Although there may be many "causes" of the problem, one problem usually stands out well beyond the others as the major contributor. In fact many so called "causes" are merely contributors and are really side-effects or symptoms. Whenever there is a problem of any type is it not best to seek the solution? It's impossible to fix any problem unless causes are fixed and fixing the "root cause" will provide the best fix. After the root cause is fixed, many times secondary causes go away because they are only symptoms to the problem. Finding the root cause is valid for any type of problem-solving!
As life goes on it transitions from day to day with some degree of smoothness. Although things may be imperfect the system has some degree of efficiency that those within the system feel is acceptable. Then at some point in time things go wrong. The system is out of balance and everyone struggles to bring it back to the norm. All those struggles are confounds! We actually introduce more variables in life and increase the problem by tampering with false causes. We fix what's not wrong and what's wrong goes unfixed. People seldom look close enough to find the "root cause" because it's buried deeply within the system!
As an example, if one looks at a New York City Interstate Traffic jam, it may have been "caused" an hour earlier because some car hesitated too long in changing lanes. It takes time after a problem is created for the problem to manifest itself because the "root cause" is deep within the system. Studies in traffic flow have provided the root cause to traffic problems and processes are put into place to minimize variations which cause traffic to jam. (We've all been in traffic jams before only to get through the jam and never find anything wrong! That's because we weren't there to see the root cause!)
Root causes are the main and often the only cause of a certain problem. For instance, my brother had an itching rash all over his back and was treated for allergies for three years. Nothing changed but the medicine and none were effective because the rash was not an allergy. It was lymphoma cancer. The doctors had not "root-caused" the problem. They had treated the symptoms. It appeared on the surface that the cause had been found, but the problem required many more tests and many more studies before the cancer was found! Finally, a knowledgeable doctor delved deeply enough into the study to find that Joe had lymphoma. Science doesn't understand all the root-causes of cancer yet, but they did understand that the root cause of the skin irritation was cancer cells. The symptom of this type of cancer is skin welts with itching. Previous doctors had not been treating a cause, but were treating a symptom!
Those who are in charge are "blamed" for causing problems. Irritants (and even bad doctors) were blamed for Joe's skin rash and itching. In the traffic example the Department of Transportation gets the blame. Whenever a problem arises "blame" is the first phase in "problem-solving". Unfortunately blaming fixes nothing! Blame is a roadblock to problem-solving.
Let's look at the government shutdown. Blame is where we're at! It solves nothing.The Teaparty gets the "blame" for not passing a budget to keep the government operating! Rivals can blame all day long, but there's no resolution because Teapartiers are not the root cause. They're not even a cause at all!
Is it Harry Reid? Barak Obama? John Boehner? No to all! It's not the fault of any one person. Where then lies the cause to the problem. To find the "root cause" a problem-solver must dig deep and not be confounded by personal bias (politics). Was it Bush's policies? Clintons? How far back to we go?
From Wikapedia "The Federal National Mortgage Association commonly known as Fannie Mae, was founded in 1938 during the Great Depression as part of the New Deal." In 1970 Freddie Mac was chartered by Congress to work hand in hand with Fannie Mae to make loans to those who would normally not qualify because of income and credit. In all fairness in 1970 Richard Nixon was president. It would appear that we can "blame" Franklin Roosevelt and Richard Nixon for our government shutdown because Fannie and Freddie are known to be secondary causes which caused the Bush Recession. However, Obama and voters "blamed" George Bush although Democrats Barney Frank and Chris Dodd were caretakers of Fannie and Freddie. Obama was elected because of the failures of Fannie and Freddie and because of Dodd and Frank!
Were Dodd and Frank the root cause? No. They were tamperers as were Roosevelt, Nixon and Obama. By tampering they created variation in the system which led to ultimate failure. Where then lies the root cause? Politicians who have ignored the successes of capitalism and turned to the failed policies of socialism ARE THE ROOT CAUSE. It's Progressives who jumped on board the bandwagon to make America an entitlement society. The noble cause of sharing the wealth created a situation where concern led to the abuse of power and ultimate failure in the system! Marx introduced the concept to the world, but it was in play as early as the French Revolution. Abraham Lincoln was the first "progressive" president.
Before the Civil War America was a nation of unified states which was a fine balance between nationalism and states rights. With the repressive laws of Reconstruction the federal government's power dwarfed that of the states, and the intent of the Constitution was changed! When a change of that magnitude succeeded, gradual change occurred handily and with little opposition. Change became rapid under Roosevelt with the New Deal and with Lyndon Johnson's Great Society. Obama brought socialism to otherwise patriotic Americans by appealing to "hope" and "change". Hope and change has direction and here we are with the tampering of Obama. Hope and change made a bad problem worse because it was tampering with wrong causes, leaving the root cause unaddressed!
In life, there is a problem! I'll define the problem as "sin" because that's the problem as God sees it. Sin is rebellion to God. In effect sinners follow Satan as their ideologue just as Progressives follow Marx. God is my guide in all things... politics and government included! Let's examine the causes of sin. On the surface we can pick causes: immoral entertainment, lewd women (and men), provocative dress, opportunity to get rich et al. Are these entities the cause of rebellion against God? No! They are symptoms of the disease of sin! What then, is the root cause of sin?
Remember, we must dig deeply for the root cause! We all have "original sin". We are guilty just because our ancestor, Adam, made bad decisions. Like those socialists who want to share the wealth, Adam wanted to share the knowledge. Whereas socialists place their hope in government, Adam placed his hope in self. Both are wrong. Our hope is in God alone! Hence, because we're human we all have the desire to sin within us.
Here's the root cause as Paul was inspired to know:
Romans 5:12 "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—"
Paul dug deeply. He understood the "root cause" of sin. It was the devil's doing because Adam believed his lies! Likewise, we all continue in sin because we too are deceived by the devil. Do you want to place blame? Try blaming Satan!
By knowing the "root cause" of our problem we can come up with a solution or we can just tamper! Tampering is when we try to "save ourselves" by being good or doing good. That just makes things worse. (The Pharisees were examples of this by killing the man who came to save them by trying to do "good").
(The Civil example of this is Obama making things worse by trying to "do good". More of the same bad things just makes things worse. It's tampering!)
Here's the solution:
Romans 5:19 "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous."
That one man, unless you're blind, is easily seen to be Jesus! Jesus is the cure to the problem of sin. Yes, sin will continue, but it is defeated. Jesus cured the "root cause" by the shedding of his blood! Because we're sinners we're made righteous only through the death of Jesus! If mankind had failed to find the root-cause and the problem-solver had not yet come, we'd all still be putting a band-aid on the problem! We would all still be trying to obtain salvation by works and just tampering with symptoms (false causes). Thank Jesus for his grace because by his spirit our eyes are opened to the "root cause"! Look at the two possible outcomes by failing to get to the solution to the "root cause":
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
I recognize the cause of sin, Hence, I see the solution has already been provided. I accept the cure for sin as the blood of Jesus. I will not tamper by trying to "change" things outside God's solution and my reward is happiness, success and longevity!
Yes, I've committed the cardinal sin. I've combined politics and religion! God gave us wisdom and has told us that we should come to God in ALL THINGS. Politics is just one of many! If we seek truth, that also is truth in civil matters. Politics is spinning truth. Wisdom is seeking truth! Whenever, there is a problem look for the source of the problem! Socialism exists because it's an ideology which is founded upon the government as provider. Socialism denigrates God as an opiate of the people and places itself over God. As a consequence those politicians who fail to follow God support leaders who can only "tamper" with causes to ultimately multiply the problem! Progressive (socialist/communist) doctrine is outside the will of God!
Deuteronomy 30:2 (NIV) "... and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.
The "civil or political" solution is the the same as the "religious" solution to our national problem! As God tells Israel to return to the Lord and obey, and the nation will be restored, God will do the same for America. Progressive politicians have taken an ungodly route. They've abandoned God and accepted the Marxist idol as savior. The only way for America to be restored is by returning to God!
Socialism (ungodliness) is the "root cause". Godliness is the solution. To be "Godly" we are to be Christlike. There's the solution! It's not so hard, is it? Jesus is the answer!
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