We all have two basic ways of approaching any decision. We can look at it from a perspective of love, considering what path is best for all, or we can look at it from a perspective of fear, considering what path is best just for the person making the decision. Either way can come out with the same outcome (what’s best for the individual and group may be the same), but the path to get there, and the journey along the way, is different.
If you always act from the love side of things (which, admittedly, requires a lot of effort), you are very likely to find love coming back to you, as well. People, in general, instinctively recognize the type of person you are. Those who actively seek the solution that is the best for all involved (without ignoring the effects on the individuals) are usually liked far better than those who look out for themselves. People in general will go more out of their way to help someone they like, so the love you give returns to you.
On the other hand, if you act from the fear side of things, it seems to require less effort, as there is a natural instinct to look out for yourself. You also get the advantage of always looking for what’s best for you, so that you make decisions that will most benefit you directly. You may find, many times, that what is good for the group is also good for you, with a rising tide lifting all boats, and also that it keeps people from disliking you for being greedy and selfish, which can very much affect what benefit you receive.
God created the universe to have a constant flow of love. What this means, essentially, is that as you give love (working from the love oriented path), sending it out from the inside, more love will flow into you from the outside. As you take love (working from the fear oriented path), it will be pulled from inside to out, whether through negative emotions like fear and guilt, or through opposition in the world.
These two paths are opposites, and mixing them renders them less effective. For instance, people go out of their way to help someone who they know to be helpful to others. If you mix that with the selfish side, you end up in the middle, and don’t receive that benefit. If you mix love in with fear, it makes it less powerful as well… obviously if you only focus on yourself sometimes, it’s going to be less effective than doing so all the time.
Mixing them also creates confusion and kills motivation inside you. It removes clarity. If you are clear on how you approach all decisions (either through love or through fear), some choices fall away as unacceptable, and some move from should to must. This makes for much less confusion, much less in the way of distractions pulling you away from your goal, and therefore it becomes much easier to reach (think of trying to swim across a pool with a 45 pound weight strapped to each leg, then doing the same thing with no weights).
To use one path or the other, you must first be aware of your choices. Then you have to actively choose to use one side or the other, and make an effort to follow that path all the time, not just part of the time. It does become easier with time, and it will make you much more effective at whatever you choose to do.
So, if you’ve become aware of your choices (living consciously), you now have another choice to make. Do you want to approach the world looking to make it better for everyone, or live your life to take as much from it as possible?
