Important Causes: They're Not Your Problem

thedailysteem (54)in #life • 8 years ago

I am defining a cause as a general concern

Important Causes

There are certain causes which we preoccupy ourselves with and perceive as important.

We discuss these causes with others; we engage in passive forms of activism relating to these causes; and thoughts relating to these causes occupy our straying thoughts.

These causes pervade our lives so that we often do not stop to consider why we should even entertain them.

Should We Care?

The problem with some of these causes is that we can have no significant effect over them.

So that the predominant effect of caring about these causes is to satisfy a certain emotional intuition; that is, to satisfy a sensation that we ought to care about these particular causes.

Of course, there is nothing inherently negative about seeking emotional comfort.

Though there is value in considering whether the energy we extract sufficient emotional value from investing energy into these causes - particularly compared to other manners of achieving emotional comfort.

In other words, we should invest energy into such causes relative to the emotional return we expect to receive from doing so.

Moreover, recognition that entertaining these causes really only serves our emotions may change how we approach them.

For example, if we intended to affect change by entertaining these causes, then perhaps it's not worth it - since the only benefit would be emotional.

Source

Personal Example

I was an avid follower of political soap.

For example, the machinations of Donald Trump or Hilary Clinton.

I had inherited this belief of these matters as important, and would preoccupy myself with them.

Though, after a while I considered whether all that energy was well invested.

Does caring about these matters improve my quality of life? - I pondered.

Well, no.

I was not in a position to change things I disliked, and caring about these matters alone gave me almost no emotional satisfaction.

So it became clear that they were not not my problem. I gained nothing from entertaining them.

Source

Ignore these causes

The opportunity cost of investing time into such causes is so large that it would appear best to cease in doing so.

A better approach would perhaps best to invest energy into matters that you can directly effect, or that offer more emotional value.

This is exemplified in the crypto-sphere.

Instead of pushing for endless reform of deeply entrenched politico-monetary systems, individuals have created alternatives.

This approach affords greater freedom and lesser frustration to you due to a certain confidence grounded in the knowledge that you're investing energy into matters that offer a credible return.