The Root Cause of All the Problems in the World

In healthcare when errors or accidents arise, we seek to define the root (not the proximate) cause. 

One approach to this is the “Five Whys” method. Like a two year old, we don’t stop asking why until we find the root cause (or until Dad loses patience or doesn’t know the answer:) 

Here’s an example: A patient suffers from respiratory depression.

Why? He was overdosed.

Why? He was given the wrong dose of his medication.

Why? The nurse misinterpreted the doctor’s written order.

Why? His handwriting was messy and 1.0 mg looked like 10 mg.

Why? The hospital did not have a policy to avoid medication errors (e.g. Not writing a decimal followed by a 0).

If we stopped asking why too early, we would blame the nurse or doctor and not discover the root cause that would help us prevent future adverse events. 

We can apply the Five Whys method to any problem, including why we get backed up and run behind in the office. 

After I learned the method, I starting applying it to every problem I could think of, including global warming, the war in the Ukraine, terrorism, homelessness, racial and gender inequality, the high divorce rate, drug abuse, alcoholism, depression and anxiety, . . . but I didn’t stop at just 5 whys.

And I discovered the root cause of every problem in the world.

If we limit our awareness to the judging, comparing, story-making self created by the left cerebral hemisphere, we see ourselves as separate from others and the whole world. If we expand our awareness to the mindful qualities of the right cerebral hemisphere, we see, feel and live our connection and interdependence with all life. 

Daily mindful practices not only reduce stress but eventually lead to insights into your own true nature. 

Indian guru, Nisargadatta Maharaj said, “Wisdom says I am nothing. Love says I am everything. Between the two, my life flows.” 

This is my personal manifesto on the connected self: 

I am part of a greater whole: a member of a family, supported by a network of friends and family, neighbours and peers. 

I am a member of my community a citizen of this country, and a member of humankind, connected to all living things: a part of nature and this planet. 

I am not these momentary thoughts, these transient sensations. these feelings or moods. 

I am more than this everchanging body. 

All is subject to change: we are created and recreated; we create and recreate. 

We are always growing and evolving.

At 7 pm on Thursday, January 12th, 2023, on behalf of the Burnaby Division of Family Practice, I’ll be speaking on Emotional Wellness, providing practical tips on managing stress and difficult emotions, including key emotional health skills that we all need to practice during the pandemic and throughout our lives, beginning in childhood.

Please share this information with anyone who may benefit!

To learn more and sign up for this free Zoom workshop, check out the Burnaby Division of Family Practice’s website: https://divisionsbc.ca/burnaby/for-patients/empowering-patients