THE RIPPLES OF OUR INTENTIONS AND ACTIONS

Exploring the notion of Cause and Effect

Sara de Clercq - 25 November 2020

In our current society, especially in the west, we commonly look at time in a linear way. Something that occurs now, creates an effect later on.
If we do A, B and C now, it is expected that this will have a direct influence on A, B and C down the track. A direct correlation between cause 1 and effect 1. This seems to be the common default level of expectation. And although we might rationally understand that it doesn't necessarily work like that, this default thinking and way of coding time is what may fuel our linear expectation of time’s relationship with causality and effect.

Scholarship increasingly incorporates objective time-time, measured by the clock on the wall and the calendar. This ‘objective time’ is unidirectional, consistent, and absolute. It relies and leans on punctuality, schedules, deadlines, and the synchronization of productivity and speed. This, in the west,  is often rewarded. 

This lines up with the often spoken about Law of Cause and Effect.


The Law of Cause and Effect

According to western science, the Law of Cause and Effect  states that for every effect there is a definite cause, likewise for every cause, there is a definite effect. 

Our thoughts, behaviors, and actions create specific effects that manifest and create our life as we know it.

This would mean that, if one is not happy with the effects one has created, then they must change the causes that created them in the first place.

This blog will focus on the immutable law of cause and effect and attempt to represent it in a way that will allow us to understand these principles and potentially use them to improve our lives, for ourselves and all living beings on this planet. 

As described above, the Law of Cause and Effect states that:
Every effect has a specific and predictable cause.
Every cause or action has a specific and predictable effect. 

This means that everything that someone currently experiences in their lives is an effect that is a result of a specific cause. These causes can be seen by the decisions one makes and the actions one takes on a daily basis. Whether those decisions seem small and not very important, or whether they are ‘important’ and transformative, does not matter, that is simply a perspective.

Every decision one has made, whether it was conscious or unconscious, and everys action one has taken upon those decisions means that one has set events in motion, creating specific effects that are experienced today, tomorrow or well beyond.

The law of cause and effect also states that: 
‘Success’ in any field of endeavor is a direct result of specific causes and actions.
‘Success’ in any field of endeavor is an indirect result of specific causes and actions. 

Note: success can be seen differently for different people, depending what ‘meaning’ one places on what success might mean and look like.

The above law means that achieving any form of success is predictable and can be repeated when one is aware of what they are doing.
This also means that success can be modelled, once aware of what is wanted.
We can find out what successful people do, and model what they do to attract the same form of success that we attained in our lives.

However, finding out what people do is simply the start. We also must find out their: decisions, habits, beliefs, values, meta-programs, associations, meanings, psychological rules, intentions and behaviours. We can study people from within their personal mind-matrix.

Only when we can get really clear on their internal representation of life (their personal mind-matrix). We can use the law of cause and effect to our advantage and model their behaviour accurately.

Above is one way of looking at Cause and Effect and how it can be used in an individual's life specifically.



Now let’slook at this principle with a bit more of a world-centric and universally wide perspective.

Is the Big Bang really the cause of what we humans experience day to day?

Is there such a thing as a creator that brings about such a cause? 

Small questions right? (...said with a chuckle)


Cause and effect from a Buddhist and Scientific perspective 

We can ask some interesting questions about our own existence and how it’s born. 

There are many attempts to find out the existence of the universe and how Cause and Effects plays a role in this.
There are also many different perspectives and theories.

I love to play with this and adventure myself through this fascinating topic. So I have been reading a few interesting books lately.
One of them being The Quantum and the Lotus where Matthieu Ricard & Thrinh Xuan Thuan explore Cause and Effect from both a Buddhist and Scientific perspective. 

Below are a few phrases from the Book:

“Is the creation of all existence born without a cause, or whether it was perhaps it’s own cause?”

“If the principle was its own cause, then Buddhism would argue that it must be immutable. An entity that exists because of itself has no reason to change. Only things produced by something else can change. So we run into another contradiction, because if the principle is immutable, then it can’t create. Buddhism argues that something permanent can’t produce something ephemeral. What’s more, if it creates, then it is no longer immutable, since creation implies change.”

“Any creator must in turn be modified by its creation, because each action implies an interaction. No cause can be one-way.”

“Causality is necessarily reciprocal.”

As the philosopher Bertrand Russel wrote, “there is no reason to suppose that the world had a beginning at all”. 

“The law of causality says that if an event doesn’t take place, then it’s because certain causes or conditions were missing. So, if this principle of creation contained all of the universe’s causes and conditions, it must constantly create the entire universe. It would be something like a permanent Big Bang.”

Above phrases definitely raise some interesting questions about all existence in general and our existence as human beings within the universe and life. We can look at the above phrases through the lens of Neuro Linguistic Programming and see how this can be useful for us specifically. Also coming back to what was stated at the beginning of this blog: how A causes B or perhaps how A causes C and B causes C. 

Cause and effect in the world of Neuro Linguistic Programming

Earlier in this blog objective time-time was mentioned. There is however, a second type of time, subjective time-time. Both perceived and experienced by individuals and collectives. Subjective time is cognitively cyclical, varying, and interpretive.

Due to the psychological and sociological elements of time that arise through ‘mental time travel’. Meaning, subjective time doesn’t necessarily correspond with objective time. A key concept characterizing subjective time is the ability that we humans have to time perspective reflecting. This means, we have the ability to (self)-reflect and fast forward through time.  We leave current reality and travel through time in our minds.

Many of us humans can spend, most of their time, in either the past or the future.

It is very rare for an individual to be completely in the moment, always.

So we often think in cause and effect and place certain meanings on this. These meanings can be very useful for a person, or perhaps not so useful. When an individual is experiencing some un-resourceful states in relationship to time. We can use a cause and effect meta model violation.

A cause and effect meta model violation is based upon the belief that ‘A’ causes ‘B’.

When in fact there may be no factual evidence to support that belief for the person in their experience. In the context of linguistics the cause is put outside of the self. The belief is that something occurs outside of you, in the world, that makes someone think and/or feel a particular way. Or that there is something outside in the world that makes you do or say something. An event in the world A (cause) makes me feel, think, say or do B (effect).

What we know from NLP is that we are meaning makers. We don’t see reality as it is, we see reality as we are. There is no one, or nothing outside in the world that can make someone sad, angry, happy or frustrated. So if you are experiencing any form of sad, happy, angry, frustrated, overwhelmed, stressed, anxiece etc etc. Only you can make yourself feel and experience yourself within your reality in a particular way.

A cause and effect linguistic pattern is recognised by the use of words such as, “makes, because, if, then, as, since, so”.
For example: because I didn’t sleep well last night, I can’t do productive work and that makes me feel sad. 

Within the coaching context we ask certain specifically guided questions and we can understand the Mind Somatic Map of the person. We can then support the person in understanding their own meaning making and guide them to take full responsibility for their states.

As they are the ones that are creating it.

This responsibility can open up a tremendous amount of freedom for individuals to move and engage within themselves in the world in a completely different way. With responsibility comes choice, and with choice comes flexibility and play.
They can use cause and effect in various ways and gain flexibility in the way they make meaning, behave and respond.

This leads to authentic expression, joy, truthful relating and openness. 



Are you curious about above topics, for your own developmental growth, specifically?

In the coaching process we increase the capacity for self awareness and intentional developmental growth. Through self awareness and intentional developmental growth, we become powerful agents of change, achieving tremendous positive influence whilst simultaneously be-ing from a thriving, and playful place.



Links:
Book: The quantum and the lotus - Matthieu Ricard & Thrinh Xuan Thuan

Neuro Linguistic Programming - The Coaching Room 

Adam Sicinski, Lifetime Achiever retrieved from: The universal law of cause and effect and its impact on your life.