I am Cause, Not Effect
The Foundation of an Empowered Life
The distinction between being at cause or at the effect (of someone or something) shapes our experiences and dominates outcomes. For example, if you are religious, God is cause, not effect. When God becomes effect, man must be the cause — a reversal with profound implications. For instance, when we suffer from something we are certain there is a cause. Much of our emotional suffering is therefore sourced in the belief that we are at the effect of something or someone, beyond our control.
Cause and effect are two distinct contexts. Cause is intimately connected to origination or beginning. Cause is in charge while effect is consequential. They are the two sides of the same coin; but only cause is completely active and encompasses the other. Cause literally “causes” effect. There must be a cause to see an effect.
Being at the effect is in essence seen as being a victim i.e. less than what I am, weak, cursed, unlucky, a casualty, a prisoner, a mark, a sitting target, a fool, a wretch, etc. Problems occur when we interchange or confuse cause and effect. They also arise when we do not realize that we can become cause at any moment and, therefore, restore balance or control. It is the one ontological quality man possesses over the animal kingdom. Man recognizes cause!
The profound interplay of cause and effect is rarely questioned or scrutinized for its devastating impact on our lives. Space, movement and of course time is what makes things appear as having a cause and an effect. If I kick a ball with my foot, the foot or the decision to kick is the cause; the ball or impact on the ball is the effect. If I get a cold there is a virus at cause. The cold is the effect.
A Context for Empowerment
Context is the invisible atmosphere in which our daily experiences unfold. It’s the lens through which we interpret our reality — our thoughts, feelings, moods, and actions are all colored by this framework. Just as water is the context for fish and air for birds, context generates the content of human experience. Change the context, and you change the content. This simple yet profound insight allows us to shift our perception and, consequently, our reality.
For example, imagine a glass half-full versus half-empty. One context frames the situation as an opportunity; the other as a limitation. These contrasting perspectives lead to entirely different emotional and behavioral outcomes. Recognizing that context generates content is the first step toward reclaiming agency over our lives.
Aristotle’s Four Causes
The famous Greek philosopher Aristotle came up with four distinct “cause and effect” theories. According to him, the first cause-and-effect observation is material as it is a cause that is physical: stuff we can see, touch, taste, and smell. As an example, gold is the material cause of the gold ring I wear — no gold no ring.
Aristotle went further by discussing in position two “the formal cause”, which is that gold was made into a ring but could have been made into a statue or coins. Next, Aristotle invites us to see the next cause as “the efficient cause”: using our example, the goldsmith himself is the cause, without whom, we would not get to the first two causes. Lastly, Aristotle postulates that the “final cause”, which he called the “being cause”, where the goldsmith is preceded by a need to fashion the ring to feed his family or to work on a creative project, deliver on a promise to make something beautiful, etc. This last cause is similar to having a purpose in life, which also represents a cause.
Contexts That Shape Lives
The contexts we adopt — or inherit unconsciously — act as “operating atmospheres” that shape our experiences. A child growing up in an environment of pity, blame, or neglect often adopts a context of helplessness, viewing themselves as perpetual victims. This contextual force field can persist into adulthood, influencing how they interpret and respond to life’s challenges.
Breaking free requires awareness of the underlying context. For instance, seeing helplessness not as an immutable state but as a chosen operating atmosphere, opens the door to transformation. The same applies to other disempowering contexts, such as fear, resentment, or inadequacy. Recognizing and redefining these contexts empowers individuals to shift from effect to cause.
For instance, as I communicate to a group of people at a conference or a meeting, if I “own” my presence and the fact that I will speak on a topic for thirty minutes, I remain “cause” therefore avoiding the traps of nervousness, which only arise when I switch to becoming effect.
Being “At Cause” is Empowered Living
Being “at cause” is responsible living. It is whole, creative, and usually contains elements of playfulness. Most importantly, it is total at all times. For instance, a newborn baby is fully at cause within its own being. It has not learned to separate cause from effect. If it is feeling discomfort, the discomfort is total, as the entire being “becomes” the discomfort. Cause and effect are one.
Another good example is in nature. In its organic expression, a tree is total, so is a lion chasing a gazelle. Everything that happens in nature is undivided. Cause and effect are one, or rather, undivided. The tree is total as it receives the wind through its leaves and branches. Cause and effect are whole, undivided, and complete. Flow and rhythms dance together.
When we come to human beings, ego tells us that we have a separate self from others, nature, the world, circumstances, and consequently, existence. This separate idea begins to run the show from the unique perspective that everything that happens is now divided into causes and effects, not distinguishing clearly which is which. The wind in the leaves of the tree is now the cause and the bending branches are the effect. For man, cause and effect are now artificially and psychologically divided. The dance of oneness is gone. Self-consciousness, which is the interruption of free-flowing harmonious living, sets in.
When I divide anything, I must see all things as separate objects affecting other objects. The baby that feels discomfort, now separates itself from the discomfort. Discomfort (cause) is happening to it (effect).
Conscious Living
Conscious living is the realization that we can restore being at cause. For example, when we are happy, we have restored cause in our lives. Conversely, when we are sad, we fight or reject the feeling thus separating ourselves into an effect. Awareness is seeing that all experiences are total. When we lean into what we feel, we become one with it. The subtlety is the illusion that cause and effect are two separate phenomenons. The question then becomes: what are we being at cause of?
Issues of abandonment or inadequacies can also be understood better through this paradigm shift in consciousness. In abandonment issues, someone (cause) abandons someone else (effect), then the operating context or atmosphere is activated. If my girlfriend breaks up with me or I lose my job, I can still be the cause, not the effect, which will bring power and accountability (acceptance and allowance) to the foreground. The healing element is that the parts, two partners for instance, were never two separate parts that decided to join when they first met. In a successful relationship, the two individuals are joined “cause to cause”, not cause to effect or vice-versa.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I have learned one elementary truth: people are not their fears, their doubts, or the ridiculous stories running loops in their heads. They are not the safe version they’ve crafted to please the world or their parents. No, people are geniuses waiting to explode onto the stage of their destiny. My job is to hand them the match. The world doesn’t need more clever minds chasing empty goals. It needs people who are awake, alive, and unapologetically themselves.
Life isn’t something I manage; it’s something I listen to. I trust life completely. Not as a theory, a new-age practice or a belief, but as an absolute — it’s who I am. Try to control life, and you’ll choke on your own limitations. I live by a single truth: my brain runs my life, not my mind. My mind is a precious tool for research and communication with others — not my guide, my guru, my boss, or my friend. Energy moves me, not ideas. I trust its intelligence, instinct and intuition. This isn’t philosophy — it’s physics. I don’t think, I wait to move, and flow. The thinking is in the flow — not separate from it.
To me, receptivity is the foundation of all responses and the root of action. I don’t deal in mediocrity; I deal in transformation. The kind that leaves you speechless when you realize who you’ve become. I see people in technicolor. I see their potential long before they do. I provoke, I challenge, I nurture, I lead, and I guide them there — not with formulas, but by breaking through the noise, false inadequacies, and self-doubt.
Outside of work? I keep my world simple. I cook like a mad scientist, travel to feed my senses, and play piano just because it feels good and keeps me humble. At heart, I value space, reflection, and meaningful connection over busyness. Humor — sharp, unrelenting humor — is my weapon against the dullness of small talk. I also write daily and publish articles about leadership, art, freedom, performance skills, leadership, awareness, the mind’s folly, and what it means to be truly alive. My wife, the greatest partner, and I spend countless transformative hours in conversation, deepening our understanding of life, each other, and the one thing that truly matters: awareness.
I don’t have all the answers. But I know this: the education of self is the only education that matters. And the tragedy of our time is how few ever receive it. If there’s a thread that runs through everything I do, it’s this: trust life and trust yourself — it will set you free and bring you more than you could have ever imagined.
Husband | Coach | Visual Artist, Author, Entrepreneur & Talent Developer |
“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it! Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!”
Speakers & Artists International
Speaking & Media Engagements | Business Communication & Negotiations | Leadership Skills
