The State of Man and God's Plan of Salvation

Reflections on Blaise Pascal, Addiction, and the Divine Path

Dear reader,

Today I was listening to a BYU devotional talk by Elder Brian K. Taylor of the Seventy (March 19, 2024). Within it, he quoted Blaise Pascal’s Pensées, a passage that struck me deeply:

“When I see the blind and wretched state of men, when I survey the whole universe in its deadness, and man left to himself with no light... I am moved to terror, like a man transported in his sleep to some terrifying desert island... Then I marvel that so wretched a state does not drive people to despair.”

Pascal's insight still echoes across the centuries. Without divine purpose, the universe becomes a place of dread and despair. For those of us who have lived through the chaos of addiction, we recognize the truth in this terror. The absence of God, light, and meaning leaves a soul fractured—an experience AA calls “incomprehensible demoralization.”

But there is another way.

Pascal wrote to prepare a defense of Christian faith. We, too, are not left without light. The Plan of Salvation reveals our divine identity: we are not cosmic accidents—we are spirit children of a loving Heavenly Father. His work and glory are to bring us home to Him. The way is made possible through His Son, Jesus Christ, who offers not only comfort but power to overcome.

This truth is echoed in recovery:

“We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.”
— AA Big Book

And in scripture:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” — Psalm 51:10
“Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.” — Moroni 10:32
“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9

Philosophers and prophets alike affirm this journey inward and upward.

“He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.” — Confucius
“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” — Rumi
“Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.” — Mary Baker Eddy
“The future is as bright as your faith.” — President Thomas S. Monson

Conclusion

Though man, left to himself, may be lost in darkness, God has not left us alone. His Spirit is available to all who seek it. Our wounds become openings for light. Our trials can turn into blessings when we lean on the “sustaining infinite.” Whether you come from recovery, from doubt, or from a place of searching—know this: there is a plan. There is a Savior. And there is a path forward.

“Don’t give up. Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead.”
— Elder Jeffrey R. Holland