“Life has conspired against me! It is all my parents’ fault!!! My dad insisted I follow this career path and my mom insisted I marry this girl… and look at me now stuck in an unhappy marriage with an absolutely uninspiring career… I am trapped for life!!” cribbed the guy at the restaurant. His friend took one look at him and said “Yes I agree. You are stuck. Not because of what others might have done but because of what you are doing to yourself.”

Science wanted to help the man. Hadn’t the Lord told Science in their earlier meeting not to limit himself to just a theory but to actually practically help out? But how am I to begin thought Science.

God: Just start where you must.

Science: (turning to the Lord) that’s what I don’t know where God!

God: Hmmm… (as if in deep thought…) My dear child, I have been meaning to ask you, why has there been a sudden rise in the crime rate all over the world? Is it because of the increase in police force worldwide?

Science: What? Yeah I mean, there has been an increase in crime rate but that is not because of the increased police force!

God: But there is some relationship right? The rise in crime and rise in policing are not really independent – are they?

Science: There most certainly is a correlation between the rise in policing activity and crime, but increased police force is not the cause of increased crime. Lord, humanity knows that correlation does not signify causality.

God: Can you explain a little more in detail?

Science: Of course my Lord! First to understand the terms – correlation is the relationship which can be mathematically measured and is given a value between 0 and 1. Generally, a correlation of 1 means the two things are completely related. For example the height and weight of an individual normally has a .8 correlation, meaning the height and weight of individuals are related. Whereas, a correlation of 0 implies that the objects being compared are not related or are independent. For example the height and eye colour of individuals are unrelated for knowing one does not help us understand the other.

God: But even causality is a relationship!

Science: Yes my Lord but it is not mathematical, it is more physical or philosophical. Something causes something else. And it involves time – the first action that causes the second has to happen before the second! The second is the result of the first. Now in the case of height and weight, we cannot say height causes the weight! They are merely correlated but there is no causality.

God: I am beginning to understand! So crime rate and police force, you say are correlated but not causative?

Science: Yes my Father! If we are studying two things A and B (crime rate and police force), correlation states by changing A there will be a change in B if they are correlated. Here, an increased crime rate resulted in needing an increased police force to maintain law and order. If the crime rate were to drastically drop, the governments of various countries may decide to deploy their revenue in other fronts rather than an increased police force. But this does not mean that automatically an increase in crime rate caused increase in police force. Equally, perhaps increasing the policing activity might help reduce crime but it would not directly cause lowered crime rates. So many other factors including basic social economy and literacy would contribute to really lowering crime rates.

God: So is correlation always only for affecting an increase or are there situations when it adversely affects each other?

Science: Lord, crime rate and policing is an example of positive correlation – when A (crime rate) increased so did B (Police force). There could be a negative correlation in that when A increases, B decreases. For instance, there was a report recently that cars painted yellow got in the fewest accidents. Now the statement is misleading luring the reader to believe that the cause for the lower accident risk was the colour of the car. But truth is the lower rate of accident may be because yellow cars are purchased by older men who drive more safely than teenage kids who drive rashly and don’t buy yellow cars. So this is a negative correlation between car colour (increase in A) and accident rate (decrease in B)

God: So in other words correlations do not imply that A caused B. (Laughing) You can’t go out and repaint all of the cars yellow hoping somehow to get fewer accidents.

Science: Exactly Father! Just like how you cannot blame the police force for the increase in crime rate!! But people do get these two things mixed up very easily. This leads them to a lot of incorrect conclusions…

God: …like that man in the restaurant blaming his parents for everything!

Science: Exactly! There is a correlation between his father’s insistence on his profession and his getting involved in an uninspiring job but it would be wrong to say the father caused it. Equally true perhaps his mother chose his bride for him but his inability to decide for himself and take his life in his own hands cannot shift the cause of his unhappiness to his parents. Blaming makes no sense.

God: That is a very important lesson Science, one I wish all of mankind would understand. It is so easy for man to blame his past, fault his parents, hold karma responsible for all that man is today. But all these are merely correlations. None of them, not even the past action is the cause for what man chooses today!

Science: I am a little confused Lord! I mean isn’t it true that the past has led man to the present and the reaction of man to the present is what will cater to his future?

God: Yes indeed the past has brought man to the present. Perhaps he has been a thief all along. His present is a result of his past actions of thieving. But his choice of action today – whether to continue cheating or to turn a new leaf – is not caused by his past. In this context of present action, the past is a mere correlation of various events.

Science: So past actions are not really the cause for present actions. But the past action is certainly the cause for present misery isn’t it?

God: If man is suffering the present moment that is a result of his inability to accept the present. Or for that matter, if man is rejoicing this minute, that is his ability to accept that good fortune of this moment. The cause for his suffering is his level of acceptance. Nothing explains the philosophy of causality better than the words of the brilliant Tamil poet Subramanya Bharati. He writes:

A snake charmer blows his horn.

Was the music born in his horn?

Did the sound emanate from the holes or was it his breath?

No! The music was born in his heart, it was revealed by his horn!

The heart cannot express it alone; the horn cannot reveal the music by itself.

The heart cannot speak directly to the horn.

The heart tells the breath, the breath blows the horn, and lo the horn sings!

That is the miracle of energy.

Science: It is beautifully expressed Father. It clearly explains how it is the heart’s desire that causes the manifestation of everything around. Everything man experiences are caused by himself. O yes there is a correlation between all that has happened and all that will. But the cause remains man’s own personal thoughts. Blaming is not allowed.

Written by Gita Krishna Raj  |  Published in infinithoughts in May 2010

When Science met God… |  Segment Five: Why Me?  | Chapter Four: Is life a conspiracy?