Sunday, July 18, 2010

Unintended Consequences


"Every action, no matter how small, has a consequence."
- "The Tale of Despereaux", Kate DiCamillo

"Wisdom consists of the anticipation of consequences."
- Norman Cousins

An Event can have two kinds of Consequences: Intended and
Unintended. Our Decisions, Choices, Actions and Words are Events
which we create and set in motion. We believe that the Events we
create will provide us with an Intended outcome. But, how
often have we experienced, often to our dismay, that Events which
we set in motion often result in Unintended, and unexpected,
Consequences which end up being ruinous not only to our intended
purpose but also our Current Incarnation? We tend to label these
Consequences as tragic.

On the other hand, how often have we also experienced that an
Unintended Consequence of an Event which we have set in motion
results in something more beneficial than we had originally
anticipated? We choose to label these Events as Serendipitous.
Serendipity is the discovery of something more surprising,
delightful, or beneficial than what we had originally been Seeking.

Creation, of which our Current Incarnation is an integral part, is a
series of Events. And every Event has a Consequence. We tend to
label these Consequences as either expected and intended, or, as
unexpected and unintended.

It is important to understand that once an Event has been set in
motion it develops a "life of its own" and cannot be stopped until it
has run its full course and comes to the end of its Cycle.

Furthermore, many Events are Interconnected with, and can overlap,
other Events. Whenever we set an Event in motion it can become
involved, or entangled, with other Events which are already "in play".
When this happens, these Events will very likely affect each other to
some degree.

Likewise, an Event which we set in motion can also interact with,
affect, and be affected by, other Events which have not yet been put
"in play".

It is the combining, or mingling, of our Event with these other Events
which can result in both our Event, and the Event it interacts with,
producing Consequences which are Unintended.

Events, along with their Interconnectedness and Consequences, are
represented Mythologically, Symbolically, and Esoterically by
Indra's Web, Kabbalah Paths, and The Spider's Web.

As every Event has a life of its own, it must run its complete Cycle.
Some Events take a long Time to "play out" while others take but a
short Time to complete their Cycle. Some Events have long-term
Consequences while others have short-time Consequences.

In the same way in which we are responsible for our Actions, so too
are we responsible for the Events that we put in motion. Therefore
we bare sole responsibility for the Karmic Consequences which
result from any Event we create regardless of whether these
Consequences are Intended or Unintended. Once we put an Event
in motion it is far too late for us to say, "I never intended for that
to happen".

The Law of Karma, being a Divine Principle, is not concerned with
whether we created an Event through haste, thoughtlessness,
malice, Ignorance, or good intentions. The Law of Karma simply
completes the Consequence of the Event which was put in motion
and presents the creator of the Event with either a Karmic Reward
or Karmic Debt.

Therefore, as we bare sole responsibility for our Actions, and the
Events we put in motion, it is vitally important that we Weigh our
Decisions and Actions very carefully and only place in motion
those Events which can bring us the greatest Peace, Contentment,
and Karmic Rewards.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
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Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2010
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1 comment:

hereticalpolemicist said...

You got a fellow traveler in me.