It Isn’t Your Fault, It Is Your Fault?
How we confuse causation with responsibility.
Having wisdom, and love enables us to explore new ways of viewing the laws of cause and effect. This especially important as they relate to being in the moment and the concept of mindfulness.
In an ordinary way of thinking it is often automatic to say that when a person causes something to happen, they are responsible for that thing.
In a life built on emotional clarity, spirituality, and wisdom, this is not necessarily so. To cause something to happen implies that one has produced an effect or given rise to an action, phenomenon, or some condition. This does not necessarily imply responsibility. To be responsible means a person is accountable for some event, action, or decision that has been made independently. This is an important distinction that must be explored in order to live a life free of regrets or expectations.
The process of self-awareness can be defined largely by how we create small boundaries in our lives. This is how we distinguish one thing from another. In this way, the difference between what you cause to happen and what you are actually responsible for. These two states are similar yet completely different things.
An understanding of the distinction between cause and responsibility enables us to live in the moment, without the slightest regret or expectations, and with a compassionate heart. This is the essence of Wisdom”.
There is a Distinction Between Cause and Responsibility
An Example
Imagine that I am walking on a street and I come across a bag on the sidewalk. Inside the bag is $100,000. Am I responsible for the bag/money being there? No! My being there is just one variable among many that are part of the event. My being there did produce or caused the effect. Why? Because I saw the bag and thus, I was part of the event, action, or phenomenon that happened. The bag would have been there, whether or not I was there. I am the cause of the event because I am there, but I am not responsible for that event.
Do you understand this distinction?
Now, let’s explore the concept of responsibility. We are in a state of responsibility almost anytime we independently make a decision. This may sound like semantics, but if a distinction between cause and responsibility can be made, this distinction will affect the decisions we make. This is due to the fact that we will then be more likely to be aware of what we do, and will feel greater accountability for the results of the choices we make.
A Final Thought:
To be alive you must create. I am not just speaking of creation here in the artistic sense. I am speaking of creation as the way we form the elements of our lives. Creation is a profound expression of an endless supply of causes, effects, and responsibilities. Every second is a cause and an effect. The ability to recognize what you cause to happen versus what you are responsible for can transform your life.
Author: Lewis Harrison is an author, practical philosopher, and seminar leader. He and the founder and senior teacher at the Wisdom Path Community, a spiritually-oriented life coaching social network-based group that focuses on the spiritual journey rather than rites, rituals, ceremonies, or dogmatic practices.
“My website is AskLewis.com and I can be emailed directly at LewisCoaches@gmail.com…”
……………………Lewis
