Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 2.3

All that is from the gods is full of Providence. That which is from Fortune is not separated from Nature, or without an interweaving and involvement with the things that are ordered by Providence.

From there all things flow, and there is besides also necessity, and that which is for the advantage of the whole Universe, of which you are a part.

But that is good for every part of Nature that the Nature of the whole brings, and what serves to maintain this Nature. Now the universe is preserved, as by the changes of the elements, so by the changes of things compounded of the elements.

Let these principles be enough for you, and let them always be fixed opinions. But cast away the thirst after books, so that you may not die murmuring, but cheerfully, truly, and from your heart be thankful to the gods.

—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 2 (tr Long)

We can very easily surrender our view of the world to our changing feelings and clouded impressions. If events seem to be proceeding as I wish, then surely the Universe is full of peace and order. If events seem to be proceeding against my wishes, then surely the Universe is full of conflict and chaos.

My wishes and my feelings, however, do not make something real, and we make things far too difficult for ourselves when we follow only the whims of appearances, rather than the principles of reason. I will only make sense of how I feel when I understand who I am, and why I am here.

Beyond my own prejudices, there are simple truths that can guide the way. What has been moved requires a mover, and every effect requires a cause. Where there is causality, there is order. Where there is order, there is purpose. Things do not act in isolation, but in relationship to one another, and as parts of the whole. I must consider, therefore, the order and purpose of the parts within the order and purpose of the whole.

Providence need not be some obscure and mysterious concept, but can rather be understood as the way in which all changing things, past, present, and future, share in a unified good. Nature reveals this whenever we observe her shapes and patterns, and our own lives reveal this when we observe how our actions interlock with our world.

Providence does not exclude Fortune, what we might call luck or chance events, because randomness exists only in our perceptions. I may not know the specific cause, though I can surely know that there was a cause, and that it was connected to all others.

Providence also does not exclude freedom, the power of our own choices within the whole, because freedom can already exist within a universal order, and need not be outside of it. Order may permit by cooperation just as easily as it may temper by restriction.

Of what use can such grand theory be in my daily living? It can be of great worth, because it reminds me that everything has its place, and everything has its reason. Whatever happens to me, however pleasant or painful, and whatever I choose, however right or wrong, will play a necessary part in the harmony of everything, and however small my role may be, it will never be insignificant.

Sometime the world seems so big, impersonal, and chaotic, but it only seems that way because my own judgment is so petty, selfish, and disordered. I can find my own liberty and peace as soon as I see that the act of choosing to improve myself is reflected in the improvement of all that is around me. I should hardly blame fate, or curse chance, because how fully I cooperate with Providence is the very measure of my own purpose, and the very foundation of my own happiness. 

Written in 1/2000

Image: Quatremere de Quincy, Olympian Zeus (1815)