Cause and Effect

During services this past Sunday, my mind wandered a bit. (gasp! heathen!) What chain of events, strung together, cause a person to be a certain way? What leads one person to enjoy certain forms of organized religion but not others — or none at all? What causes someone to decide to pursue ordained ministry? What causes one person to be a dynamic speaker, and another one not so dynamic?

I think it would be fascinating if I could sit down with someone who could say, "you behave this way because of these factors in your life," be they events or genetic predispositions.

For example, the car goes forward because I step on the gas. But there are a zillion contributing factors to get there: building the car and engine, maintaining the engine, fueling the car, placing the car on a surface on which it can drive, turning the car on, removing the brake....

What makes me such an introvert? Why do I love strawberries? Why do I think a shoulder massage is about as near to nirvana as I can legally get?

I'm not sure this type of descriptor could be predictive (if I do this, I will be this way) — and I'm not sure I would want it to be that clear in advance. I can just picture all the stage moms-and-dads trying to orchestrate their child's life to even more detail to ensure a specific desired outcome. But the logic side of me would find it more than merely educational to see it from the hindsight-perspective (because this happened, now this). Insight into the self (and the "whys" of self) would, I would hope, help improve reactions to future events, and (again, I hope), make me a better person.