Compensation

Principle of Compensation

The natural order keeps a set of books and this is its accounting: "For every grain of wit,there is a grain of folly. For everything you have missed, you have gained something else; and for everything you gain, you lose something." (See Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essay on Compensation) Our aim is to align ourselves with this principle and to embody it by action. Here are some of the ways.

What Do I Really Want? The first task in Ring 1 is to see clearly what you truly want. Soon after, however, you must answer, "Am I ready to pay the price?" You must be willing to pay fully if you would secure what you truly want. It is in your interest to do so because to receive a benefit without paying for it will not be costless. The charge upon your integrity for undeserved gains will be far greater than the incremental benefit you receive by avoiding full payment. There are no free rides in nature.
Mission and Purpose Your mission and purpose is the path of payment. This is why the mission is expressed in terms of service and is directed toward the pain of others.
Pay Forward According to the principle of compensation we must hasten to pay our gains forward to others. "Benefit is the end of nature," writes Emerson. "But for every benefit which you receive, a tax is levied. He is great who confers the most benefits. He is base -- and that is the one base thing in the universe--to receive favors and render none. In the order of nature we cannot render benefits to those from whom we receive them, or only seldom. But the benefit we receive must be rendered again, line for line, deed for deed, cent for cent, to somebody. Beware of too much good staying in your hand. It will fast corrupt and worm worms. Pay it away quickly in some sort."
Pain Failure and defeat and other ills can be a rich source of benefit but it is not inevitably so. When adversity strikes, many people balk at this critical juncture, and are unwilling to pay the price of recovery. For them pain is only pain, nothing more. Others, however, when things turn rough know how to hold steady and grow stronger as their difficulties mount.

In learning how to turn adversity into gold, the first task is to realize that the benefits may not be immediately obvious, nor to be had simply for the asking. We must earn them. "When the outside is obstructed, the superior person works on character," advises The Book of Changes. It is both an admonition and a tactic. When sorrows come -- either singly or in battalions -- we must quicly examine our mission and focus on the specifics of doing each move well. Surrendering thoughts of gain or loss we must focus on discovering little things and deriving simple joy from them. This is how we pay.

The dividends of our investment come in many forms. At first we may simply have an intimation of the magic of the process. No more. Then subtly we start to feel our fire. And with our new-found confidence we see a hundred ways to apply our knowledge and our power. In time we are even grateful to our troubles. (See the example)

Integrity, Modesty & the Fates Although the laws of compensation are immutable, integrity provides a way to align ourself with these laws so that we can find balance and happiness wherever we are. In "taming" the fates, one quality, modesty, is celebrated among the sages above all others. High mountains are worn down by the waters and valleys are filled up, but modesty prospers always. "Man has it in his power to shape his fate, according as his behavior exposes him to the influence of benevolent or destructive forces. When a man holds a high position and is nevertheless modest, he shines with the light of wisdom; if he is in a lowly position and is modest, he cannot be passed by. (See I Ching or Book of Changes, 1950 (translation Richard Wilhelm).) (Example)