CAUSE AND EFFECT

“Mad let us grant him, then, and now remains

That we find out the cause of this effect,

Or rather say, the cause of this defect,

For this effect defective comes by cause.”

William Shakespeare. Hamlet Act 2 Scene 2

This was the wordy Polonius talking about Hamlet’s apparent madness. His apparent madness is the effect. Loving Ophelia and not being able to see her is of course the cause.

This got me thinking about cause and effect, a much used but little understood concept. Let’s be clear, the effect is what happened. Why it happened or what made it happen, is the cause.

I have heard talk over the last few weeks about the 4 Horsemen, the all action characters from the Book of Revelations. Their arrival is supposed to herald the apocalypse. The book was supposedly written by John the disciple and he obviously was unconcerned by cause and effect, as his Horsemen are all obviously effects, war, pestilence, famine and death. All these terrible things are around us in the world every day.

So, what are the real causes of these effects? Who or what are the real Horsemen of the Apocalypse? For John, obviously it is us and our sinful ways. But here are my thoughts, in a short poem of course.

What do you think the real horsemen are?

REVELATIONS

The

death bell

  Religion

   Apathy

    Nationalism

     Greed –

and amongst us all,

the 4 Horsemen ride.

 

 © Tom Kerr 2020