Actions and consequences are a fundamental part of human existence that needs to be properly understood for good living.
Action is a thing done; an act. The consequence is something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions; an effect caused by an action, or a reaction to an action.

It was popularly believed that actions are responsible for consequences, this belief, though ancient, is supported by a rudimentary scientific law that states that every action attracts a befitting reaction or consequence.

We often expound this Law to explain human behaviors by assuming that the consequences dished on people are based on their actions.
This belief was used to rationalize certain toxic human behaviors; for example, a partner who cheats will find something about the other person to blame as the reason for their infidelity. Ladies who got raped were told they attracted this consequence with their indecent dressing. This conclusion was very satisfying at the time until people started raping children and infants.

While this rudimentary law is peripherally true, it cannot and should be used to explain human behavior because the law is not so reasonable for psychology. Actions don't determine consequences; actions of others do not determine human reactions. The consequence of an action is determined by a person's interpretation of the action. This interpretation is not based on the action itself, but on the person's mental state.

An action might initiate a process, but it’s highly insignificant to the outcome; a person reacts based on their thinking pattern; mental state.
This is an interesting thing to learn from understanding the gospel of Christ and learning about his life. Let's focus on his dying moments on the tree for instance. Was the proper reaction to the people's actions supposed to be forgiveness? No. They deserved to be burned with fire from the Sun, but they were forgiven instead. This shows that the people's actions didn't affect the consequence. Jesus’s mental state solely determined the consequence; he forgave them because of his mental state.

Another situation we can learn from was the moment when he was arrested. This situation is better because it shows two different people's reactions to the same event.

When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, Peter who was not being arrested reacted violently while Jesus who was being arrested reacted peacefully. This showed that Peter and Jesus were of different mental states and their reaction to the same event was dependent on their respective mental states.

HOW DID WE GET HERE?
Well, it's not a lie that as humans, we've not fully realized what we are and we're only just learning about ourselves. Whatever beliefs of the past are not reasonable enough to explain the reality of life. Efforts must be made to have an accurate knowledge of the truth.

We got here because blaming the action is innate to us. We might not be able to tell the origin of this behavior and why it’s innate on our own but the bible gives us a clear picture of the beginning of this behavior with the events of the Garden of Eden.

Adam was said to blame or censure both God and the woman for his reaction to the action of the woman, and the woman likewise blamed the serpent in her delusion.

Because we didn't understand that action is insignificant in consequence, so we joined the bandwagon at certain points in our lives. Because we didn't understand that the action (giving) of the woman was insignificant in the consequence (accepting), so we heaped blame on the woman and some still do to this day.

This behavior (blaming the man’s reaction on the action of the woman) has blinded us, so much such that we're unable to see that consequences are independent of actions in our personal lives.

However, the writers of the scripture were inspired to write intelligently. The Bible is written with a great level of ambiguity so that whoever reads it will come to a conclusion based on their understanding of the framework of life.

The Patriarchists blame the woman, then shift this blame to the serpent in solidarity. The Atheists read it and blame God. The Patriarchal opinion is prevalent because most (if not all) religions are Patriarchal.

Note: it's written that God made the serpent the way it is. By and large, the Patriarchists are also blaming God (for making the serpent), but indirectly. Thus, both groups are exhibiting their innate behavior; the response of the Adamic nature, for Adam already blamed God.

However, such beliefs are not scriptural, they are just beliefs of people who do not understand the framework of life. The Bible throws open the identity of the wicked one in the beginning so that each person's conclusion will reflect their level of understanding of the fact (consequence is independent of actions).

Therefore, the Bible is literature to test our understanding and judgment. It's like a story you tell children before asking them to say the morals of the story. Each child's response reflects their focus, level of understanding, and sense of judgment. Their conclusion will only be as sound as their level of knowledge.

HOW DO WE FIX THIS?
Fixing this habit like everything is not easy but becomes easy if we’re willing. This means no one can make a person change this behavior, the change can only happen personally.

The first move to defeating this habit is to properly appropriate blame. Every willing person must realize that their actions and reactions are independent of other people’s actions or reactions. This understanding helps us see life broadly and helps us become responsible entities.

Secondly, Jesus is one man who fully conquered this behavior; he never acted based on people’s actions. Therefore, following the life of this man is the only possible way to overcome this behavior.

We can follow the life of Jesus by obeying his commandments (the gospel) because he was known to only teach and command what did (Acts 1:1). These commandments are a selection of laws (not the 10 commandments) that if obeyed will create a new mental state in us; a mental state that is independent of actions of others.

For example, Jesus commands that we pray for those who curse us. The innate behavior is retaliative but a mind that obeys Jesus acts independently of the action. Therefore, a person can only truly fix this behavior by understanding that their reactions are totally dependent on their mental state, and by obeying the commands of Jesus.

This is so amazing ��

Damilgodwin:
This is so amazing ��

Thank you for your kind words.

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