There are plenty of cases of people who rose through the ranks to become powerful beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.
Adolf Hitler, maybe the most famous example.
Reality is complicated...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expansion_of_Macedonia_under...
Philip inherited too. He built on his father's very considerable success, just like Alexander built on his father's.
Amyntas III -> Philip II -> Alexander III
They're a dynastic set. There's not a lot of sense in separating and comparing them.
But in terms of lasting impact, it's not even close. Philip II exerted control over Greece for a brief time but didn't change much. Alexander changed the entire world permanently.
He was also, by all accounts, a twat. He killed his friends in bouts of rage. He was a brilliant strategist, but he did not really build anything that lasted. Some slivers of his empire survived, but not because of his actions. He might have lived the life he wanted, we will never know for sure. But I would much rather live the life I have, however imperfect it might be.
> Am I a better man than him?
Are you happy? Do you make other people happy? Do you support or help other people when they need, or side by them when they want? Those are more important metrics than the surface area conquered at the cost of tremendous suffering.
We remember people for their accomplishments, not because they were good as human beings.
No question that he was both lucky and a despot.
2. Many of the Diadochi (his bros) went on to great success, and he picked all of them.
People love to be contrarian but it can get ridiculous. Claiming that Alexander the great wasn't actually so great is just boring.
You're in good company, because the other ~100% of us are also imperfect and make mistakes all the time.
You take the "bad with the good" just the same as you take the "good with the bad."
Life is not a race. There is no prize at the end. In a long enough timeline, nobody will remember you, nor Alexander the Great. What is the point then of your life? What is your goal?
Seek to answer this question, and proceed.