How often do we get caught up in trying to treat a symptom of something without reviewing what the cause of that symptom is? Answer: very frequently. We treat the symptoms of a cold, such as sniffles and coughs, but we cannot treat the cause, the cold itself, which is still beyond our understanding to treat. We very often treat sadness through various methods but rarely take time to understand why we are sad in the first place. Spiritual emptiness is not a cause of unhappiness, it is a symptom. When we are feeling empty, without purpose, believing we are unworthy of love, it will do no good to lash-out at other people for our emptiness, we must find out why we are experiencing that Spiritual emptiness.
At the core of every experience is a cause, and it is that cause which will then lead us to overcoming whatever it is that is resulting in the effect of sadness and emptiness. First: Cause.
Poor relationships at work or at home are not the cause of our discord, they are the result of something greater, they are an effect. Simply blaming others for what we are experiencing is not the balm for our lives, we want to get to the reason.
It is so much easier to try to treat a symptom than going to the root of the problem, which is why we so often find that no matter what we try, the problem still exists. Hunger around the world is not a cause, it is a symptom of greed. The rising sea level is not a cause, it is an effect of a greater issue. No amount of denial or sandbags is going to eliminate this problem, first we must look at the cause.
One helpful way to understand the difference between Cause and Effect is to read It’s All About Me, get it at Amazon books.com.
