Although worker bees only live for approximately six weeks, they spend their entire lives performing tasks that benefit the survival of their colony. Marcus Aurelius surely understood the power and advantage of keeping a community united and working towards a common goal. He was the last of the Five Good Emperors, and is also considered one of the most important Stoic philosophers. "Alone of the emperors," wrote the historian Herodian, "he gave proof of his learning not by mere words or knowledge of philosophical doctrines but by his blameless character and temperate way of life."
