MUSINGS and other writing by Mark Kolke

CAUSE OF EVERYTHING

Wednesday Aug. 23, 2017

Cause and effect, we know those terms. Cause of death. We all know that one too. When we read obituaries or hear of someone’s death, we want to know the cause …

But what about the flip side of that question, what is our ‘cause of life’?

We know what causes life. ‘Birds and bees’ stuff. I’m on a different thought path. Rather, curious what makes me tick. Curious about what makes you tick – but not as much as I question myself. Earlier in life it was to have fun, meet/marry, build a family, build a life with all the lovely naïveté that youth offers. Over time our focus and emphasis shifts as chapters of life close. New chapters open, our motives shift, our needs/wants/desires change too. There are so many possible meanings – but I’m focused on two:

What is your cause – your raison d'être?

And, what are you pursuing, chasing after – what gives you reason, gives you cause, to chase life and to deny/defy death?

My curiosities – I ask of others too. Cause of life is something inside which makes us live rather than die – makes us ‘opposite of dying’.

Joyous, to be un-dead every day. We laugh at that phrase, but when laughter settles, serious thoughts invade. If our life is so transient and short, what is it for? If our life were to end we could attribute a cause. But if our life is just getting started, what is the cause of that?

There is no answer here in these words – but there is a question to be answered. Much bigger than simply: why?

What causes life, causes everything.

Reader feedback:

ALL ON US

No kidding! No matter how philosophically one tries to turn the volume down on unpleasant input from others, I still wonder at my internal (inside voice) reaction to it...even when I am perfectly appropriate on the 'outside'...there seems to be a residue that lingers that influences the trust or maybe safety with that person, thereafter, SF, Lethbridge, AB

How true...it's about letting go and self-care, FM, Calgary, AB