Divine Providence Is a Concept Essay

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The appearance of this man and his story of the shipwreck during Dio Chrysostomos' tale of adversity could also be seen as an instance of divine providence. It would otherwise have to be seen as pure coincidence that this man, who is able to convince the crowd of Dio Chysostymos' virtue and thus ensure that Dio will be taken care of in the same way that the man himself was, happens to be in the crowd while Dio Chrysostomos is attempting to defend himself and ingratiate himself with the citizens of the city. In this way, Dio Chrysostomos both implicitly and explicitly illustrates the concept of divine providence and his belief in its applicability (Atchity & McKenna, 321).

The Roman slave-turned-philosopher Epictetus was even more explicit in his belief in divine providence. He stressed piety towards the gods, and an accompanying acceptance of all that befell man -- "bear and forbear" is a common interpretation of this tenet of Epictetus' (Harrison-Babet, par. 3). Along with this belief, Epictetus believed that happiness could only come from within, and that indifference towards all external aspects of one's life is the best practice in life.

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This also meant keeping control over all human desires, and exercising judgment in all actions. Each of these beliefs can be logically associated with the concept of divine providence; if the will of the gods is the initial and final determinant of everything that happens in the mortal world, then human desires do not matter, and can only lead to frustration and unhappiness. Dio's cynicism can also be seen in this, as a lack of material possessions necessarily leaves one freer to accomplish/respond to the will of the gods. Epictetus also believed that one should act benevolently towards the rest of humanity, perhaps so as not to act contrary to divine will (Harrison-Babet).

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