"I am above the weakness of seeking to establish a sequence of cause and effect, between the disaster and the atrocity"

This quote by Edgar Allan Poe is a reflection on the futility of attempting to make sense of catastrophe and atrocity. He is recommending that it is difficult to draw a direct line in between a catastrophe and an atrocity, as if one caused the other. He is implying that it is a waste of time to try and understand the ridiculous, which it is much better to accept the tragedy and atrocity as part of life. He is likewise suggesting that it signifies weakness to try and understand something that is beyond our understanding. He is stressing the importance of accepting the tragedy and atrocity as part of life, and not attempting to make sense of it. He is recommending that it is much better to accept the disaster and atrocity, and move on, instead of attempting to make sense of it.