This morning a commercial for Kaiser caught me eye. The tag line was “be your own cause” and was designed to encourage people to take responsibility for their health and wellbeing. But the phrase made me think of how often our culture encourages us to be our own cause … look out for yourself … do what makes you happy … it’s all about you.
Yet it’s not that bad of a tag line. There are times when we do need to see our lives as part of something significant — a cause that extends us beyond ourself. The trouble comes when all of our causes extend no further than the shadow we cast.