Does the cause know the affect?

Does the rain know the affect it has upon grass as it falls? Does the father know the reaction of a child before he asks a question? I wonder how many of us already have a preconceived perception of the affect before we administer the cause. Does the cause know the affect? When I begin a story I rarely know how it's going to end, or do I? Actually, all the stories I've finished ended precisely as I envisioned they would. No, I do not outline. The thing that I like about human psyche is that we're products of results. We care about the affect perpetrated by the cause. I don't know, I just began considering this and it seemed like an interesting topic.

Charlie

Charlie,

I don't know much. I dont't think the rain has a brain--as far as I know it is hydrogen and oxygen.

As far as the father knowing an answer before he asks a question, I have to ask if he knows, why ask?

Is he trying to trap someone?

For example if the father discovers beer bottles stashed under his kids bed--why ask " Have you been drinking?"

Why not begin with, ' I have found a few empty beer bottles under your bed. I hope you emptied them after you got home rather than in a car on the road on the way home.

An interesting response, Alice. And I believe we both know that you know quite alot.

Charlie

Charlie,,

I wish I knew more--a whole lot more and had known it sooner.

If parents wish for their children and teen-agers to be honest with them, they could try asking fewer questions.

Most people are consequences avoiders and will lie to escape unpleasantness.

Children do this, adults do as well.

Church leaders are the worst offenders. I don't ask them any questions now--I know the answer will be a lie.

As I see it, they have enough to answer for, why add lying to the list?

Come on, think! Can anyone remember lying?
Surely I am not the only one here.


Did anyone ask their kids a stupid question that they already knew the answer to and then get bent because their kid lied.?

Just curious, as usual.

As usual, You were smart, Marie.Your kids were lucky too.

We had a school principal who just went around accusing anyone of anything he could think of.

He never wanted any trouble but was constantly looking for it.

The funniest was when he took the kids 200 miles away from home on a ski trip then called their parents up to see if their kids had been smoking on the trip.

I asked him,"How would the parents know? They were at home, you were there."

He was like the rain--missing a brain.

Well, Alice,
My children knew every secret my ex husband and I tried to hide from them. They knew the answers to the questions and the answers we wanted to hear. We were not very good parents, I think. The children are the one's who are in charge. We should have admitted it long ago. Children can judge you like God would for not having a cool car, and for having a 1962 Ford LTD with a small dent in the rear door, powder blue with a white top that could go 120 mph on a Papago reservation road, not that you ever tried that. but would have to be parked at least two blocks from school when you drove them there because they did not want to be considered Bus Riders! Lord! They wanted that red convertable and me in a blond wig and big sunglasses to drop them off with loud music playing.

Some where along this journey, I have become the cool ma and grandma. Not that I deserve that, you must know, but who am I to tell them I am the same old bat that I was years and years ago.

I imagine you just have to live a long time and relax a whole lot.

Love,
Betty

Betty,

You are bringing back funny memoties--where on earth did you get your sense of humor?

Charlie, I doubt that we always know the effect of our causes. If we did, we probably wouldn't set some of those causes into motion. The problem there is that we don't really know which effects are positive until we are dealing with them. Sometimes stuff that seems negative to begin with turns out to be very positive in the long run.

And I sometimes wonder, are some effects acausal?

Ann

Ann ,

When you are right you are so right.

In the movie Tomorrow is Forever, Orson Welles put it this way: "A soldier fires a bullet; who knows what mark it finds?"

Let's hope it hits the enemy, before he /she fires at you.