People whose history and future were threatened each day by extinction considered that it was only by divine intervention that they were able to live at all. I find it interesting that the meanest life, the poorest existence, is attributed to God's will, but as human beings become more affluent, as their living standard and style begin to ascend the material scale, God descends the scale of responsibility at a commensurate speed.
People who faced daily danger of extinction often believed that only divine intervention could ensure their survival. They saw divine will as the ultimate factor that allowed them to live through difficult circumstances, regardless of how humble their lives were.
Maya Angelou notes that as people become more affluent and their lifestyles improve, they tend to blame less on divine will and more on human effort. In poorer conditions, God's role is emphasized, but as prosperity grows, divine responsibility is seen to diminish proportionally, shifting focus from divine power to human achievement.
