Ramblings

"Causality is the relationship between an event (the cause) and a second event (the effect), where the second event is a consequence of the first..."
- Wikipedia

I've never really conciously thought about this term until the Matrix movies. I first thought it was a new hippie thing to insert in a conversation to sound, you know, intellectualish.

That was until I really got into cosmology, theoretical physics and stuff. You know.. Einsteinian.. heheh.

Physicists and philosophers state that the second event (the effect) will never happen before the first (the cause). Sounds really logical and is common sense but that statement is important when applying it to time and space and Einstein's theory of  relativity.

I'm not really going to go into that but to put it simply, to understand the universe, the order of causality is important. You just can't go back in time and kill your grandfather so you won't be born.

Woosh! That went over someone's head, I'm sure.

I've probably lost half my readers at this point which optimistically leaves me with just one reader left.

Causality and why I'm interested in it at this time. People say that things happen for a reason. It's that "reason" that bugs me. Sometimes reason doesn't make sense. A penquin, who mates for life, may lose his partner and be lonely forever. What's the reasoning behind that? We can go all technical and explain why the partner died and so on and so forth but in the end, the penquin is lonely.

Causality.

Louie C.K., the comedian, said that relationships are crap. You get into a relationship and three things may happen:

1. You may lose interest and leave her.
2. She may lose interest and leave you.
3. You may have the best relationship and live together happily until one dies leaving the other.

In any event, someone leaves the other. So why bother?

If we know the end effect, why bother with the cause? Why do it? Or is it that end effect that makes the cause more romantic?

Now I'm confused.

Two weeks ago, I received the best news ever. It's the kind of news that can change my life dramatically. For the better, that is. The opportunity is hard to believe but it was right there staring at my face.

Last week, I received another news. Something may happen that will severely affect my life. For the worse.

Does extremely good news cause extremely bad news to happen? I mean, they are not related in any way but the timing of it is just down right universally dastardly. And since they are not directly linked, causality should not be even in the picture.

But here it is, happening. To me, even.

And the way I observe it, good news does not cancel out bad news. Bad news hover until it happens. Good news isn't good since bad news is hovering around. Einstein better explain this to me or I'm gonna freak out. Oh wait, that's coincidence, the twin brother of causality. They look so much alike that they get mixed up. Although, I think the chaos theory has it's claws on this. I may be wrong though.

Anyway, back to causality, back to reality...

Why do things happen? Can't we just say "hey! I'm alright now with all this things happening, don't change it...". But it doesn't. Doesn't it?

Three things I've learned:

1. It never stays the same. 
2. It's easier for things to get worse.
3. The more stable you are, the higher the chance things'll f*ck up and throw you in the sh*t locker.

Well, now that i've painted a bleak picture, what's my point? Where's that rainbow after the rain?

This is what I believe and what gets me going; causality is just that. An effect. Cause is just that. An event. What makes us human is that between cause and effect, is that brief second to laugh and in a way be happy. A lonely penquin may or may not have the capacity to reminisce about the good times he had with his partner. The joy he had while wading in pools together. Or that brief time they shared a fish together. 

But we do.

I may be in the deepest crap this part of my life but I still can laugh about it and believe that things can get better.

We have no choice. 

And in causality, choice isn't even in the equation. The cause will effect. We may not comprehend it, but we surely cannot deny it. It's just there.

We have to live through it.

So next time, something bad happens, just grit your teeth, tighten your belt, and weather that storm. It will surely pass. And in the next turnaround, remember this; You can't undo an effect. But you can surely brighten up a cause.


ADDITIONAL:

Just as I finished publishing this post, I received a bit of good news that may negate the bad. I just love how life happens.