Reply To: Hashgacha Pratis

On a related note, sometimes people will point out a sick person who has it so hard, etc. and say “we have to be thankful to Hashem that our hands, feet, lungs…etc. function properly and we don’t have these problems.”

Am I wrong in assuming that’s incorrect? People with problems have them because that’s their nisayon, (or maybe a punishment, in some cases.) That’s not the way it’s supposed to be in all cases. I feel it’s like saying you have to thank someone because they didn’t punch you in the nose. Of course, if Hashem would inflict someone with a problem, it would be bidin, as opposed to a jerk who punches you, but if he doesn’t, it’s because we in our situation are not supposed to have that issue, so why must we thank him for that?