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Consequence - What counts ???

PART A

My dear blog, I am puzzled as i write this. The only hope i write this is to give a meaning, a form to so many thoughts that are running in my neurons. Especially lately the consequences - reap what you sow.

So often we work in the fear or by reasoning the aftermath of our acts and I have been one too - by trying to reconcile the facts and realities of life in light of the logical 'cause and effect' (i just spared a formal fish bone diagram). But the truth is, I am not the only one who has been puzzled with this. As i did a quick word search i landed upon so much of intellectual debate by the great thinkers and philosophers of the world and after reading their work i could just come to one conclusion - the one thing that i need to know is what I guess is the key and which counts the most or the only one thing that matters.

  • Does the act count?
  • Does the human person who does count?
  • Does the result count? ( 'End justifies the means')
  • Does the virtue count?
  • Any one looking at the 'means' alone is equally flawed as the ones who look at the 'end'.
  • Or should i agree with Kant, who famously argued that we have a moral duty to always tell the truth, even to a murderer who asks where the would-be victim is. Is it the moral duty that matters?

I am more confused than before i started. But one thing i believe is that the "Motive of the human person is what counts" - in the style of a mentor of mine it can be rephrased as "heart of the matter is heart".

A heart that is driven by virtues, love, hope and truth will only do acts that are justifiable irrespective of what the end is - as none have control over the end because end is also influenced by so many other factors such as circumstances, other human persons involved and environment.

What counts is the thought, which caused the action that resulted in a consequence, event or act.

Goodness of heart cannot yield a bad fruit; even if it does the human person involved is not guilty of it. To summarize it - The heart of the matter is heart.

PART B

Dear blog, I thought on the above (Part A), and I think I need more clarity on this.

What do I mean when I say “the heart of the matter is heart”:

a) Heart = Motive = the seat of ‘will’ and ‘emotions’

b) How = act = event = mean

c) Consequence = end = result = effect

If these being the elements in any ‘cause and effect’ which counts the most.

I can only refer to one Guru on this and this is what he says:

“For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come…All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”1

I guess, this is why even the judiciary, when it punishes the accused it looks at the motive than the means. If the motive is wicked, hideous and vile then the judgment is even death.

Given this I guess – and this is only my opinion – Heart meaning the motive means the most.

To summarize in the words of my Guru: “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.”2

Footnote - 1: Bible - Mark 7:21-23 (New International Version, ©2010), 2: Bible Mat 7:18 (KJV)

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Warm regards,
Christus
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