Читать книгу Your Life - Bruce McArthur - Страница 14

Chapter 2

Like Begets

THE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT

The law of cause and effect is a master law encompassing several sublaws as shown in Figure 2. The first of the laws of cause and effect we’ll work with is “like begets like.” It is itself a master law with two sublaws: the law of increase and the law of attraction. We shall consider them after we have studied “like begets like.”

One of the most important, basic, and helpful of the Universal Laws that is so vital to our lives is the law:

LIKE BEGETS LIKE

We can readily see the application of this law in nature, by reflecting on the following examples of its operation:

dogs	beget	dogs
cats	beget	cats
pine trees	beget	pine trees
apples	beget	apples
humans	beget	humans

This law is basic to our existence. Imagine the chaos that would result if dogs were to beget other creatures at random or if we had no idea what would come up when an acorn fell upon fertile soil.

This law, “like begets like,” also operates in our lives and relationships in many important ways, as one Cayce reading states:

FIGURE 2

This is the law, for like begets like; and [you] do not gather olives from thistles, neither apples from bramble bushes, neither [do you] find love in hate. (349-17)

The last phrase clearly links the law to our lives. Hundreds of readings emphasize that our attitudes, feelings, and actions—by this law—determine the attitudes, feelings, and actions of others toward us.

A woman who was having trouble at home and with her relatives asked how she might overcome her difficulties. Cayce, from his trance condition in which he saw her deeper nature and its need, told her that if she wanted to have friends, she must be friendly. If she wanted peace with her neighbor, her relatives, her family, she would need to be peaceful in herself and toward others. She was assured that if she adopted these attitudes, the conditions and circumstances she faced would change and she would come to the real joys in life. What a simple prescription for a complex and disturbing situation and what a wonderful result promised with its resolution!¹

The critical point that is evident in this case is that the law, “like begets like,” makes each one of us individually responsible for the kind of relations we have with others! Whether or not you have a friend depends on you, not the other person. It depends on your attitude and approach: you must first be friendly. Likewise, having peaceful relations with your family depends on you: you must be peaceful in yourself regarding them. The law is simple and unchanging: “like begets like.” Your inner peace and outward peaceful attitude will bring a similar response from others. Some of us might view this law as a great responsibility, for we can’t blame the other person for an unsatisfactory relationship. If we look at this from a positive viewpoint, however, we see what wonderful possibilities it opens to us. For if it is true, we are the masters of our lives and we can create the kinds of relationships with others we truly want to have. To achieve such relationships we must first manifest what we want in ourselves. If we don’t have the kinds of relationships we want, we know we have to do some work on ourselves.

We can intellectually debate whether or not this law is valid, but this seldom resolves the question. To try to apply this law is the only way to settle the question. Many experiences in my life and the lives of others have proven for me the law’s validity. I suggest that you, too, prove it for yourself—try it and see if it works. We need, of course, to be aware that the results sometimes take a long time to manifest and at other times they appear quickly.

APPLICATION OF THE LAW

You can write your own version of this law for whatever you wish to have in your life. Let’s consider how you can apply this law to a particular problem. For example, are you sometimes impatient with others? With the waitress who seems to avoid you? With a slow-moving checkout line? With a seemingly never-changing red light? With a child who has no sense of urgency? Or with the slow pace of an older adult? If so, the Universe is trying to tell you, through the feelings that you experience in these situations, that you are impatient. It is giving you these situations as opportunities to develop your patience. The Cayce readings point out that most of us are here to learn greater patience. You may also wish that others would be more patient with you. They will be if you apply the law.

So, applied to the examples above or to a similar situation in your life, “like begets like” becomes: “patience begets patience.” This can be stated as a personal law to apply such as: “If I am to have patience shown to me I must show patience to others.” (1587-1)P

Patience is an attitude of mind; it is not passive submission. In order for patience to beget patience, your patience must be an active growing force within you.

One of the best ways to show patience is by really listening to other people, to what they are saying without at the same moment thinking about how to reply or how to end the conversation. This applies whether we are talking to an older, slower person or to a child or to our spouse or a friend. Patience requires us to shift our focus from our own thoughts, desires, and concerns to those of the other person for a period of time, whether it be moments or hours.²

The following, based on “like begets like,” are typical of other personal laws you could create and apply to resolve specific problems in your life:

If you do not seem to have joy in your life:

If I would have joy, I must make joy in the lives of others.

If others do not seem to cooperate with you:

If I would have cooperation from others, I must cooperate.

If you feel you do not have enough good in your life:

If I would have good in my life, I must do good to others.

The law, “like begets like,” not only applies in all of our relationships, it also makes us responsible for the ways we are treated by others, as this reading states:

Remember, others will never mistreat you if you never mistreat someone else. It isn’t the nature [of the law], for like begets like. (5354-1) [Author’s emphasis]

A powerful concept! We see that we—each one of us—can determine what happens to us by the way we treat others. For example:

If we dislike others—others will dislike us!

If we are kind to others—others will be kind to us!

If we are considerate of others—others will be considerate of us!

If we are hateful of others—others will be hateful of us!

We could extend this list indefinitely. Let’s be practical now—does it really work? Some years ago I wrote a series of articles on Universal Laws for The A.R.E. Journal.³ Later many readers wrote me about their experiences with these laws. A good example of the operation of “like begets like” came from a woman who wrote:

“I got into my car in a parking lot and, as I was in a hurry, I pulled out quickly without noticing that the car parked next to me was pulled in awfully close. As a result of my impatience, I scraped a thin line, about six inches long, along the door of the car (a Buick). However, since it was not a new car and had a few other small scratches on it, I rationalized in my mind that no one would notice, and drove on.

“Two weeks later, much to my chagrin, our brand-new Opel received a two-inch round dent in the door, which is there to this day. I knew immediately why and that I must mentally forgive the one who did it. Furthermore, I resolved to remember the lesson of the incident.

“It was a year later that I got my ‘opportunity’ to practice the lesson, in the very same parking lot. In a hurry again (we Aries never quit!), as someone was impatiently waiting to take my space, I pulled out at too narrow an angle and put a two-inch double scrape and small dent in a newly painted 1957 Thunderbird! A split-second thought went through my mind to forget it and just go on, until I suddenly remembered the previous incident of the year before. I pulled over, took out a pen and a scrap of paper from my purse, and left a note of apology (I could see it was a well-loved and cared-for car!), plus my name and phone number.

“A few days later, a lady phoned me, absolutely amazed to have received the note. (‘It’s so gracious of you,’ she said!) We arranged for her to have the fender touched up and for the garage to send me the bill. Know what? The bill never came, and I never heard from her again. Perhaps it was enough ‘payment’ to have recognized the situation for what it was and to have acted upon it. Interestingly, her name was Mrs. Kaiser, which means ‘king’ in German. Perhaps it was symbolic of my having had power of dominion over my situation, instead of having let it rule me.”

As we gain control over our lower motives, like selfishness and fear, and begin to manifest from a higher purpose—such as this woman did with her concern and thoughtfulness for others—our experiences begin to change for the better. By this simple shift of motives we move to a higher consciousness.

We could attribute the woman’s series of incidents to chance or luck, good or bad. I prefer to see these, as she did, as a series of incidents brought on by a loving Universe to provide an opportunity to learn a lesson and, thereby, to grow in spirit. She flunked the first test by thinking only of herself. The Universe always gives us a “grade”—the dent in her Opel. When she changed the spirit of her approach from “I can get away with it” to “I will take responsibility for my action,” she was given another chance and passed with flying colors. Her grade was no need to pay. She had learned her lesson!

As we look at the Cayce readings and personal examples, we can see that the responsibility for what exists or occurs in our lives is entirely ours. The kind of a life we are living begets (creates) the life we will have, because “like begets like” is one of the Universal Laws by which we create our destiny.⁴ It applies in all aspects of our lives, and, as a result, the Universe brings to us actions, situations, emotions that reflect what we have expressed or held in mind toward others. For example:

Our motives beget like motives.

Our emotions beget like emotions.

Our attitudes beget like attitudes.

Our thoughts beget like thoughts.

Our approach begets a like approach.

Our acts beget like acts.

Our spirit begets a like spirit.

In other words, what you are “like” is what your life is “like.” You beget your life! Therefore, you can tell, by watching what is happening to you in your life, what you are really like. If you don’t like what is happening to you, it is a signal to you that you need to make a change.

For greater understanding in deciding what to change, we need to be aware that we may harbor conflicting emotions. Consider this statement from a reading: “For, in the application of love is love begotten: In the application of hate is hate begotten.” (347-2)

If we do both, hate some and love others, we will experience both.

Some of us may have sincere doubts about the validity of the first statement in reading 347-2 above, when we recall instances in which we loved another but the love was not returned. The law does not specify when, where, or from whom the love will come. In such a case, there may have been other factors (laws) involved that created that particular result. But according to the law, the love you put into that relationship is not lost but comes back to you at some other time, possibly through someone else. The law makes no exceptions. A friend’s experience during and after her divorce vividly portrayed this principle.

Louise was involved in a divorce action. Her husband became obstructive and vindictive, continually harassing her through their children. Instead of reciprocating, she remained understanding and supportive of him toward the children, even though she had had difficulties in making the transition from housewife to breadwinner. Eventually she met a man who was very understanding and supportive of her through her period of readjustment. They later married. It was exciting to see the law working in this case, to bring back to Louise—when she was in such need—the understanding and support she had so wisely manifested in her relationship toward her husband during the period of divorce.

There is no deviation from the law, as I discovered one day with my granddaughter Elisha, who was four.

It was my day to take her to meet the school bus for her preschool class. We were late. I asked Elisha to fasten her seat belt. Nothing happened. Polite requests and pleading were to no avail. Being slightly larger and stronger, I fastened it forcefully. She struggled against my effort. “Force begets force!” Grandpa was definitely in the doghouse—not a pleasant way to learn a lesson from someone you love! Two days later the Universe gave me the opportunity to try again. This time we were going outside, again in a hurry. It was cold. She needed to wear her snowsuit. She rebelled and resisted as I tried to help her with it. This time Grandpa, a mite wiser, said, “Honey, I am not going to fight with you about it. I love you,” and I fully meant every word of it; it was not a psychological ploy. I started to move away and go on with something else. She looked at me, her frown changed to a smile, her resistance disappeared, and she said simply, “O.K., Grandpa, you can help me”—and she held out the snowsuit to me. “Love begets love.” Our children and grandchildren can be our finest teachers if we will be aware that they, too, are manifesting the Universal Laws, reflecting to us as clearly as a mirror our own spirit, our attitudes, and our emotions.

Many people who have never heard of Universal Laws or of “like begets like” have an inherent feel or understanding for this law and express it in various ways. One particular form I have heard used in different locales is that “what goes around comes around,” a very apt statement of the law.

It has been my experience over many years that whenever I become cognizant of a law and start to use it or apply it or teach it or study it, the results from my use of the law come rapidly back to me and are very evident in daily happenings in my life. The experiences are as though the Universe, like a good teacher, is quickly returning the answers to my experiment to make the point clear that the law works and to encourage me to learn the lesson it has for me.

In the Unity movement the law of “like begets like” is referred to as the law of thinking or the law of mind action. It is defined as “that held in mind produces after its kind.” ⁵ Ernest Holmes in his book, Science of Mind, refers to it as the “law of correspondence.”⁶ These or similar titles are also often applied to other laws addressed in this book. What you title the law is not important, as long as you understand the law, realize that it works, that it applies to you, and that you are using it continually through your thoughts, words, and acts toward your fellow beings. Here are examples of how completely our lives are conditioned by this law:

When you are tempted to say or think this:	Remember the law works this way:7
“She has a nasty wagging tongue!”	If in your thoughts or speech you condemn another, you will bring condemnation upon yourself.
“Look, if you don’t do it this way, I’ll …”	If you choose to use force, there will be just as strong opposition against you.
“He is so careless!”	If you find fault with others, others will find fault with you.
“Well, they are thoughtless and selfish!”	If you speak ill of everyone else, then everyone will look and find that in you to speak ill of.
“I just don’t trust you!”	There must be trust given if you would have others trust and believe in you.
“I’ll never forgive you for that!”	If you would be forgiven, you must first forgive.

THE RIPPLE EFFECT

Another important aspect of the law of “like begets like” is the “ripple effect,” beautifully described in A Search for God⁸ in this way: “As a pebble tossed into a lake sends out ripples that finally reach the farthest shore, just so do our acts, whether good or bad, affect others.”

Violet Shelley, former editor of The A.R.E. Journal,⁹ told me a true story of a sales manager that illustrates this ripple effect.

“Part of Joe’s job as a sales manager was to work with the salesmen, helping them with problems. Joe had flown into a territory and was met at the airport by a young salesman, Bob, who shortly thereafter, while driving Joe to his hotel, ran out of gas. Joe turned choleric, subjected Bob to a roaring tirade, and Bob hiked for gasoline. During the rest of his stay in the territory, Joe mentioned his outrage more than once. Soon after Joe returned to the home office, he had to go to the airport to pick up Mr. Aaron, vice president of the company. Leaving the airport, Joe all of a sudden ran out of gas. He was terribly embarrassed and expected a dose of his own medicine; however, Mr. Aaron said, ‘Never mind, Joe. I have plenty of paper work to do.’ The next time Joe went into Bob’s territory, Bob again ran out of gas. Horror-stricken, he waited for the tongue-lashing. Imagine his surprise when Joe calmly said, ‘That’s all right, Bob. I have plenty of paper work to do.’”

In that series of incidents we see “ripples” in the situation of running out of gas and in the mature response of Mr. Aaron (which carries through to Joe, then from Joe to Bob). Clearly, through the law of “like begets like,” we can set up a “ripple” effect that moves on to others we do not even know. We can be sure it will also eventually bring back to us that which we created, just as Joe had to face the same situation for which he had criticized another.

THE LAW IS IMPARTIAL

The law is impartial about emotions and attitudes. Whether you express love or hate, the law will bring it back to you. The law works for all attitudes and emotions—negative or positive, pleasant or unpleasant. It is up to us to choose what we will manifest in our lives, but whatever we choose, the law will bring it back to us. When people were questioned or complained about what had happened to them, Cayce often responded, “You are meeting yourself!” In other words, this is what you did to someone, so when someone does it to you, you are truly “meeting yourself.”

THE SPIRIT IS THE KEY

We find the law’s effect on us difficult to accept when our experience is an unpleasant one. If someone were to cheat us out of $100, we might vehemently proclaim that we never cheated anyone in our lives. We need to analyze each incident carefully. We forget that we may have cheated others out of something more valuable than money by treating them unfairly, by withholding help when they needed it, or in failing to give them encouragement, understanding, or love at a critical time in their lives. “Like begets like” does not mean that the specific act will be the same. The Universe operates on spirit; the spirit involved will be the same. We can learn some valuable lessons if we study carefully what happens to us in order to discover the spirit involved. “Like begets like” could be translated as follows:

The spirit in which I act will create and return to me in the same spirit.

If I cheat someone out of money or love, what is the spirit involved? Isn’t it the spirit of self-first or selfishness? This can come back to me in many forms, such as others acting in a selfish manner by ignoring me or leaving me out or thinking of themselves first. The acts are different, but all result from the same spirit.

Also, when we are selfish, we are cheating or taking from another. At a deep level, we recognize the nature of our act and realize that we have set in operation the law that will eventually create conditions in which we will be cheated or deprived or robbed in some way. The result is doubt and fear that grow in us.

However, because we know the law is impartial, we also should consider the good situations that happen in our lives: being loved, praised or appreciated; others sharing with us, giving us recognition, or including us in happy occasions. The spirit that comes to us in these situations is of sharing, of love, and of thinking of others. For this spirit to come in any form, it must have been created by us sometime in the past. Be thankful and keep living, being, and doing in that spirit!

In his book Universal Law, Natural Science, and Philosophy, Walter Russell, a talented composer, artist, architect, and author in science and philosophy, shows one way to make the law work for you. He writes:

If you do not like your work, it gives back to you what you give to it; you become fatigued and devitalized. There is no task which manifests God which is not beautiful—if you make it so—for beauty is not in any task; it is in you. If you have to sweep the floor, do it gloriously; the floor must be swept. If it falls to you to do it, do it perfectly—with love—and it will bless you.¹⁰

UNWISE USE OF THE LAW

There are many ways we can use the law to our own detriment. Two unwise uses frequently cited in the readings are: being judgmental and faultfinding. These create a dilemma for us in application of this law because we all have developed, for very good reasons, the ability to judge and to detect faults. We, therefore, need to explore further how, when, and where we can use these abilities without creating difficulties for ourselves through this law.

WHEN IT IS APPROPRIATE TO JUDGE OR FIND FAULT

Are there times we should find fault—say, in business? Supervisors of employees have a responsibility to make certain that standards of quality and efficiency are upheld. This requires that errors or faults be called to the attention of the employees. The following excerpt from the readings acknowledges this fact, but cautions against doing it too often. The excerpt also suggests that it be done in a loving manner—that is, in the right spirit.

An office supervisor was given advice by Cayce about better methods of handling her work and was told: “… don’t find fault so often … Be sincere. Be patient. Be gentle, be kind.” (254-115)

This is not a discrepancy in the law; such faultfinding will come back to us, as every supervisor knows, most probably from the boss! But as long as you are dealing with your employees in the right spirit and for the right purpose, the criticism will come back to you in that spirit and for that purpose. The key is that you have agreed to a responsibility which requires that you exercise judgment and correct faults for the mutual good. This is far different than taking on faultfinding of others for whom you have no responsibility and aiming to straighten them out “for their own good.”

Dealing with employees in business is somewhat similar to parents dealing with children. Parents have a responsibility to guide and correct children, always in a loving manner, and to practice what they preach because “like begets like.”

In our dealings with others—as people together in business, as families, or friends, or any one of many possible relationships—we may need, in the course of affairs, to analyze, evaluate, and discern what others do based on the effect with regard to the purpose of the relationship. So far so good—as long as we accept them as they are without judging or finding fault with them as individuals; that is, without deciding that they are guilty, deficient, or less than we are. We do not have to agree with them. Each one of us sees truth differently; some in very strange ways, I’ll admit! But the way they see it is indeed their truth, and by that consciousness they live and act and have a perfect right to that understanding as we do to the way we see the truth.

The Bible also warns against judgments on our part and affirms the operation of “like begets like”: “Pass no judgment, and you will not be judged. For as you judge others, so you will yourselves be judged …”¹¹

We should not, however, suspend judgment entirely. It can be beneficial to judge or find fault with things; it is detrimental to judge people. We need to judge possessions and other items to make certain they are serving us well, so we have a wide range for use of our abilities to judge.¹²

We have the right and responsibility to keep our own creations in decency and in order, and to decide when they are right or wrong or effective for us in accord with our purpose. To put it more specifically, if you have a washing machine, its purpose is to wash clothes. If it is broken, that is contrary to its purpose. Get it fixed.

WHEN IT IS DETRIMENTAL TO JUDGE OR FIND FAULT

Modern psychology today recognizes our need to analyze and evaluate, discern and compare, but it also verifies how destructive certain judgments and faultfinding can be when we make what it terms “value judgments.” Dr. Robert Anthony explains this in his statement on “The Destructive Power of Value Judging”:

The basic cause of most inharmonious human relationships is the tendency to impose our values on other people. We want them to live by what we have decided is “right,” “fair,” “good,” “bad,” etc. If they do not conform, we become resentful and angry … There is nothing we can do to alter other people’s values, concepts, or beliefs if their awareness is not ready to accept change. No one is obligated to change just to make the world a better place for you to live in. People may disturb or anger you, but the fact that not everyone objects to their behavior indicates that the problem is yours. You are resisting their reality and desiring to see things, not as they are, but as you would like them to be. This is the point at which you start value-judging. Nothing can destroy a relationship or break off communications faster than value-judging. If you wish to develop a positive self-esteem, it is imperative that you stop all value-judging. This begins with the right motivation: the motivation that all forms of value-judging are disastrous to your well-being. Just discontinuing verbalized value-judgments is not sufficient. If you say one thing and think another, your words are meaningless for your thoughts are equally as powerful. The Scriptures remind us that, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”¹³

SEEING FAULTS IN OTHERS

What about our friends, spouses, or other relatives whose faults become obvious to us? Sometimes we are tempted to help them by pointing out their faults. The law of “like begets like” tells us that if we point out others’ faults, the same will happen to us—and most of us do not like to hear about our faults from someone else, particularly our friends or close associates!

Consider one aspect of “like begets like”: like sees like. For example, what you see and dislike in someone else is a reflection of a part of your own nature.

Fortunately this reflective principle applies not only for our negative characteristics but also for our positive, loving attitudes which others reflect to us as well. We readily accept and enjoy these reflections. But when we see a disturbing fault in someone else, we are not apt to agree or even consider that we also have that flaw in ourselves. However, the fault in another would not disturb or upset us if we did not have that same defect. This is a concept most of us find hard to deal with and accept.

But stop and consider. You are aware that a particular flaw in someone else may be upsetting to you but others may not notice it at all, or if they do it may not disturb them. Or vice versa, what troubles someone else may not bother you at all. Obviously there must be some reason within you for your reaction to a particular fault in another. It may be that you have repressed the fault in yourself so effectively that you do not recognize it at all on the conscious level, so you strongly reject the idea that you have that failing. But it can still be there. Many readings pointed out to individuals who were complaining about others: “Know that the fault you find in others is a reflection of a fault in yourself.” (1688-9)P

This reflective action of the law “like begets like” is sometimes referred to as the mirror principle.

THERE IS A BETTER WAY

The reflective nature of “like begets like” tells us that when you judge another, the only person you are being judgmental of is yourself. There is a better way as suggested in this reading: “… you cast judgments upon others. By whose standard are you measuring your brother? By God’s love for you?” (3660-1)AR

The individual who received that reading was obviously measuring others by his own standard and not by God’s love for him. God’s standard eliminates judging and faultfinding; there is no “guilty” or “not guilty” involved in love. When we truly love, we do not judge. We accept others just as they are. If we can do that, we have no need to judge. More wonderful is the fact that others then accept us just as we are—without judgment, for “like begets like.”

A first step in accepting others without judgment is to stop judging ourselves. We need only apply the standard set out in the above reading: “God’s love for you.” Know that God loves you and accepts you just as you are. Therefore, it’s O.K. to love yourself just as you are. To love yourself is to help eliminate the guilt and fear that pushes you to judge yourself and others. The acceptance of God’s unconditional love as your standard is, therefore, a wonderfully freeing experience.¹⁴

Jesus well knew and understood the fundamental laws of our beings. He knew that the faults we see in others are our own faults and that we hide this fact from ourselves. He spoke of it graphically:

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye, with never a thought for the great plank in your own? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” when all the time there is that plank in your own? You hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s.¹⁵

I have found that getting the plank out of my own eye is not easy, but it can be done. When something that someone is doing is disturbing or upsetting me, I write down as clearly as I can what is affecting me, what it is that I don’t like about that individual or what he or she is doing. I am usually absolutely sure that I am in no way like that or doing that. But since I know that “like begets like,” I know it must be there somewhere, so I sit down and carefully examine all phases of my life to see where it is. If I am truly honest with myself, I find it.

Tom, a co-worker of mine, seemed to completely ignore my ideas. When I needed something for my project, he did nothing about it until I really pressured him. This irritated me. I, of course, was certain that I was never like Tom, that I was very considerate of others and always promptly responded to their needs! However, in desperation one day, after he ignored an urgent request of mine and after I reminded myself that like does beget like, I sat down to seriously analyze why I had to put up with the situation. After considerable time and effort, I was still completely baffled and was ready to give up. Finally the thought suddenly came to me that I should do something about the washing machine which my wife had been telling me for two months was not working properly. Then it hit me! I had been doing to her exactly what Tom was doing to me. I had been completely ignoring her ideas and her needs for her projects. “Like begets like!” That washing machine got fixed fast!

I wish I could report that the next day Tom happily cooperated on my project. He didn’t. It took months of my working on my relationships with others—not only with my wife—and their needs until I truly began to really care and listen and try to help others. Over this period of time Tom’s attitude toward me changed gradually, but I knew I had finally made it when one day he came in and asked, “What can I help you with today?” This example illustrates the following facts:

1. I can never change the attitude I dislike in another person unless I change myself.

2. This is so because “like begets like”; therefore, life mirrors back to me what I am like.

3. So if I do not like what I see, I must change. When I do, what I see will change.

4. But when I change myself, that person will seem to change (because I see only my reflection)!

5. Be careful now, for I do not change the other person. He or she does not make any change. The person may still have the same characteristic which I disliked. But since I have changed, I am different from what I was before.

6. Therefore, I no longer beget the same result from that individual, or no longer see it, or no longer react to it. To me, therefore, that person is different—a changed individual.

7. But the other person is only a mirror for me. What I am really seeing in him or her as change is the change I have made in myself!

USING “LIKE BEGETS LIKE” TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Our relationships with others give us great opportunities for utilizing this law and the above-listed concepts in life-changing ways. You can make your life much happier. For example, regarding the marriage situation and the temptation to judge and find fault with our spouse, the readings offer excellent advice:

… the peculiarities, the oddities, the errors are to be minimized, not dwelt upon and increased! Minimize rather than crystallize or magnify any faults in the other. Know that your associations are to be on a fifty-fifty basis, not forty-sixty nor twenty-eighty but fifty-fifty! and that you must adjust yourselves to each other’s idiosyncrasies or peculiarities. (1722-1)AR

To me that is a classic statement for the application of the law “like begets like” in the finest way to any marriage or close relationship. Try it. The results will amaze you.

The following reading gives another clue as to how to overcome our negative attitudes toward others and thereby apply “like begets like” in a higher way:

Quit finding fault with others and others will quit finding fault with you … And let this be a new experience for you—to recognize the abilities as well as the faults. (3544-1)

This suggests a shift in focus—for a very good reason. We know that nature abhors a vacuum. It is not enough to stop a bad habit. Better to substitute a positive and constructive act or thought to take its place. For example, when I was working as an engineer, a supervisor seemed to check up on my work more often than necessary and that irritated me. When I recognized my reaction, I realized that I could choose a different one. So I chose to use his checkups as opportunities to clarify any questions I had about the project. This gave me an entirely different feel about his visits, for I then saw them as a help to me. I was surprised to find I began to look forward to his coming. We eventually became good friends.

Anyone can find fault. The wise person finds ways to encourage others in the turmoils and problems of life. A smile, a word of praise, a hope, a sharing of an uplifting thought, or a bit of humor are great alternatives to faultfinding. By use of these suggestions, instead of finding fault we then apply “like begets like” in a totally different way and create rewarding results in our lives.

When we are tempted to find fault, we can consider this concept from the readings: Every one of us has a place. Like trees, we come in a great variety, but we each have our place. The other person may be a pine and you may be an oak. Therefore, you can’t expect that one to be or act like an oak, like you. People are different—God bless them. Let each do it his or her way, you do it your way!

In view of the operation of “like begets like,” our ideal should be to see the good in others and not judge them or find fault with them. We have an ancient precedent for that view in Jesus’ statement, “Love your enemies and pray for your persecutors.” (Matthew 5:44) Doing this, we emulate the Creator “who makes his sun rise on the good and bad alike, and sends the rain on the honest and the dishonest.” ¹⁶ The key here is to treat everyone with love. That’s the ideal. You thereby apply “like begets like” in the highest way. Then, by that law only the highest and best will come back to you.

TO ACHIEVE THE IDEAL

So that we can achieve the ideal, all of us need some way to check up on ourselves to determine (1) how we are using this law and (2) whether or not we are improving. To do this checkup, the readings often suggested an interesting process: Stand aside and watch yourself pass by; that is, stop and review what you have been saying, doing, and thinking. Review your last contact with someone—why did you say what you did? How did you feel about it? Would you do it the same way again if you had the chance? Does it measure up to what you feel would be the ideal way to act?

Such an analysis of your actions provides a foundation to use in making changes and improvements. By such evaluation you are able to discern how you are unknowingly applying the law. You, then, are able to make any changes required to act more nearly in accord with the ideal.

These steps of analysis, evaluation, discernment, and comparison with the ideal are vital to your growth and to your transformation. The steps do not and should not include at any point a judgment, conclusion, or decision that says you are wrong or deficient or a failure, or suggest anything that implies guilt or a put-down of self or a need for fear or condemnation. It is such criticism or judging that is an unwise use of the law. Don’t do it to yourself or to others.¹⁷

From long experience, I can tell you that the process of standing aside and watching yourself go by is one of the simplest and most effective tools for personal growth I have ever found. The first time I tried it I was appalled at what I saw! As I sat down for lunch that day, I was feeling very stressed and dissatisfied. I began to stand aside and look back at myself as I had lived that morning. I watched myself severely criticize the hotel clerk when I checked out. I felt my anger as I condemned the manager of the repair shop for not having my car ready when promised. I saw myself in the meeting I had attended expressing very judgmental opinions of two of my associates. Then to top it off, I realized I had just been rude to the waitress who was serving me! I found myself trying to rationalize all this, but there was no denying that the picture was not a pleasant one. As a result of this process, I began to try to make changes in the way I dealt with others. I began to watch myself even as I interacted with others. It is a powerful way to begin to know yourself. As you look at what you are actually doing and compare it with your ideal, you have clear and direct evidence of how you need to change.

Opportunities to misuse the law of “like begets like” come by the trainloads—opportunities to judge, gossip, criticize, resent, hate, condemn, be jealous or envious, angry, vicious, contentious, grudging, speak harshly, etc. If we can be alert when these opportunities come, we can tell ourselves, “No, that’s not my train. Mine is the train carrying hope, joy, peace, cooperation, understanding, forgiveness, love, confidence, trust, and peace—and that’s where I’m going!”

LIKE BEGETS LIKE IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER

Edgar Cayce once gave a reading at the request of the daughter of a man who had disappeared, leaving a suicide note. One of the reassurances Cayce’s source gave to her was that if she would put her trust in the Higher Power, she would find that:

… the love of the Father will sustain you; and that love, as it will be manifested in the lives, the activities, the hearts, the presence of your fellow man, will bear you up. For, like begets like. (378-29)AR

This case shows us that the law is so important it even operates in our relationship with the Father. It also presents us with a startling requirement: we need to first trust Spirit if we are going to have a relationship with Spirit and derive the benefits of it. This is not to say that at any time God does not trust us. But if we are to be aware of that trust and to bring the fruits of that into our lives, we first need to set the law to work for us by trusting God.

The fact that we must take the first steps in our relationship with our Creator explains why those who follow the intellectual approach alone can’t make the breakthrough to understanding the spiritual. “Like begets like” means we must take the first step in spirit if we wish to know, experience, or manifest the spiritual.

THE CHOICE IS YOURS

In using this law, we can dispense love and cooperation and friendliness or faultfinding or judgment or hate. We have the choice. There are many ways in which we apply this law. Which do you choose to create in your life:

tolerance or intolerance

courage or fear

gossip or support

open-mindedness or narrow-mindedness

faith or fear

patience or impatience

joy or sorrow

peace or contention

forgiveness or grudges

condemnation or acceptance

While there are apparently many choices, there is only one fundamental decision required of you about how you apply this law: Will I choose the high road, living in accord with the flow of peace, love, and joy of the Universe? Or will I choose the low road of faultfinding, judgment, condemnation, and selfishness? Whichever road you choose becomes a part of your life and your destiny.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS CHAPTER

The law:

LIKE BEGETS LIKE

is irrefutable, unchangeable, immutable, and cannot be avoided.

It operates whether we are aware of it or not.

The law applies in our lives as well as in nature.

It assures that whatever we hold as an attitude or emotion in any situation will at some later time come back to us.

It operates impartially, working for both positive or negative, constructive or destructive, spirit, thoughts, words, or actions.

“Like begets like” puts us in charge. As we use it for good or for ill each day, we are indeed the pilots, the directors of our lives.¹⁸