Years later, he was being interviewed on The Dick Cavett Show while smoking a very robust cigar. After some initial banter, the interviewer begins to ask him some questions about his professional life. He started by asking about his most famous film at the time, “Citizen Kane.”

Dick:  Many people consider your film, Citizen Kane, to be the best one ever made. Is it? 

Orson: Oh no..no..no.. certainly not. Now my next one will be though! My next one will be something special.

Dick: That’s great. What’s it going to be called? Or what’s it going to be about?

Orson: I don’t know yet. I haven’t decided!

There was a lot of laughter during this somewhat cheeky and audacious exchange, but it’s easy to see how Alexander would’ve given a similar response. 

He had gone through much of his childhood, adolescence, and adult life, believing he would accomplish impressive feats. And he knew it was going to be adventurous, dangerous, and history-making. We have the benefit of history and the capacity to look back at the details of his life. His sense of optimism went beyond idle whims and fanciful dreams. It was rooted in his commitment and journey to answer both the Vorlon and Shadow questions. “Who am I? What do I want?”  (Check out my blog titled The Two Questions of the Soul for more on this.)

Alexander used the mythological heroes he believed he had a direct relationship with to inspire his future, dreams, and ambitions. Although there’s no way to conclusively prove that the heroics and feats of his ancestors had any historical basis, it’s important to note that he believed that they were true. Stories are used to educated, connect, and inspire us. He was an avid student of the Greek poet Homer and his heroic stories around the Trojan War and the historian Herodotus who described the geography, people, and creatures of lands known and unknown. He had to discover the truth, and so he combined both the boyish dreams of his mythical ancestors with the seemingly factual writings to inspire him to accomplish the impossible.

But he didn’t just pull from the fanciful stories of the past; his contemporaries highly influenced him.

Most notably was the influence of his mother, father, and his tutor Aristotle. Although Greek belief was influenced by mythology, there was also a pull to understand the world through a rational and explainable viewpoint. 

Aristotle was considered the father of the ‘scientific method,’ and his lessons on biology, astronomy, literature would’ve given Alexander the understanding that if he were to accomplish great things, he would need to understand how the world works. It’s interesting to note that although Alexander dreamed big dreams, he became most renowned for his meticulous planning in political, military and logistical matters. In his heart, the future conqueror was a dreamer. In his head, he was a pragmatist. The fusing of both of those very human qualities made him the most successful conqueror in the Classical World.

INTERESTING TALES

In 332 B.C., Alexander enjoyed some rest and relaxation in the ancient city and crown jewel of his new empire, Babylon.  The luxurious amenities and infrastructure included an abundance of water, ventilation shafts built into major structures to provide an early version of air conditioning, and the legendary Hanging Gardens, built by Nebuchadnezzar II as a gift to his wife to remind her of her homeland.   His army had successfully and unusually lobbied him to stop his conquests and return home so that they could enjoy their accumulated wealth and status within the empire.  He still had ambitious plans to conquer Arabia and North Africa, but that could wait.

He was only 32 and still had his whole life ahead of him.

On May 29th, he organized a lavish banquet for his army commanders.  After drinking a Macedonian amount of undiluted wine, Alexander, suffering the effects, retired to his chambers.  However, he was invited to an ‘after party’ to consume more by initiating and enthusiastically participating in a drinking game.  Eventually, he was persuaded, either conscious or unconscious, to his quarters.

The next day, accustomed to the effects of a hangover, he resumed his usual routine of eating, drinking, offering sacrifices to the gods, and interacting with his commanders, albeit while seeming to be more sluggish than usual.  He took a fever and for several days was restricted to bed.  He did his best to continue with the demands on his time, but the fever continued to drain him.  As the days passed, his condition worsened, and it became increasingly apparent that the king was seriously ill.

By the evening of June 5th, Alexander’s generals, friends, and closest advisors reached the obvious conclusion that he was dying.  He handed his signet ring to Perdiccas as a symbolic passing of power.  Despite the devotion of his followers to perform ritualistic acts of faith to lobby the gods on his behalf, he struggled to maintain consciousness.  Perdiccas had the signet ring, but everyone knew (including Perdiccas) that this wasn’t an indication of the kingdom passing to him.  When someone asked Alexander who the realm should go to, he famously replied, “To the strongest.”  After that vague response, he slipped into a coma.  In the late afternoon of June 11th, Alexander the Great, son of Philip of Macedon, died.

Ironically, this great visionary left virtually no direction as to who the steward and heir to the most extensive empire should be.  What followed was heated negotiations amongst his top generals about who should rule what province.  Antipater remained regent back home, and Perdiccas would watch Alexander’s newborn son until he reached the age where he could take on his father’s rule.

The generals each took their share of Alexander’s empire and established their kingdoms under Macedonian rule.

A golden carriage was created for Alexander’s embalmed body for its journey back to his ancestral homeland.   From all descriptions, the moving hearse was a work of art.  It was covered in gold, encrusted with precious stones. The container was mounted with four paintings of Alexander in action attached to the side, acting as a moving billboard and testament to his unique accomplishments.  The plan was to have it escorted safely back by a well-armed entourage of loyal soldiers. However, one of the impressive generals had another idea.  Ptolemy, who had negotiated his kingdom to be in Egypt, led a force to commit the theft of all thefts!  He captured the body and arranged for its return to Alexandria. It acted as a combination of tourist attraction and talisman, communication that ultimately he was the closest to Alexander, and therefore his own rule had legitimacy.

As it stands now, although there are some compelling theories as to the whereabouts of his ultimate resting place, the tomb of Alexander the Great remains a mystery.

Perhaps the most inspiring fact of Alexander the Great’s life is that he accomplished so much at such a young age. However, it’s crucial to remember that he didn’t do it alone. Most of his inner circle were either his boyhood friends or his father’s seasoned allies, who were in a position to advise him on how avoid actions that would lead to either internal or external disaster. This inner circle is a critically important principle if we want to accomplish our own ‘greatness’ in life, it’ll be easier if we surround ourselves with the right companions on the journey.

With those friends and allies in hand, we need to feel the joy and excitement of dreaming big dreams that will stretch our character, determination, and resourcefulness. The practical planning will come only after the dreams of greatness have been allowed to take shape… even if we don’t see the whole picture. Like Orson and Alexander, take hold of what dreams are waiting to be lived, realized, and shared with the world!