Causes are complex and have different time scales. The efforts of the individual are not the sole determining factor in the individual’s condition in life, because everyone is part of the nexus of society and nature and the continuum of time. It is common for people to attribute causes wrongly because of misperception of real relationships.

Every cause is the effect of something else, and every effect is the cause of something else. What may seem like a curse may be a blessing, and what may seem a blessing may be a curse. Hardship is a blessing when it spurs effort and development; ease is a curse when it increases complacency and self-indulgence.