Correlation ā Causation (Even If the Raccoons Say So)
Humans are walking myth machines. We are wired to seek story, to make meaning, to connect the cosmic dots into somethingāanythingāthat explains why our cat vomited at 3:17 a.m. the same day Mercury went retrograde.
We crave order. But the universe? Sheās more of a free-range improv artist.
Hereās the uncomfortable (and hilarious) truth: just because two things happen together doesnāt mean they cause each other.
Welcome to the classic logical blooper known as: correlation ā causation.
And in the Cult of Brighter Days, we hold both the absurdity and the science of it with reverent irreverenceāand a suspicious side-eye toward lava lamps.
šŖ The Absurd Examples (a.k.a. The Fun Part)
Every time I eat tacos on a Tuesday, the stock market doesnāt crash. Coincidence? Or is my guacamole consumption the thin guac-line holding capitalism together?
Shark attacks and ice cream sales both spike in summer. Obvious conclusion: the sharks want sprinkles. Or maybe theyāre just lactose-intolerant and lashing out.
Nicolas Cage appeared in fewer movies after 2010⦠and divorce rates also dropped. Did fewer Cage films save marriages? Spiritually? Absolutely. Statistically? Donāt @ me.
My neighbor bought a lava lamp. The raccoons stopped raiding his trash. Either raccoons have upgraded their aesthetic standards or weāre one step away from them opening a Pinterest account.
Apparently, when we drink less milk, we also set fewer things on fire.
So either dairy rage is real, or lactose is secretly flammable.
Either way, someone get the cows on a peacekeeping missionāthis world is crispy enough.
And letās not ignore the obvious: Bishop Sara and Wonder Woman have never been seen in the same room.
Iām not saying itās proof. But Iām also not not saying it.

š¬ The Science Bit (a.k.a. Reality, But Make It Tender)
Correlation = Two things happen at the same time.
Causation = One thing actually makes the other thing happen.
Confounding variable = The sneaky third thing driving both.
Letās break it down like a bishop-led TED Talk with a glitter pointer:
Correlation: Kids eat more ice cream in summer AND get more sunburns.
Causation: The sun is behind both. Also, poor life choices.
Without investigating those hidden third variables, weāre just raccoons connecting red yarn between thumbtacks and calling it āresearch.ā
⨠A Public Health PSA from the Cult of Brighter Days āØ
Because spiritual rebellion includes accurate medical information:
- If they canāt pronounce acetaminophen, they probably shouldnāt prescribe anything stronger than chamomile.
- If their diploma says “University of YouTube,” thank them, smile, and then call your actual doctor.
- Essential oils are lovely, but theyāre not re-growing your kidneys, sweetheart.
- Your cousinās Facebook group with glitter angels is not a licensed clinic.
- Hydrate. Medicate. Vaccinate. Eliminate pseudoscientific clickbait.
We love miracles hereābut they work better when paired with science and real doctors (and not your neighborās moon crystal foot bath).
šÆļø Why This Matters Spiritually
Lazy logic leads to dangerous theology.
False causation is how people get scapegoated, how superstitions spiral into cruelty, and how entire communities get blamed for weather patterns. Blaming the rain on witches didnāt make anyone drier. It just made a lot of brilliant women very, very dead.
In the Cult of Brighter Days, we honor the mysteryābut we donāt weaponize coincidence. We ask better questions. We laugh at our own weird wiring. We resist the urge to draw dotted lines between things that just… are.
So no, Nicolas Cage didnāt save your marriage. But if watching āNational Treasureā helped you hold hands again, that counts as holy.
š The Third Tenet Tie-In
This is where the sacred sass kicks in:
If you canāt be kind, be nice.
If you canāt be nice, be funnyāwithout punching down.
Humor is holy when it points out absurd patterns, not people. When it flips systems, not souls. When it leaves the raccoons alone and instead questions the glitter-wielding anti-vax Instagram oracle.
Sacred laughter saves us from taking bad ideas too seriouslyāor ourselves not seriously enough.
š„ The Punchline
Correlation doesnāt equal causation.
But laughter does equal survival.
So when someone sends you a graph proving that pirate populations prevent climate change, donāt panic. Grab an eye patch, raise your grog, and toast the beautiful nonsense of this radiant, ridiculous world.
And if someone insists Bishop Sara and Wonder Woman are secretly the same person?
Letās just say we donāt confirm rumors in the Cult of Brighter Days.
But we also donāt waste a good lasso of truth.





