PRINCIPLES FOR PERSONAL GROWTH, CHANGE, AND
TRUE
SUCCESS IN OUR LIFE AND SERVICE TO
OTHERS
How to become all we can be and live at peace in our
world.
Principle
4 - The universal principal of cause and effect works in
our life to carry us forward or to bring us
down.
The universe is not random. We know that there are
physical and material laws that govern the world that we
live in. We are taught, and we discover, that for every
action there is an equal and opposite free action.
We have discovered, but not created, a series of
mathematical and physical laws that help us understand
our world and decide what to do. We know that there
are certain laws that govern the field of aerodynamics,
and this means that a properly designed airplane can
fly. We also know that there is a law of gravity
and that an improperly designed aircraft must come to the
ground. The law of cause and effect must be
respected in all of our
considerations.
The law of cause and effect in the material world comes
into our human situation, not as a law, but as a profound
life principle. There are no guarantees in We have
no assurance that because we do one thing that a certain
result will follow. We also know that there are
things that come into our life that are not directly the
result of what we have done. There are tragedies over
which we have no control, and for which we were not
responsible, and there are great blessings and much good
fortune that comes to us even though we seemingly did
nothing to cause or deserve it.
But the principle is in effect and in honoring it, we
will grow and be able to live at peace in our
world.
The principle goes under many names and is expressed in
many ways. When we say, “What goes around, comes
around,” we are expressing this principle. The deep
wisdom of the ages which says, “What you reap, you will
sow,” is also an expression of this principle.
Those who have studied the human condition often speak of
the universe as a mirror. Brian Tracey, well-known
thinker and speaker, tells us that the universe is a
mirror, and that what we send out will be reflected back
toward us. Perhaps all of these principles,
thoughts, and traditions reflect the deep belief that
there are always consequences. What we do will
always have some results. What someone else does
will always have some result. Those who do things
well will receive good results. The old business
saying, “The harder I work, the luckier I get,” is an
expression that luck is not a factor in our success, but
that what oftentimes passes for luck was caused by deep
thinking and very hard work.
Yes, indeed, the principle of cause and effect works in
our lives; and it will carry us forward or it will bring
us down.
Even though this has the ring of common sense, and will
usually be embraced by most people in the abstract, a
significant part of the population spends their time
trying to beat the principle. They act as if it
were not true. If we truly believe that the way we
treat others is the way we will be treated, most of us
would treat other people differently. However, we
hope that what we do will not always come back to
us. If we truly believed that to be successful we
would have to do things to cause that success, then we
would not invest our money and our time in cheap schemes
that promise to get us rich, nor would we believe in the
lottery as a means to lasting
success.
Much of the misery in our
world comes from the efforts of others to try and beat
this principle. They hope to gain a great effect
without putting in a great cause. They hope that
the way they will be treated is not a reflection of how
they have treated others. In a workshop I once said
to the participants that they were free to not pay the
fee for the workshop if they did not believe it was of
sufficient value. One of the participants
responded, “Well, we could still believe it was of value
and not pay you and then get all of the information for
free.” I responded, “Yes, you could do that; and if
you do, you are making a great mistake. Because if
you cheat me of $50, you yourself will probably be
cheated of $500.” The interesting part of this
principle is that when you are cheated, you will probably
not even know that it happened or how it happened.
You will probably chalk it up to bad
luck.
This principle should give us
great hope. If we treat others with great respect
and treat them as we would like to be treated, that is
what we will receive. If we continue to study,
improve our service, do the things that are vital and
create value, then we will receive all those good
things.
No, it is not a law; we
cannot guarantee anything. But it is a deep
principle. Let’s remember that the golden rule is
not just an admonition, but it is more like a rule.
What you do to others will be done unto you. So,
the principle of cause and effect works in our lives and
will carry us forward or bring us
down.
Stan
Hustad
PTM Group