In Part 1, I put forward the case that accepting the existence of the Stoic God was a profoundly rational position that did not contradict contemporary scientific discoveries. In Part 2, I discussed how the Stoic God could help you connect more deeply with Nature. In the third part, I shared a personal piece on how I choose to connect with God. In this fourth and last part, I will delve into more deeply how my belief in the Stoic God has affected my day-to-day decisions and how it might affect your own.

More than anything, the Stoic God has taught me gratitude. How can I not be thankful to the God who gave me life, everything I need for happiness and a share in the Divine Rationality (logos) that pervades the whole universe? Cleanthes’ words capture my sentiments on the matter when it comes to my reasons for gratitude:

O Zeus, giver of all, shrouded in dark clouds and holding the vivid bright lightning, rescue men from painful ignorance. Scatter that ignorance far from their hearts and deign to rule all things in justice. – Cleanthes, Hymn of Zeus, as translated by Ellery (1976)

Gratitude is a powerful thing. It keeps you rooted and on your toes. It keeps you reflecting on whether your impressions are close to reality or whether you have lost yourself in an ego trip of self-pity or excessive grandeur. Gratitude stops you from falling under the illusion that you are responsible for all your successes or failures. It reminds you of Hiercoles’ circles of concern in ways I discussed with Will Johncock in June 2020’s Stoic Gym. Gratitude highlights to you the strength of the God’s eye view, which Marcus Aurelius writes about in what become known as Meditations. By taking such a view, only with willful ignorance, can we fail to understand how we are all connected and how much we depend on Nature and each other in our daily lives?

Beauty is another thing that, only recently, I have begun to appreciate more fully. Belief in God and the fact that I have become more acquainted with the story of the Stoic philosopher Posidonius, who found God in his observations of Nature, has made me think twice about shutting the window on an aeroplane or complaining about the rain while out on a walk. I have also contemplated more deeply on the beauty of a person’s character, including the things we humans often get right and the things we tend to get wrong.

Believing that my life isn’t just a random accidental event gives me a sense of purpose. It tells me that the universe has a purpose too and that I am subservient to it, not above it. This appreciation humbles me as much as it makes me feel grateful. It really is wonderful to be able to reflect on our differences and know that deep down, we are connected because we all share in God’s wisdom. If that isn’t a beautiful thing, then I am not sure what is! Finally, my belief in God has made me feel closer to the Ancient Stoics, a point driven home to me during the research for my upcoming book: Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living in. Stoicism isn’t about me, myself and I. It points to a much bigger picture, full of patterns that we miss when we look at our belly button rather than up at the sky

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Kai Whiting is a researcher and lecturer in sustainability and Stoicism based at UCLouvain, Belgium. He Tweets @kaiwhiting and blogs over at StoicKai.com

 

 

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