111. | To be blessed by providence

Life is a gift. I don’t know who we get it from or how we get it. In any case, the idea to write this post was born while thinking about life, and more so about things in my own life. In this post, I will use some elements of a series of conversations I had with a friend. I also got the featured image of the post from him, and I use it as a memory of one of our conversations.

The basic ideas of the post are providence, balance, and blessing. And everything else that I think of from these.

What influences do I have?

On my journey – whether it is the part I started in the last 8 months or the 48 years that preceded it – I have had and still have many teachers, companions, friends, enemies, etc. I think of the influences I have received from them now. In some way, everyone influences the people they come into contact with. Whether they bring good or bad to my life, I think that my connection with each person has added a little to what we now call Soma.

I always think that I am lucky to be surrounded by people who are dear to me. Those I love, who love me. I somehow have the feeling that those who I do not love, who do not love me, who are not important to me, or to whom I am not important, are not around me.

Those who are around me – whether family, friends, colleagues, etc. – will be simply referred to in this writing as good friends.

My Place in the Universe

My good friends surround me – or, according to the following ideas: illuminate me – but not because I am the center of the world, but because we belong together. Let me give you a brief explanation.

I am reading a great book right now. In his book “The Universe in Your Hand” by Christophe Galfard, he explains very clearly why it seems as if the Earth is at the center of the visible universe – and that this is not a privileged but an unavoidable point of view.

• In the universe, light travels at a finite speed, so light can only reach us from directions and distances from which it has had time to reach us during the age of the Universe.
• This creates a spherical “visible universe” of which the observer (in this case, us on Earth) is at the center.
• This does not mean that the Earth is truly at the center, only that from the point of view of observation, everyone is at the center of their own “visible universe.”
• So any other celestial body – even a planet in a distant galaxy – is also at the center of its own visible universe.

This essentially means the following: The center of the visible universe is always the observer’s position, because that’s where the light comes in, but that doesn’t mean that the entire universe has its center there.

This idea destroys the human egocentric fallacy that we are in a “special place” – while paradoxically everyone is in the center “in their own right”.

This scientific summary came to me now because I’ve been trying to make my own ego smaller and smaller for a while, but at the same time, from the point of view of writing, I’m the only one in the center. I hope not in an egocentric way.

Balance = Providence!?

I have been pondering the philosophical question of how much the necessary balance in life can be equated with the concept of providence? This is a deep and exciting philosophical question for me. The concepts of balance in life and providence may seem different at first glance, but if we think about it more carefully, they have interesting points of intersection – especially depending on the worldview or philosophical school from which we approach them.

• Balance as a natural or cosmic order: The balance of life in many philosophies and religions represents a kind of cosmic order – for example, the dynamism of yin-yang in Taoism, the maintenance of dharma in Hinduism, or arete and harmonia in Greek philosophy. In these, balance is the natural way life works, and the human goal is to live in harmony with this balance.
• Providence as divine intervention or care: Providence, especially from a Christian or theistic perspective, is God’s active care for human life and events. It is a kind of intentional, loving direction of the world, where things do not happen by chance, but everything has a purpose.

The existence or lack of balance was an important realization of the next stage of my journey of self-knowledge, and I have written about it in several places. Today, I fully believe that life can only be complete through balance, and perhaps it is no coincidence that the term “balanced life” has its raison d’être. And providence came into my conceptual circle through a friend of mine.

Can balance be another name for providence? Yes, in a certain sense, yes – if one sees balance as an expression of a deep, not necessarily personal, but still wise order that seems to “know” what is needed. In this sense:

• Life “knocks us back” when we fall into excesses – for example, in the physical, spiritual, moral realms – which is similar to the corrective role of providence.
• The search for balance, whether consciously or instinctively, can be paralleled with the idea of cooperation with providence.

One approach is impersonal (cosmic order, natural law), the other is personal (god, fate, providence). But if someone, for example, holds a pantheistic or panentheistic view, then these two merge: natural order = divine providence.

And since I’ve already delved into this topic a bit, I asked ChatGPT for a little summary from the perspective of different philosophical and religious systems.

1. Christianity – Providence as God’s Active Presence

• Providence: God is omnipotent, benevolent, and actively involved in the direction of human life. Both good and bad events happen according to his knowledge and purpose.
• Balance: Christianity does not necessarily speak of “balance” in the Eastern sense, but there is a dynamic relationship between moderation, grace, sin, and redemption. Achieving spiritual peace, inner harmony (e.g., as a fruit of the Holy Spirit) is an important goal.
• Connection: According to the Christian faith, God’s providence is often manifested in inner balance – when a person accepts God’s will, calms down, and gains “peace of mind,” which is a kind of divine balance. Here, balance is therefore the fruit of God’s care.

2. Taoism – Balance is the law of the world (Tao)

• Providence: Taoism does not believe in a personal god, but in the “Tao” – the principle of the universe, the order, the way that works by itself.
• Balance: The world is defined by the duality of yin and yang. Health, wisdom and peace are possible when a person “lives in balance with the Tao”.
• Relationship: The Tao itself is an impersonal form of providence – it does not speak to us, it does not punish, but whoever violates its order suffers. Here, therefore, balance and providence are two aspects of the same order.

3. Hinduism – Dharma and cosmic order

• Providence: There is divine care, e.g. in the form of avatars (e.g. Krishna) who appear when the world is out of balance.
• Balance: Dharma is man’s duty, his right path – if followed, it maintains the world order. The law of karma is also a kind of “cosmic balancing force”.
• Connection: The system of karma and dharma works as a self-regulating providence. Maintaining balance is not a personal intervention of a god, but order is built into the structure of the world.

4. Buddhism – Balance as inner liberation

• Providence: There is no personal god in Buddhism, so there is no providence in the classical sense either.
• Balance: The Middle Way principle – one must avoid extremes. The path to enlightenment is balance, inner silence and letting go of suffering.
• Connection: Here balance is a substitute for “providence” – not an external being watching over us, but the path by which we are freed from suffering. Dharma as a teaching is a kind of “inner compass”.

5. Stoicism – Cosmos and Inner Balance

• Providence: The Stoics believed in a kind of “logos” – a rational order that governs the universe. This is not a god personally, but an intelligent principle nonetheless.
• Balance: Man’s goal is to live in harmony with the order of nature, to accept what is outside of him, and to govern his own inner world.
• Connection: Inner peace, apatheia (dispassionlessness) is when man recognizes the order of the cosmos and cooperates with it. Balance comes from accepting cosmic “provision”.

6. Existentialism – Balance as an order created within ourselves

• Providence: There is no divine providence – the world is absurd, man must create his own meanings.
• Balance: Creating balance is about honestly accepting our freedom and responsibility. This is authentic living.
• Connection: Here, balance is the only “care” we can provide for ourselves. Even if there is no higher order, we still have the opportunity to develop an inner compass.

To summarize the above:

My friend, who brought up the concept of providence in our recent conversations, comes from a Christian background. The fact that we live in a Christian country also contributes to this. Based on the above summary, I think that even if Christianity is the one where the unconditional equality between the two concepts does not appear, it can still be said that the equality of providence and balance exists in each of the selected worldviews.

This is how I can put into context the many conversations in which my friend, knowing certain events in my life, formulated “That this could have happened this way, because it is/can be like this when the soul can open up because it feels security there deep down, so that if it were to experience this in another situation, which is not this or that, it would be defined as a vulnerable state, which would lead to the usual anxiety. How different people are in the same life situation, this could be said, but today’s incident suggested to me that there is no such life situation. This is a great gift and right before you are preparing for one of the biggest journeys of your life. This is providence.”

This is how I understand how important it is for me to restore the imbalanced balance. After realizing that in certain areas of my life I did not live in the balance necessary for the proper functioning of the area, I naturally strive to create the missing balance and in this endeavor I receive help, especially if I accept it with an open heart and soul, without any expectations.

And since the worldview comparison has been completed, I will take this opportunity to highlight those points from the worldview summary above that define my current worldview. I find this an interesting summary, because like many good friends, many worldview systems define me.

Christianity:

• Achieving spiritual peace, inner harmony (e.g. as a fruit of the Holy Spirit) is an important goal.
• Inner balance, when a person accepts the will of God, calms down and gains “spiritual peace”, which is a kind of divine balance.

Taoism:

• The Tao is the basic principle of the universe, the order, the way that works by itself.
• The world is defined by the duality of yin and yang. Health, wisdom and peace are possible when a person “lives in balance with the Tao”.
• The Tao itself is an impersonal form of providence – it does not speak to us, it does not punish, but whoever violates its order suffers.

Hinduism:

• There is divine care, which appears when the world is out of balance.
• Dharma is a person’s duty, the right path – if followed, it maintains the world order. The law of karma is also a kind of “cosmic balancing force”.

Buddhism:

• The Middle Way principle – avoid extremes. The path to enlightenment is balance, inner silence and letting go of suffering.
• Balance is the path that we follow to be free from suffering. Dharma as a teaching is a kind of “inner compass”.

Stoicism:

• The Stoics believed in a kind of “logos” – a rational order that governs the universe. This is not a god personally, but still an intelligent principle.
• The goal of man is to live in harmony with the order of nature, accept what is outside of him and control his own inner world.
• Inner peace, apatheia (dispassionlessness) is when man recognizes the order of the cosmos and cooperates with it. Balance comes from accepting cosmic “providence”.

Existentialism:

• Creating balance is to honestly assume our freedom and responsibility. This is authentic living.
• Here, balance is the only “care” we can provide for ourselves. Even if there is no higher order, we still have the opportunity to develop an inner compass.

With this summary, I feel like I have an interesting recipe. If I simmer the above ingredients over 49 years of simmering, I might be able to create another me. If I had the chance, I would love to try it!

Am I blessed!?

I have a mindset that made me feel blessed a few weeks ago. I think that my mindset determines my life – and this is a thought that is more or less in line with any world order. I also feel somewhere that this mindset is too rich to accept as my own invention in an egocentric way. I received it as a gift from someone, I inherited it, I earned it, etc. It is not very interesting to me from whom, how, why, etc. I am simply grateful for it.

Since in the previous part of my writing I have also dealt with the fact that I live in a Christian country, I need to take a conceptual perspective again. According to the Christian tradition, “blessed” is not self-aggrandizement, but an expression of gratitude, an awareness of God’s grace. That is, if I say “I feel blessed because I am surrounded by good people” or “I am blessed that I have been given such opportunities”, it also seems appropriate from a religious perspective. And that’s exactly what I think! In this case, it’s not arrogance, but an expression of gratitude towards God, which is completely accepted, even authentic Christian language.

Dwelling a little more on Christianity, digging deeper into the concept of blessed:

The concept of “blessed” has a deep-rooted and multi-layered meaning in Christian thought – it can be defined theologically, and it also appears in many ways in the Holy Scriptures. “Blessed” is not just “lucky” or “happy” – it’s much more. The Christian meaning of “blessed” (Latin benedictus, Greek makarios) is:

1. God has bestowed upon us good things and grace.

• A “blessed” person is someone who is blessed with God’s special grace and goodness. This is not necessarily material or visible success, but a spiritual state that results from a living relationship with God.
• Example: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” – (Matthew 5:4). Here, blessedness is not a circumstance, but a future fulfillment linked to God’s promise.

2. One who is approved by God or chosen for a mission

• The Bible often uses the word “blessed” to refer to people who are approved or chosen by God.
• Example: “Blessed are you among women…” (Luke 1:42 – Mary’s greeting). Here, “blessed” also refers to a special role in God’s plan.

3. Man can also bless – but he does not create, he only recognizes and gives thanks

• According to the Bible, not only does God bless, but man can also “bless” God – this does not mean “making it better”, but rather praising, acknowledging his holiness.
• “Bless the Lord, O my soul…” (Psalm 103:1). Here the word “bless” is an expression of praise and thanksgiving.

Theological Summary: What does it mean to be “blessed” as a Christian?

It is not automatically a good thing, but a sign of God’s presence and grace, even in the midst of suffering.
It is a privilege, but not a state of merit, but one received by grace.
It has a purpose – blessing often carries a mission: the blessed person becomes a blessing to others as well (“You will be a blessing” – Gen 12:2).
It is closely connected to Christ – true blessing finds meaning in following Jesus and in relationship with him. (Here we have arrived at the featured image of this post…)

At this point, I think that the last task of this difficult writing cannot be left out, the approach of other worldviews from the perspective of the concept of blessing.

Blessing does not appear in every philosophical or religious system in the form characteristic of Christianity, but in many places a concept corresponding to it or with a related content exists. Unfortunately, compared to the previous analysis, I am forced to use some repetition.

Taoism:

• Concept of blessing: In Taoism, there is no personal god who would “bless” you, but there is a natural order – the Tao – which, if we live in harmony with, will result in harmony, health and peace.
• Parallel concept: One who is “in unity with the Tao” is “nourished” by nature – this can be considered blessedness in the Taoist sense.
• Here, the blessing does not come from outside, but is the result of balance.

Hinduism:

• Concept of blessing: Here, several gods and goddesses can “give blessings” (aśirvāda), often expressed with a hand gesture. The blessing can be protective, encouraging or helpful in life.
• Blessing of gods: A favorable turn coming from the gods as a result of authentically performed prayer, sacrifice, yoga or service can also be considered a blessing.
• Here, the blessing is personal and divine, but within the framework of polytheism.

Buddhism

• Concept of blessing: In classical Buddhism, there is no omnipotent, personal god, so the concept of “blessing” is also more symbolic.
• What can “blessing” refer to?
  • Access to wise teachings,
  • proximity to enlightened masters,
  • or the possibility of inner development.
• Here, blessing is an internal opportunity and state of consciousness, not an externally received “reward”.

Stoicism

• Concept of blessing: In Stoic philosophy, there is no classical image of God, but there is a logos, the rational order of the universe.
• Parallel concept: Those who live in harmony with the order of nature and bear their fate wisely are accompanied by inner peace and a virtuous life – this can be considered their “blessing”.
• Here, blessing is an internal state of mind that stems from a virtuous life.

Existentialism

• The concept of blessing: According to existentialism, there is no blessing from an external source, because the world is absurd, meaningless, or indifferent.
• Is there a “blessing” in an interpretable way? Yes – if we understand it as:
  • a person is able to live an authentic life,
  • assume their freedom, and
  • create their own meaning in the world.
• Here, “blessing” is not a given, but a state of being constructed by ourselves.

This has become a long post again. I hope that someone other than me is interested in the topic and has read this far!