“In my nineteenth year, on my own initiative and at my own expense, I raised an army with which I set free the state…” – Caesar Augustus

At 19 years of age, Gaius Octavius was declared the heir to the assassinated Julius Caesar.  Within 13 years, he became the sole ruler of the Roman Empire and was renamed Caesar Augustus.  He continued to rule until his death at 77 years old.

What on earth does that have to do with music and entertainment?

Take a look at some of the biggest faces in pop music from the past two decades, and you’ll notice that they are strikingly young.  Some were barely adults when they rose to fame, and others were barely teenagers.  Taylor Swift was number 5 on Billboard 200 when the artist was 17.   Selena Gomez starred in Wizards of Waverly Place at age 15.  Drake played in Degrassi when he was 14 years old.

What these artists have in common with Augustus is a remarkable amount of wealth, fame, and power at a young age.  History and common knowledge show this to be a dangerous situation.  4 decades after Augustus, the emperor Nero took over the empire at the age of 17.  He became one of the most notorious tyrants to have existed, killing thousands and using up Rome’s money and resources for his personal pursuits and luxury.

Celebrity status isn’t for everybody.  Most who want it will never achieve it, and many who have it come to hate it.  Many who deserve it will never receive it, and many who don’t deserve it squander it.  It’s easy to ignore the platitudinous lessons we learned as children.  “Money and fame aren’t everything,” or at least not until you have them.  “Money corrupts,” but not me.  “Don’t do drugs,” unless you can get away with it.

Celebrity life is hard.  It takes a stable moral foundation or at least an exceptional amount of drive and self motivation to stay a straight course.  I’ve often asked myself which is harder: a life with limits, or a life without restrictions?  A life with no resources, or one with an endless amount?  When no one can give you rules or structure, you must be the one to control and take care of yourself.  Any college student will tell you how difficult that is.

To thrust that kind of responsibility and freedom onto people who have barely entered puberty is a scary thought.  Ancient and contemporary history confirm this.  Young Roman emperors died young after a life of frivolous spending and unrestricted indulgence.  Anyone who’s seen a fair share of E! True Hollywood Stories will tell you this sounds familiar.

I don’t want to imply that all celebrities are egomaniacal and destined for a short life.  I want to point out that getting famous young is risky business.  Celebrities face an enormous amount of societal and media pressure and deal with peer pressure from people who may not be the best influences.  Even without fame, young adults are impressionable and difficult to control.  They are not fully developed because they lack the years required to understand themselves and the world.  They need this understanding in order to cope with the pressures of life.  Celebrity life is a massive distraction from human development.

So what does Augustus’ experience teach us about dealing with this distraction?  It shows that at least two things are important if young people are to survive a life with wealth and without restriction: self-sacrifice and good companions.

“In my nineteenth year,… I raised an army…”  but it wasn’t until he was 32 that Augustus achieved sole rule of an empire.  During those 13 years, he played political games, fought battles on land and sea, and dealt with chronic health conditions.  He was not handed power.  He worked 13 years for it, not to mention the effort he had put in before he was 19.  Part of the problem with young emperors who followed was that they received the same privileges and power without having earned anything.  There’s no true sense of fulfillment and responsibility when that happens.

Also, Augustus didn’t do it alone.  Marcus Agrippa led Augustus’ forces against Marc Antony and Cleopatra in the final battle at Actium.  Agrippa was Augustus’ lieutenant and friend.  Some historians claim that the only reason Augustus was able to become emperor was because of Agrippa’s military strategy.  Augustus lacked the military experience and the physical strength and health to lead an army.  He needed Agrippa to help with things he couldn’t do.  Beyond that, he needed someone besides himself, someone with whom he could share his passions and goals.

Hard work is necessary in order to feel fulfillment.  Pick a goal and work for it.  Once you get what you want, pick something else and work for that.  Friends are important for supporting your work and for fighting narcissism.  Choose them wisely and keep them close.  Always be wary of those who only flatter you.

Few young people know hard work or true friends yet.  That’s what they need.  Really, that’s what we all need.  Hopefully, they come before the fame and the fortune because so rarely do they come with it.

Let me know what you think.  What do you think about celebrities?  Do you feel bad for them or not?  What values do you think you would need to be famous and not crash?   I’m looking forward to your responses.

Thanks for reading!