't know how to handle one, gets up on the horse and rides away. Philip was convinced his son was so much more than what he'd appear to be .

The King later married Cleopatra Eurydice. During the banquet, the drunken king's general had prayed aloud to the gods that Cleopatra and Philip would produce a successor to Philip's throne. An insulted Alexander replied "You villain!...What, am then I a bastard?" Out of drunkenness and rage, the king tries to cross over the table to Alexander to hurt him when he accidentally slips on his foot and fell. Alexander says "See there. The man who makes preparations to pass out of Europe into Asia, overturned in passing from one seat to another." After that night Alexander grew bitter against his father, destroying the bond between them forever.

At the age of 16, Alexander had gone into battle with his father as regent and heir apparent against Byzantion. Then again joined the pleased father in a the battle of Thermoplyae and went on as they conquered city to city by his father's side. Yet in all their success, Alexander finds someday he'll want something bigger for himself.

During a celebration at Aegea, Philip was assassinated by one of his bodyguards, Pausanias. Many believed that Alexander and his mother Olympias had plotted the murder to keep any other son from taking Alexander's throne.

Alexander takes the position as King of Macedonia at age 20. He first attacked Thessaly then continued south toward Peloponnese. But to make things a lot more simpler, he won every battle. Though there are 3 famous battles ( fought with Persia ) in the history of his reign:

1. The Battle at Grannicus where he faced King Darius. Alexander, with his excellent strategic skills and leadership led the Macedonians into the surrender of the Persians to his empire thus earning Alexander the Persian provincial capital and treasury of Sardis. While the Persian King turned back and ran for his life.
2. The Battle at Issus where again King Darius fled but this time leaving behind his wife, mother and 2 daughters all whom Alexander captured but to everyone's surprise, vowed to be taken good care of.
3. The Battle of Gaugamela where he was faced with Darius again who was now with a bigger army. For the third time, the Persian king fled while Alexander chased him. But the king had ran to the moutains while Alexander captured Babylon. Meanwhile the Persian forces were upset with all the threats they had gained from Alexander's winning. Darius was found by a Macedonian soldier in an ox-cart after he had been speared by the Persian Army leaders Satibarzanes and Barsaentes leaving him to die. King Darius spent his last words hand-in-hand with the Macedonian soldier expressing his thanksgiving to Alexander for taking care of his family. When Alexander arrived, Darius had already passed. It was too late. This was a disappointment for Alexander who wanted to capture him alive.

Before the Battle of Issus, Alexander had captured Egypt and founded Alexandria. He went to consult the Oracle of Siwa Oasis in the Libyan desert and was pronounced the new "master of the Universe" and son of the deity or Zeus. After this consultation, he began to truly believe that he was the son of a god.

Alexander slowly gave in to the lifestyle of Darius with Persian cities in hand. He had started wearing a white robe similar to that of the Persian King's, had concubines and spent his nights getting drunk. The man who the arms of Persia had failed to crush fell before it's own vices! His behavior outside the battlefield began to offend his people to the point where even his friends began to regard him as enemy.

Out of depression, he sailed through a river which led him to India where he later then had gone into a battle with the walled city of Malli. One of the men came to him and reported there had revealed been to him "a great danger which would come to the king from a wound in the course of the operation" and begged him to leave the city alone but the king scolded him for dampening the enthusiasm of the soldiers then carried on to take over the city.

Alexander brought ladders into position as his army fought tooth and nail to climb up expecting they'd get inside the city and capture it as with the others before. Unfortunately, the soldiers couldn't get to the top and the ladders were slowly breaking. When Alexander had noticed this, he immediately took action and himself was the first to get to the top of the wall. Aware of the fact he was standing in the perfect spot to be arrowed by the Mallians, he pressed on. Eventually, the great king was later found by the Macedonian soldiers in a pool of his own blood with an arrow hit straight to his lung.

With his conquest complete, Alexander survived but later died at the age of 33 on the 10 of June, 323 BC out of an unknown illness. I'd believe his illness was because of all things conspiring together-drinking, the arrow wound, his numerous battles, endemic malaria...He pushed himself too hard. Who could replace the man who went more than 12,000 miles over 12,000 years from battle to battle rising up the victor time and again?

This man is one of my favorite historical figures. I look up to his intelligence and military skills. He's amazing.

Yet at the end of his short life, Alexander was walking a fine line between genius and insanity.

Though I am astounded by the legacy this man had lived, I am saddened by the fact that this man fell to his own worldly desire and into his end.

Sometimes we, like him want the world. Maybe we don't dream of conquering it but we do almost always want what it offers-We want to be accepted in society, We want to be famous, We want to be rich, We want to be "perfect" even if it meant we had to lower our standards, even God's own standards for our temporary satisfaction.

Sometimes we think we can do it all on our own. There are days God lifts us up in victory but become too proud and like Alexander who thought himself immortal, think we can do things better our way. We can be the smartest, prettiest, or most talented person on Earth. We could even be the new "the great" but even Alexander, who gained the world, who was at the top of his gain,"INVINCIBLE", lost his life for the sake of it.

"And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?" - Matthew 16:26 (NLT)

A map of the countries/cities Alexander conquered

Alexander was never satisfied. Something inside him kept telling him he wanted more. He needed something but he didn't know what it was. He mistook it for the world, for success, for position and possession. It is sad he never found what he didn't know he was looking for.

At the end of this life, all these worldy gains won't matter. Even the world itself will disappear. Hang on to the road of eternity.