“She’s with her only because...”

“He’s president of the fraternity only because… “

“They got that grade only because…”

“I was offered this job only because…”

.. and the list goes on and on. If you have ever found yourself saying the words “only because” then keep reading. This article is for you.

Attaching the words “only because” onto a statement creates a false sense of reality about whatever topic you’re talking about. Truth be told, there’s nothing in this world that happens solely due to one factor. If you can find something, please let me know. Otherwise, let’s dig deeper.

Everything happens because a whole bunch of reasons have compiled and driven something to a singular point. For example, let’s make this pivotal point a course grade. You may have done amazingly well, and oversimplify your accomplishment by saying, “I got an A in stats only because I took it in high school.” Maybe there is some truth to this, but I bet you didn’t just walk up to your professor and say that you took stats in high school. Or did you, and did they automatically throw in an A on Canvas/Black Board excusing your attendance for the rest of the semester? Probably not. You really deserve that A, and you shouldn’t belittle yourself. Take pride in the many actions you did for that course. You worked hard, you showed up, you earned an A.

Another example not involving school - in case your brain is fried from midterms – is more fun. It’s actually sports related. How many people did you hear say this one in group chats, snap chat, or conservation around, oh let’s say September 6^th? “We lost that game only because we lost that player.” This may hit home for my fellow Noles… but there are 124 players on our 2017 roster. That is a lot of players. I actually didn’t believe it at first, but there are in fact 124 names. That is 124 factors going into why we win or lose a game, not to mention coaching, calls, and all that which could be an article in itself. Why do we focus on one factor though? It’s just simpler, easier to talk about, and easier to “fix” just one factor. In the long run, that may not be the best game plan, but over and over it continues.

My point is we all at times sell ourselves short. We fall back on the "only because" clause.

In my opinion, it’s something we should consider dropping from our daily conversations, because I believe it creates a whole different mindset. A mindset that has expanded past grades, and sports and jumped right on into health, politics, and other highly important global conversations. What happens when we fixate on one factor about ourselves or our community? Our daily words have weight even when it comes to worldly matters, and I think we should keep in mind this clause when we talk about ideas, movements, and figures both past, present and future.

How many moments have honestly happened only because of one thing?