What do I mean by no dispensation from the Law of
Compensation? Firstly I need to outline the meaning of
COMPENSATION. I'm not using it in the context of 'salary'
or 'benefit package,' but rather 'what constitutes, or is
seen as, an equivalent; so what I mean here is if something
is good in one area, there is an equal area that isn't as
good. Please try and follow me on this, as the law of
compensation is a law that can be tricky to understand, but
essential that you grasp it's meaning.
This is how the English Metaphysical poet Francis Quarles
(1592 ~ 1644) describes the law of compensation: "As there
is no worldly gain without some loss, so there is no
worldly loss without some gain. If thou hast lost thy
wealth, thou hast lost some trouble with it. If thou art
degraded from thy honor, thou art likewise freed from the
stroke of envy. If sickness hast blurred thy beauty, it
hath delivered thee from pride. Set the allowance against
the loss and thou shalt find no loss great."
If we translate the above, it could be seen that one man is
rich but unhappy and another is poor, yet content. One
woman is unbelievably successful but dies young; another
isn't as successful but reaches old age. Or, a wealthy man
can afford the finest cuisine but finds it difficult to
digest while a poor man has a great appetite and fantastic
health. Or, someone is extremely rich monetarily, but time
poor so lives a lonely desolate life on their own. The
examples are endless, but I hope you're beginning to get an
idea of the meaning around the law of compensation.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 ~ 1882) explains compensation in
clear terms: "For everything you have missed, you have
gained something else; and for everything you gain, you
lose something else." Again, in his journal dated January
8, 1826, he writes, "The whole of what we know is a system
of compensations. Every defect in one manner is made up in
another. Every suffering is rewarded; every sacrifice is
made up; every debt is paid."
The title of this article, then, means there is no
exemption, no exception, or no escape from this universal
law. We cannot have successes without failures or hardships
without gains. For every gain, there is a loss. We lose the
wood to gain fire and heat. We lose the heat to cook the
food. We lose the food to nourish our body, and so it goes.
This law of nature is about balance, harmony, and
equilibrium. It is similar to the Law of Conservation of
Energy in science. (Energy may neither be created nor
destroyed and the sum of all energy remains constant.)
Another aspect of the Law of Compensation is we will reap
what we sow. Isn't it true that if I plant tomatoes, I'll
reap tomatoes, and if I plant weeds, I'll reap weeds? So,
it should come as no surprise that if I plant seeds of
love, I will be loved, and if I plant acts of kindness,
others will treat me kindly. But if all I sow is anger, all
I reap will be hostility. When we practice the Golden Rule
by treating our neighbors as we wish to be treated, we live
in harmony with this principle and will reap its benefits.
Or, as Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, "It is one of the most
beautiful compensations in life that no man can sincerely
try to help another without helping himself."
Another term to describe reaping what we sow is 'karma.' In
Sanskrit, karma means action or deed. In the spiritual
sense, it means both our actions and the consequences that
flow from them. Those who believe in karma believe that
their fate is governed by the choices they make. The
happiness they experience or the suffering they undergo is
a result of how they use their free will. So, it's just
another way to describe how we reap what we sow.
Yet another term used to describe the same thing is The Law
of Action and Reaction. That is, for every force, there is
a counter force. The greater we stretch a rubber band, the
greater its snapback. The more I scowl at you, the angrier
you will become; the more you smile at me, the more pleased
I will become. We could also express this idea by calling
it the Law of Cause and Effect, or just by saying that
virtue is its own reward and wrongdoing causes suffering.
The Law of Compensation, or sowing what we reap, is not
about God punishing the wicked and rewarding the holy, but
simply a law of natural universal energy. If we fall into a
fire, we are burned not because we're evil, but because of
the heat of the flames. So, it is wise to become familiar
with the laws of nature to avoid unnecessary pain and
unhappiness.
Once we understand for every gain there is a loss, we can
free ourselves from envy and live contentedly. Blessed are
the contented, for they are never poor. Woe unto the
discontented, for they are never rich. Blessed is she who
has little and wants less, for she is richer than he who
has much and wants more. Blessed, too, is he who realizes
that a little is a great deal when it is enough. And, as
Socrates (469 ~ 399 BC) taught, "He is the richest who is
content with the least."
There is a time for contentment and a time for
discontentment. When we use discontent to raise ourselves
to a higher level, we are living in line with the Law of
Compensation. For at such a time, we realize that there is
no gain without loss, or no gain without pain. We
understand that our success depends not on what we take up,
but what we give up. So, we willingly sacrifice time and
comfort to reach our goal. And if we experience a temporary
setback, we're not discouraged because we understand that
hidden in our problems are blessings waiting to be
discovered. In the same way, when we are pounded by
adversity, we find solace in the Law of Compensation,
looking forward to the benefits that await us.
Also, we don't make the mistake of comparing our lives with
those of others. For although their gains are clearly
visible, their loses are hidden from view. Neither do we
allow our imagination to exaggerate the extent of our
losses or others' gains. We also keep our balance by
remembering that all is relative. After all, bad is never
good, until worse happens.
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Adam Price is an online holistic author & coach on the laws
of the universe for life & business. Learn how tap into the
powerful laws of the universe in your life by visiting:
http://www.Law-Of-Attraction-And-Success.com
