Written by Bob Pearce.

Ask any ‘Why’ question – ‘Why this?’, ‘Why that?’, ‘Why me?’, ‘Why didn’t they/he…?’, ‘Why don’t you…?’ .

Whatever our ‘Why’ question, our answer usually sets off with ‘Because’.

‘Why have you…?’ – ‘Because I…’.

‘Why can’t we…?’ – ‘Because it…’.

‘Why should I…?’ – ‘Because you…’.

Why? Because… Why? Because. Why? Because….

‘Why’ asks a particular style of question and demands a particularised type of answer. Our ‘Why’ questions seem to automatically send us off looking for a ‘Because’ answer. And eventually we’ll find one.

We could ask ‘why do we answer ‘Why’ questions using ‘Because’? And we might say ‘Because we’ve always done it that way’.

We can ask ‘why’ have we always done it that way? And we may say ‘Because it feels natural’.

We could ask ‘why’ does it feel natural? And we might say ‘Because it feels automatic’.

We can ask ‘why’ does it feel automatic? And we may say ‘Because……… Well, just ‘because”.

When we use ‘Why’ questions and ‘Because’ answers we paint our pictures in a simple and neat ‘Cause’ and ‘Effect’ style, where some-thing-or-other made some-such-and-such happen to some-stuff.

Our ‘Why’ questions back us into a corner and we come out boldly ‘becausing’.

If we like this some-such-and-such that has happened (what we call ‘good’ in ‘closing’ words), we will praise this some-thing-or-other. If we don’t like what happened (what we call ‘bad’ in closing words), we will blame them. Our ‘Because’ answers get us all praisey’/’blamesy with our world. This what-ever-it-was has happened as a result of what-cha-ma-call-em doing what-ever-in-heck-it-was. So we say what-cha-ma-call-em is to ‘praise’/’blame’.

We reckon to be Sheriff of ‘Because Town’, driven to look here and there, hoping to find someone and something to point a finger at and decide it was their ‘credit’/’fault’. We can all speak rough and ready ‘Cause-and-Effect’ and look for someone and something to ‘praise/blame’ in our neighbourhood. If what-not hadn’t done what-have-you, then this what-ever-it-was would not have happened. Somebody had to be to ‘praise/blame’.

Our ‘Because’ answers make us take sides. Our ‘Cause-and-Effect’ eyes see action driving down a one-way street. Some apparently active ’causer’ pushes a supposedly passive ‘effectee’ around, and they then allegedly became another causer, shoving more seemingly passive effectees about. In our giving-pushes and getting-shoved picture, passive things supposedly stand about waiting for active stuff to come along and do its thing to them.

‘We all know whose ‘fault’ it ‘is’, right’?’

‘Well, no. That’s just our ‘Because’ talking.’

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