Nor is the "Holy Spirit" of Christianity and the "Great Spirit" of different nations one and the same.

Simply “people” are born, “wherever they happen” and what happens around them happens by itself. As in the economy, this “invisible hand” operates.

You're touching on some deep and thought-provoking ideas about spirituality, destiny, and how unseen forces or principles shape human lives and societies. The way you’ve phrased it seems to reflect on both the religious interpretations of a guiding force in life and how individuals are influenced by larger, often unseen, forces around them — whether those forces are spiritual, societal, or economic.

Let’s break down some of the key concepts you’re exploring:

1. The "Holy Spirit" vs. the "Great Spirit"

The comparison between the Holy Spirit in Christianity and the Great Spirit in various indigenous traditions is intriguing. While these terms might share some symbolic similarities, they are often interpreted and understood in quite different ways within their respective spiritual frameworks.

- Holy Spirit (Christianity): In Christianity, the Holy Spirit is one of the three persons of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). It is often understood as the presence of God within the world, guiding believers, offering comfort, wisdom, and acting as a divine force of empowerment. The Holy Spirit in Christian theology is deeply personal, offering a relationship with God and playing a pivotal role in the lives of individual believers and the Church as a whole.

- Great Spirit (Indigenous Traditions): The term “Great Spirit” is used by many indigenous cultures in North America, though interpretations vary across tribes. Generally, the Great Spirit is seen as a universal, all-encompassing force that connects all life, nature, and the cosmos. It is often portrayed as the source of all life, with both immanent (present in everything) and transcendent qualities. This Great Spirit is sometimes seen as a creator deity, but also as a guiding principle or force that is intimately tied to the natural world and spiritual balance.

While there are conceptual overlaps in that both the Holy Spirit and the Great Spirit represent an unseen, divine force that influences the world and individuals, they are part of different spiritual systems with distinct histories, cultural meanings, and roles.

2. People's Birthplaces and Circumstances: "Wherever They Happen"

Your reflection on people being born “wherever they happen” ties into a larger existential question about fate, choice, and the role of external forces in shaping one's life. This speaks to the unpredictability and seeming randomness of where and when people are born, and how this shapes their opportunities, challenges, and overall life trajectory.

- Circumstances of Birth: The circumstances of one's birth — such as location, family, and social status — are factors that people generally have no control over, and they often play a significant role in determining the opportunities and struggles an individual will face in life. In this sense, the “wherever they happen” part refers to the randomness of life events and conditions, including socioeconomic factors, cultural influences, and even the broader political or environmental circumstances.

- Fate vs. Free Will: This idea evokes the age-old debate between fate and free will. Are we simply products of the circumstances we are born into, or do we have the ability to shape our own lives through choices and actions? Different philosophical and spiritual traditions approach this question in different ways, but many agree that our environment and upbringing certainly influence us, though they don’t necessarily determine everything.

3. The "Invisible Hand" in the Economy

The reference to the “invisible hand” comes from Adam Smith, the philosopher who is considered the father of modern economics. In his seminal work *The Wealth of Nations*, Smith proposed that individuals pursuing their own self-interest in a market economy often unintentionally contribute to the greater good of society. This idea suggests that, although individuals are driven by their own desires (such as profit), the combined effect of everyone’s actions leads to social and economic benefits, almost as if an unseen force guides the entire system.

- Invisible Hand in Society: This concept can be expanded beyond economics to describe any unseen force or dynamic that shapes events. In life, much like in economics, there are countless forces — cultural, historical, societal, spiritual, and psychological — that influence the direction of events and people’s actions, even if they’re not always consciously understood. The idea of the “invisible hand” speaks to the ways in which systems work through the interaction of individuals’ actions, often leading to outcomes that transcend individual intentions.

- Unseen Forces in Life: When you tie this idea back to people being born “wherever they happen,” you may be referring to the way that larger forces in life — whether spiritual, economic, or societal — seem to shape human destinies in ways that are not immediately visible or understood. These forces are not always direct or predictable, yet they guide the flow of life in subtle ways, like the invisible hand in an economy.

4. The Concept of Unity and Interconnectedness

You’re also hinting at a broader worldview, where everything is interconnected and where events and lives unfold not in isolation but in relation to something larger. This concept is often found in philosophies and spiritual systems that emphasize the interconnectedness of all beings, events, and energies.

- Spiritual Interconnectedness: In many spiritual traditions, there's a belief that all things are connected — that people, nature, the cosmos, and even unseen forces are part of a unified whole. This interconnectedness implies that each individual's life and actions have an impact on the larger system. In this view, everything happens for a reason, even if that reason is hidden or not immediately apparent.

- Systems Thinking: From a more secular perspective, systems theory in ecology, sociology, and even economics suggests that everything is part of a larger system where all the parts are interdependent. This interconnectedness means that each action, thought, and event is somehow related to everything else, and there is a delicate balance between individual autonomy and the larger forces at play.

Conclusion

Your reflection on the Holy Spirit and Great Spirit, the randomness of birth and circumstances, and the “invisible hand” of economic and societal forces all point to the idea that life is shaped by a complex web of interconnected forces, both seen and unseen. These forces — whether spiritual, societal, or economic — work in subtle ways, guiding individuals and societies, often beyond conscious awareness. While we may not fully understand how or why these forces operate, they are undeniably a part of the fabric of existence.

In many ways, this belief in interconnectedness echoes the concept of *Oneness* or *unity*, where everything — people, nature, the cosmos — is seen as part of a larger, interconnected whole. Whether through spiritual frameworks like the Holy Spirit or the Great Spirit, or through scientific and philosophical perspectives, there's a recognition that life is more than just isolated events or individual actions. Instead, there’s a deeper, often invisible, connection between all things.