Consequences
I guess there are many ways to see consequences.
I woke up thinking about the simples things I did or said, and what consequences did it have, if they even HAD consequences.
Consequence is often defined around a simple paradigm: Everything that follows an action, is a consequence. Often an action is a consequence of an action, this is the more known as: to every action there is a reaction of equal and opposite intensity - which in itself is only a slight simplification of one of Newton's laws of motion.
But this definition is not so helpful, as it is meant to apply to two bodies applying force.
As I said, there isn't always a reaction, I guess most of the time the reaction is nearly imperceptible. The action isn't in itself a physical manifestation of force and motion. When you look at something you perceive, and this is an action, and what you fell - as a reaction - is the consequence of perceiving.
But what happens when we keep tracking the same line until it vanishes any analytical perception?
Take this example first: You go see a movie by yourself, and the experience is undisturbed, and you watch a very fun movie. Simple, you see something, that something makes you have fun. But that is only as far as action-reaction goes, everything else, is consequence, and consequence takes you far, very far. After the movie, you are happier, so you are more inclined to enjoy life, to stay up latter, to accept invitations that could otherwise seem uninteresting. More directly you call your friends, and recommend the movie, some may have seen it, triggering a long conversation that eventually derails from the movie topic into something else, possibly resulting in plans for a get together.
I've said before, you are where you are, because you chose to be. In the end, it is true, but I say this now only to make it clear, that the consequences of your actions far back, still linger on today, resulting in the place you are.
But consequence has some subtle differences in itself.
I'll use some terms here, as I see fit, and don't know if there is some formal proposition around this.
Let us start with the Logical Consequence. Logic is that in which reason uses to predict what will result. If I let go of the apple in my hand, logic stands that is will fall. A Logical Consequence, is one that can be measured and predicted in some way, like the falling of the apple, or the glass breaking as a stone passes through it. It is interesting to note, that most LCs are physical, but not always what you expect. If you threw the stone at a reinforced window, it might not break, I may seem illogical to you, but there is a reason for the outcome. It's of much debate whether a mental reaction would be logical. If you tell a joke, it would be logical for people to laugh, but not to cry, and yet outcomes do vary, so it seems rather pointless to try and apply reason where a person is involved.
Temporal Consequences are something along the lingering effects of an action. When the apple falls, it JUST falls, but there is some temporal effect resulting from this change in space, maybe some animal that might not have reached it before can eat it now. Maybe the apple landed on a ground mine and changed the landscape around it nearly permanently. This is perhaps the most important type of consequence you need to perceive. Because long term effects may branch out more, and therefore determine how much that action affects you. For example, you are in the middle of the traffic when a car cuts in front you from one of the streets that end up where you are, you would most likely feel angry, upset, or whatever, BUT the car turns into the next street and leaves the whole traffic system you are in. Apart from a mild chain reaction of slow downs, the car is not in the system, in your way, so there was no consequence to his action in the long term (at least to you), so you shouldn't be upset. This is important, many actions you take, many things you see, end at that point, or soon after, and don't really change your life. BUT this is where it gets tricky.
The Personal Consequence. Each person, reacts and feels differently depending on the situation. Take the car example, had some one been sleeping in the back seat and woke up after the other car had left, they wouldn't have felt anything. This extends anywhere, and this is mainly why we suffer so much. A more personal example, I for one hate horror movies, yet, I went with the family and girlfriend to see one. By the end of the movie, I felt bad, but other probably liked it, and felt it was an interesting film, to me it fell into the category of things that shall never be mentioned again, EVER. My reaction is completely personal, and the film has definitely NO connection to reality or my life, it's just a fictional film. It was my own mind that created a consequence, out of whatever excuse it wanted to use, to the film. My reaction is (probably) not logical, and neither a response to something in anyway permanent in my life, but it has consequences nonetheless.
This is why we should be wary of what actions to take, and how to respond to the universe.
Ignoring the car the got in front of you may lead to less stress and a better life, ignoring the horrible movie experience might allow me to see incredible films that I might have missed as consequence.
When you take an action, if at all possible, evaluate the weight of the long term consequences and avoid those actions that harm others.