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Welcome to the Daily Stoke. For each day, we read a short passage designed to help you cultivate the strength, insight, wisdom necessary for living good life.

Each one of these passages is based on the 2000 year old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us at DailyStoic.com.

We are all equal at the end. One of Marcus Aurelius' most withering lines is Alexander the Great and his mule driver both died and the same thing happened to both.

The most powerful conqueror on earth in the end was no better or no less mortal than the man who drove his baggage cart.

An interesting twist is that for thousands of years we haven't been sure what actually killed Alexander. He died mysteriously at age 32 far from home.

Was he killed by his man in a mutiny? Did he have a type of typhoid or alcoholism? No one knows.

One new theory has emerged this time from health scientists in New Zealand and it only further enhances Marcus's humbling analogy.

The evidence points to the idea that Alexander was killed by a rare autoimmune disease called Julien Bar syndrome that pits the body's immune system against the nervous system.

It would have been excruciatingly painful and terrifying as Alexander was suddenly struck with a fever and sharp abdominal pains.

Soon enough he would be paralyzed and no longer able to speak. As his breathing slowed to next to nothing his perplexed doctors and friends would pronounce him dead.

Even though he lived, frozen and alone, speechless and scared for several more days. His men would cry at the sight of his body which showed no signs of decay, believing it to be proof that he was a god.

But Alexander was all too mortal. He was dying right there in front of them, unable even to cry for help or to stop them from burying him alive.

In a way Marcus Aurelius did not go far enough. What happened to Alexander the Great was likely far worse than what happened to his mule driver, who for all we know may have died peacefully in his sleep surrounded by loved ones.

No amount of money or fame or military achievement was able to spare Alexander from this bad stroke of fate. And the end he was equal or less than equal to everyone else who ever lived.

He died and he had no control over how. The same is true for us. Being a billionaire or a four star general doesn't stop the growth of malignant cells into cancer. It won't prevent your airplane from crashing.

It can't change your genetics. And even if it does increase your lifespan in the end, you end up in the same ground as everyone else.

We all end up as worm food soon enough. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Let's live and be good while we can.

Momento, Mori.

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Hey, I'm Brooke and I'm Arisha and we're the hosts of Wondery's podcast, even the rich, where we bring you absolutely true and absolutely shocking stories about the most famous families and the biggest celebrities the world has ever seen.

Our newest series is all about the teen movie icon Gabrielle Union after spending her childhood trying to assimilate and breaking into a racist industry. Gabrielle thought her success meant someone else had to fail.

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