It's far from clear that Aurelius was a bad emperor. Most historians have judged him to be quite a good one, in fact.
Rather than a weakness, the teleology inherent in Stoicism is part of what makes it attractive against the ubiquitous reductive materialism of the modern world. One can just as easily point to materialism's lack of teleology as a critical weakness that ruins any virtues it might otherwise have had.
I also disagree that his journal reads as though it was meant for publication. In fact I get the opposite impression when reading it, that a man like Aurelius would have been mortified to know some of these entries would be known and re-read by audiences of millions of people for thousands of years to come.
It's also not clear how having a son who turned out to be a bad man and heir would count against a philosophy that explicitly rejects the idea that we can control such things.
All your points are fair - If stoicism works for you than all the more power. The fundamental tenant of all philosophies is to live the best life possible. For me, this is where the true beauty in philosophies lies.
Stocism doesn't work for me, I like to wear nice clothes, indulge in nice dinners when i should have saved more money, do stupid things like travel (Which seneca seems to have a strong dislike for) and have a general unbalanced life, where i get drunk with my friends and hate my life for the next three days. Life is about the highs and the lows, who needs balance.
Rather than a weakness, the teleology inherent in Stoicism is part of what makes it attractive against the ubiquitous reductive materialism of the modern world. One can just as easily point to materialism's lack of teleology as a critical weakness that ruins any virtues it might otherwise have had.
I also disagree that his journal reads as though it was meant for publication. In fact I get the opposite impression when reading it, that a man like Aurelius would have been mortified to know some of these entries would be known and re-read by audiences of millions of people for thousands of years to come.
It's also not clear how having a son who turned out to be a bad man and heir would count against a philosophy that explicitly rejects the idea that we can control such things.