Musonius Rufus, Fragments 47

On the assassination of Galba someone said to Rufus, "Can you now hold that the world is ruled by Divine Providence?" 

 

To which he replied, "Did I ever for a moment build my argument, that the world is ruled by a Divine Providence, upon Galba?"

 

I once had someone tell me, in all seriousness, that there could not possibly be a God, because Ronald Reagan had been re-elected as President in 1984. 

 

In 1992 I was given a corresponding argument, that Bill Clinton’s victory was a punishment from God for our frightful sins. 

 

In matters big and small, it is not uncommon for us to believe that the plan of Providence can surely only be measured by our personal preferences, by whether or not the circumstances happen to be convenient or inconvenient, pleasant or painful.

 

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Galba became Emperor after Nero’s death, and so many saw him as a blessing from the gods after those turbulent years. Musonius himself benefited from this shift of power, being allowed back into Rome after his exile under Nero. 

 

Yet Galba was soon murdered, leading to a year of conflict in which three more men took turns on the throne. What were the Romans now thinking about the beneficence of their gods?

 

What Musonius understood, however, was that good and evil are not determined by what happens to us, but by what we do with what happens to us. While others may have questioned whether Providence was still in proper working order, he would not have succumbed to such doubts, at peace with the knowledge that Nature was unfolding precisely as it should. 

 

Whether there is poverty or prosperity, war or peace, sickness or health, each and every one of us is still given the opportunity to live with wisdom and virtue; sometimes the most trying times can even become the occasions for the greatest acts of love, if only we so decide. God always gives us exactly what we need, fully conscious of the conditions that can bring out the best within us. 

 

It all goes back to that basic Stoic insight, that happiness is in the exercise of character. We miss the mark terribly when we define ourselves by the presence or absence of pleasure, wealth, or status. I would suggest that this confusion is at the root of all our anxiety and misery. 

 

Reagan or Clinton, Nero or Galba, it can all serve us to grow in decency and kindness. God puts the ball in our court.