Thursday, September 07, 2006

Cause and Effect - By Kenneth MacLean

Actions inevitably have consequences. In the material world, this principle is expressed as Newton’s Third Law of motion: “For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.” We throw a stone into the air, and it falls to earth every time. We learn in science classes that there are immutable laws of matter; the entire subject of engineering is based on this cause and effect relationship. Pushing one of a row of dominoes causes the entire row to be knocked over, seeming to demonstrate the validity and inflexibility of action ––– reaction.

Unquestioning acceptance of this idea, however, can lead to difficulty. Of course it is obvious that cause and effect operates in our lives and the lives of others, but a little thought shows that this principle has deeper roots.

When people say that an action has consequences, they mean that a certain counter-reaction will inevitably follow. When a scientist says that action A causes result B, he means B inevitably follows from A. When B always follows A, given the same experimental conditions, science says that the statement "B follows A" is a law. There is the law of gravity, which we all know so intimately. Science uses observation of an action and the consequent reactions of matter and energy to discover laws about the behavior of the universe. As mere mortals, all of us do the same in our daily lives.
In our scientific culture, however, the laws of science are unthinkingly applied to the actions of human beings. But as conscious beings we get into trouble when we model our own conduct on scientific laws which, after all, only describe the behavior of matter and energy. Behaviorism, materialism, and pragmatism are all modeled on the idea that objective reality is paramount. These philosophies, in my opinion, place human beings at effect point. Behavioral scientists attempt to describe the actions of human beings as if they were so many billiard balls, banging into each other and going off in predictable directions.

A conscious being has the freedom of independent choice; therefore, he or she may consciously alter the pattern of his or her life.

When we speak of an action having consequences, we must factor consciousness itself into the picture, and through the design of consciousness, the Law of Attraction. Therefore, no action A can inevitably produce a result B, unless the consciousness of the observer, or initiator, of the action is taken into account. The creative will of a conscious being will have an effect on the outcome of any action, and, in fact, the Law of Attraction guarantees that the outcome of action A will be affected by the vibratory pattern of the observer or initiator of the action.

Let's take an example from life. Marge Smith is known in the office as "that bitch." It has been the experience of everyone that when one interacts with Marge, one will experience a set-down. This pattern of action has become so well established that it could be said to be law. Deal with Marge, and you will get snapped at sooner or later. Now, say, a new hire comes into the office one day. When Joe sees Marge he gives her a pleasant smile, holds out his hand and says "hello, I'm Joe." Marge is taken aback at first by this unusual behavior, but to be polite, shakes Joe's hand. They get to talking, just pleasantries, but because Joe doesn't realize that marge is a bitch, no negative outcome is forthcoming. So B, a negative experience, does not follow from A, an encounter with Marge, even though this has been firmly established by observation in the past. We can see this in the world of matter as well, where an experimenter can affect the outcome of the experiment. The work of Dr. Masaru Emoto is a graphic demonstration of the effect consciousness has on matter, energy, and other life forms. (See “Messages from Water.”)

Therefore we can say that no matter what is concluded to be true by observation, no matter how many times it has been observed that B follows A, a different outcome can be produced in the presence of creative will! Therefore the inevitable character of cause and effect is an illusion. In fact, what seems to be an unbreakable law by observation is just the Law of Attraction at work. In the office, all are a vibrational match to the frequencies of "conflict with Marge" and so it is observed to be an inflexible pattern of conduct. But it is a "law" only because all consciously hold the same pattern of thought and action relative to each other.

How does the idea of cause and effect apply in daily life? In this way: as Esther Hicks points out, we create our lives almost 100% from observation, rather than from use of our creative will. We observe the (illusory) rigid inflexibility of cause and effect in the physical world and translate to our actions. We never think to deliberately alter our thoughts, and therefore our vibrational pattern, to invite a different, more pleasant set of circumstances into our experience. We say "that's the way it's always been with me. I just don't seem to have any luck with money." Or, "every time I get into a good relationship, it always falls apart." Or, "they always pass over me for promotions. I must be doing something wrong." These are declarative statements which are based solely upon observation. In these statements there is an assumption: what has been must be. B must follow A. There is no allowance for the deliberate creation of another vibration, which will attract a different result! This is a shame, for it means that we do not exercise the free will that is inherent in all conscious beings. We consider ourselves to be mere ciphers, pawns in a game where others can apparently move us around on the board of life; victims of the inevitability of cause - effect.

Cause and effect is the apparency of B always following A, based upon observation of what has occurred in the past. The apparent inflexibility of ingrained, habitual thought and conduct can be transcended by the use of creative will. It is only for us to realize the powerful creative nature of our own consciousness, to effect positive change. An understanding of the Law of Attraction provides the necessary basis for this understanding.

Kenneth James Michael MacLean has written 6 books and dozens of articles.

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