Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy 4.32

“God looks forth from the high watchtower of His Providence, He sees what suits each man, and applies to him that which suits him. Hence then comes that conspicuous cause of wonder in the order of Fate, when a wise man does that which amazes the ignorant. For, to glance at the depth of God's works with so few words as human reason is capable of comprehending, I say that what you think to be most fair and most conducive to justice's preservation, that appears different to an all-seeing Providence.

“Has not our fellow-philosopher Lucan told us how ‘the conquering cause did please the gods, but the conquered cause pleased Cato?’ What then surprises you when done on this earth, is the true-guided order of things; it is your opinion which is perverted and confused.

“But if there is any one whose life is so good that divine and human estimates of him agree, yet he must be uncertain in the strength of his mind; if any adversity befall him, it may always be that he will cease to preserve his innocence, by which he found that he could not preserve his good fortune.

“Thus then a wise dispensation spares a man who might be made worse by adversity, lest he should suffer when it is not good for him to be oppressed. Another may be perfected in all virtues, wholly conscientious, and very near to God. Providence holds that it is not right such an one should receive any adversity, so that it allows him to be troubled not even by bodily diseases.”

—from Book 4, Prose 6

I think of that wonderful line from Tolkien: “Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.”

I could be so very clear in my thinking, but I would still not perceive all aspects of the whole. I could be so very diligent in avoiding my prejudices, but I would still only be looking from my own limited perspective. I could tell myself that I have considered the circumstances fully, but I would still only be gazing from the outside in.

I know that everything should be for the sake of the good, even as I do not always comprehend the fullness of how and why the good will unfold as it does. Perhaps it seems right and fair that a villain should feel pain, or that a hero should feel pleasure; is that truly looking to what is best for him, or only to what is easiest for him? I do not know how his circumstances will affect him, or how he will respond to them, or whether this or that action will ultimately make his judgment better or worse.

I do not know how it will play itself out; Providence most certainly does know. It gives me a whole new dimension of what it means for a man to play God. “If there was a God, He would never have allowed this to happen!” Might it instead be that I am missing something that is essential?

When Cato the Younger stood up against Julius Caesar, who was the better man, and who deserved to win? It is all the more important to consider what actually makes the better man, and what really constitutes winning, to view choices and events in the context of Nature, not of Fortune.

Cato failed in the political struggle, and died by his own hand. Caesar made himself the master of Rome, only to die later through betrayal. History would speak of Cato as the conquered, and Caesar as the conqueror, though it really all depends on whether we think that possessing character or possessing power is the greater reward.

Perhaps the gods really did want Cato to be defeated in his body, so that he could be greater in his spirit, and Caesar to be victorious in his body, so that he could learn a very important lesson about his spirit.

There have been times when suffering an expected punishment has helped me to become better, but there have also been times when being granted an unexpected reprieve has helped me to become better. It will depend on my state of mind, the disposition of my habits, the balance of my strengths and weaknesses, and the weight of the circumstances.

Justice will always be justice, even as the particulars of how it is best applied will be variable. We suffer under different conditions, and so require different remedies. Providence takes all of this into account, sometimes giving, sometimes taking away.

Imagine, for example, someone who is struggling to live with virtue, while still quite susceptible to giving up the fight. A punishment of hardship might actually encourage him to become worse, not better. There are all sorts of possible combinations, just as there are people in all sorts of situations.

In the end, whether it expresses itself through prosperity or adversity, it will be just where it strengthens moral worth, and unjust where it weakens moral worth. 

Written in 11/2015