Marcus Aurelius, Stoic Philosopher: “Live a Good Life.”

At left we see why it’s hard to think of a figure in history more worthy of our admiration than Marcus Aurelius.

The things we regret in life are not misfortunes, but our own failures to live up to the standards we have set for ourselves in terms of honesty, compassion, courage, temperance, and the like.

I remember quite clearly the religious indoctrination I received as a young boy, which included the threat of eternal damnation if I did not believe in God.  I also remember what I told my mom at the time, that it’s just silly to think that a loving God would punish me for using the mind He gave me, and concluding that He did not exist, based on the evidence I gathered throughout my life.