Epicurus said it best: “By pleasure,” he wrote, “we mean the absence of pain in the body and of trouble in the soul.” Simply put, the drive to relieve discomfort is the root cause of all behavior, while everything else is a proximate cause. In pool, what makes the colored balls go into the pockets? Is it the white cue ball, the stick, or the player’s actions? The white cue ball and stick are necessary, but the root cause is the player using the game’s tools. The white cue ball and stick aren’t the root causes; they are the proximate causes. In the game of life, it’s tough to see the root causes. We might blame a coworker for taking our job when passed over for a promotion instead of reflecting on any personal pitfalls. These proximate causes help us deflect responsibility elsewhere. Without understanding and tackling the root causes, we’re stuck being the helpless victims in a self-created tragedy. The distractions in our lives are proximate causes that we think are to blame, while root causes stay hidden. We tend to blame things like TV, junk food, and social media, but these are all proximate causes. We must deal with the root causes or continue to risk getting distracted. Distraction isn’t about the distraction itself; it’s about how we respond to it. #Indistractable …see more