Cause

This essay was written as a response to a commentary in the Christian Science Monitor about cause. Its thesis: We search for the cause of the slow economic recovery, and everything else, and pundits weigh in. Instead, look to Spirit as the cause.

The whole notion of "cause" is just a notion. We see a man open his hand and a ball falls out, to the ground. What caused the rock to fall? Opening the hand? Willing it to open? Gravity? God/spirit? We assume there's a cause and focus on the answer.

When scientists look at interactions of matter, there's no "cause". Objects are in a dance with each other. Particles move in force fields that always exist.

But humans are inculcated with this notion of cause. I reach and then feel- my reaching is rewarded. I learn to act to get results. I come to learn that I cause my experience to change, I get attention, I get myself fed. Then we generalize that. We think "Mom caused this", "Dad caused that". Then we see the world and see animals moving, doing stuff.

Then we make a big leap. We see rain and snow and sunny days, generalize it to "weather" and then apply our notions of cause to it and say "What caused that?" Or even, "Who caused that?"

WE invent there not only IS a cause, but there MUST BE one. It's not true. It's just the best our thinking can do.

As babies, the first thing we recognize is faces. The shape of our brains is built to see people. We find mom and dad. We learn that these actors are of utmost importance. We see the dog and cat as members of our families. We can switch to ignoring that aspect, to kill an animal, or kill an human that we categorize as "enemy", but it's natural for us to see people. When sailors spend time on a boat, they feel the boat is "she" and the oceans are animate, kind or severe. When we gaze at the galaxies, our natural tendency to anthropomorphize has us "relate" to the universe. So the universe must be a person. But it's not a physical person, so it must be "spirit".

Those who know the truth know that there are no limits to what we can imagine, unless we limit it. The universe is not spirit. It's nothing that you can name. It's not one thing. The Jews were right to not name it. Too bad they named it anyway, in their references.

What does life mean? What's its purpose? We posit a meaning or a purpose exists. By the very act, the very naming of it, we create it as finite. We're asking what is life's finite meaning, its finit purpose. Then we look for it are are puzzled that the answers are elusive, or at best ambiguous.

What should we do to heal or be well, or experience more joy, love, freedom, peace? How can we predict what will happen? How can we ensure life is good? How can we heal the sick, put people back to work, relief the rancor of political discourse, end, or at least limit, suffering? We posit that the world works by causation, and ask what the cause is of solving these problems. Then we pursue a solution and are dismayed that it doesn't solve the problem.

Cause doesn't exist until we say it, make it, do it, in essence, be it. Studies have shown that prayer doesn't particularly work. Yet some also show that a positive attitude, joy, love, exercise are all helpful to health. There's no "cause" in spirit. Yet whatever you are, you can be cause in your own health, and you can be cause in the welfare of the planet.

The secret is that there's no answer, there's no cause. And understanding the forces at work in yourself and in the world can aid you in being more aware of what really exists, what there really is to deal with. Making mental models and naming things is part of the human process, but don't think you're being particularly accurate. Rest assured that you're making it all up, while you be the cause of life.