Chapter 19 of 19

Chapter 16. Law, Not Chance

第十六章　法則であって偶然ではない

SOME time ago I was talking to a man about the Attractive Power of Thought. He said that he did not believe that Thought could attract anything to him, and that it was all a matter of luck. He had found, he said, that ill luck relentlessly pursued him, and that everything he touched went wrong. It always had, and always would, and he had grown to expect it. When he undertook a new thing he knew beforehand that it would go wrong and that no good would come of it. Oh, no! there wasn’t anything in the theory of Attractive Thought, so far as he could see; it was all a matter of luck!

先日私はある人物と思考の引力について話していた。彼は思考が何かを自分に引き寄せるなどとは信じないと言い、すべては運の問題だと言った。不運が容赦なく自分を追いかけ、手を触れるものすべてが裏目に出ることがわかったと言う。昔からそうだったし、これからもそうだろう。何か新しいことに着手する時には、前もってそれが裏目に出て何も良いことは来ないとわかっていると。いいや！引力的思考の理論には何もない、彼が見る限りでは。すべては運の問題なのだと！

This man failed to see that by his own confession he was giving a most convincing argument in favor of the Law of Attraction. He was testifying that he was always expecting things to go wrong, and that they always came about as he expected. He was a magnificent illustration of the Law of Attraction—but he didn’t know it, and no argument seemed to make the matter clear to him. He was “up against it,” and there was no way out of it—he always expected the ill luck, and every occurrence proved that he was right, and that the Mental Science position was all nonsense.

この男は、自らの告白によって、引き寄せの法則を支持するこの上なく説得力ある論拠を提示していることに気づいていなかった。彼は常に物事が裏目に出ることを予想しており、そして常に予想通りの結果になったと証言していた。彼は引き寄せの法則の見事な実例であった——しかし彼はそれを知らず、いかなる論拠もこの問題を彼に明瞭にすることはできないようだった。彼は「壁にぶつかって」おり、そこから出る道はなかった——常に不運を予想し、あらゆる出来事が彼の正しさを、そして精神科学の立場がすべてナンセンスであることを証明したのだ。

There are many people who seem to think that the only way in which the Law of Attraction operates is when one wishes hard, strong and steady. They do not seem to realize that a strong belief is as efficacious as a strong wish. The successful man believes in himself and in his ultimate Success, and, paying no attention to little setbacks, stumbles, tumbles and slips, presses on eagerly to the goal, believing all the time that he will get there. His views and aims may alter as he progresses, and he may change his plans or have them changed for him, but all the time he knows in his heart that he will eventually “get there” He is not steadily wishing he may get there—he simply feels it and believes it, and thereby sets into operation the strongest forces known in the world of thought.

引き寄せの法則が作用するのは、激しく、強く、着実に願望する時だけだと考える人々が多いようだ。強い信念が強い願望と同じく有効であることに気づいていないようだ。成功する者は自分自身と最終的な成功を信じ、小さな挫折、つまずき、転倒、滑りに注意を払わず、必ずそこに到達すると常に信じながら、熱心に目標に向かって進む。途中で見解や目的が変わることもあり、計画を変えたり変えさせられたりすることもある。しかし心の奥底では常に最終的に「到達する」ことを知っている。そこに到達することを絶えず願っているのではない——ただそう感じ信じるだけであり、それによって思考の世界で知られている最も強力な力を始動させるのだ。

The man who just as steadily believes he is going to fail will invariably fail. How could he help it? There is no special miracle about it. Everything he does, thinks and says is tinctured with the thought of failure. Other people catch his spirit, and fail to trust him or his ability, which occurrences he in turn sets down as but other exhibitions of his ill luck, instead of ascribing them to his belief and expectation of failure. He is suggesting failure to himself all the time, and he invariably takes on the effect of the autosuggestion. Then, again, he by his negative thoughts shuts up that portion of his mind from which should come the ideas and plans conducive to success and which do come to the man who is expecting success because he believes in it. A state of discouragement is not the one in which bright ideas come to us. It is only when we are enthused and hopeful that our minds work out the bright ideas which we may turn to account.

同じく着実に自分が失敗すると信じている者は、必ず失敗する。どうして免れよう。それについて特別な奇跡はない。彼がすること、考えること、言うことのすべてが失敗の思いに染められている。他の人々は彼の気配を察し、彼やその能力を信用しない。するとこれらの出来事を、自らの信念と失敗の予想に帰すのではなく、不運のまた別の現れとして記録する。彼は絶えず自分に失敗を暗示しており、自己暗示の効果を必ず受ける。さらにまた、彼はその消極的思考によって、成功に資するアイデアや計画が来るべき心の部分を閉ざしてしまう。それらは成功を信じているがゆえに成功を期待している者のもとには来るのだ。落胆の状態は輝かしいアイデアが浮かぶ状態ではない。我々が奮い立ち希望に満ちている時にのみ、心は活用できる輝かしいアイデアを練り上げるのだ。

Men instinctively feel the atmosphere of failure hovering around certain of their fellows, and on the other hand recognize something about others which leads them to say, when they hear of a temporary mishap befalling such a one; “Oh, he’ll come out all right somehow—you can’t down him” It is the atmosphere caused by the prevailing Mental Attitude. Clear up your Mental Atmosphere!

人々は仲間のある者たちの周りに漂う失敗の雰囲気を本能的に感じ取る。一方、別の者たちについては何かを認め、そのような者に一時的な不幸が降りかかったと聞けばこう言う。「ああ、彼はどうにかうまくいくさ——あの男を倒すことはできない。」それは支配的な精神態度によって生じる雰囲気なのだ。自分の精神的雰囲気を晴らせ！

There is no such thing as chance. Law maintains everywhere, and all that happens happens because of the operation of Law. You cannot name the simplest thing that ever occurred by chance—try it, and then run the thing down to a final analysis, and you will see it as the result of Law. It is as plain as mathematics. Plan and purpose; cause and effect. From the movements of worlds to the growth of the grain of mustard seed—all the result of Law. The fall of the stone down the mountain-side is not chance—forces which had been in operation for centuries caused it. And back of that cause were other causes, and so on until the Causeless Cause is reached.

偶然などというものはない。法則はあまねく維持されており、起こることはすべて法則の作用によって起こる。偶然によって起こった最も単純なことすら挙げることはできない——試してみて、最終分析まで追究すれば、法則の結果であることがわかるだろう。数学のように明白だ。計画と目的、原因と結果。世界の運動からからし種の成長まで——すべて法則の結果だ。石が山腹を転がり落ちるのは偶然ではない——何世紀にもわたって作用してきた力がそれを引き起こした。そしてその原因の背後にはさらに別の原因があり、さかのぼって原因なき原因に至るのだ。

And Life is not the result of chance—the Law is here, too. The Law is in full operation whether you know it or not—whether you believe in it or not. You may be the ignorant object upon which the Law operates, and bring yourself all sorts of trouble because of your ignorance of or opposition to the Law. Or you may fall in with the operations of the Law— get into its current, as it were—and Life will seem a far different thing to you. You cannot get outside of the Law, by refusing to have anything to do with it. You are at liberty to oppose it and produce all the friction you wish to—it doesn’t hurt the Law, and you may keep it up until you learn your lesson.

そして生命は偶然の結果ではない——ここにも法則がある。法則はあなたが知ろうと知るまいと——信じようと信じまいと——十全に作用している。あなたは法則が作用する無知な対象物であり、法則への無知や反抗によってあらゆる種類の困難を自らに招くかもしれない。あるいは法則の作用に従い——いわばその流れに乗り——人生はまったく異なるものに見えるかもしれない。法則と関わることを拒否しても、法則の外に出ることはできない。法則に反抗して望むだけの摩擦を生じさせることは自由だ——それは法則を傷つけない。教訓を学ぶまでそうし続けてよい。

The Law of Thought Attraction is one name for the Law, or rather for one manifestation of it. Again I say, your thoughts are real things. They go forth from you in all directions, combining with thoughts of like kind—opposing thoughts of a different character—forming combinations—going where they are attracted—flying away from thought centers opposing them. And your mind attracts the thoughts of others, which have been sent out by them consciously or unconsciously. But it attracts only those thoughts which are in harmony with its own. Like attracts like, and opposites repel opposites, in the world of thought. If you set your mind to the keynote of courage, confidence, strength and success, you attract to yourself thoughts of like nature; people of like nature; things that fit in the mental tune. Your prevailing thought or mood determines that which is to be drawn toward you—picks out your mental bedfellow. You are today setting into motion thought currents which will in time attract toward you thoughts, people and conditions in harmony with the predominant note of your thought. Your thought will mingle with that of others of like nature and mind, and you will be attracted toward each other, and will surely come together with a common purpose sooner or later, unless one or the other of you should change the current of his thoughts.

思考引力の法則は、法則の一名称であり、あるいはむしろその一つの顕現の名称である。再び言う、あなたの思考は実在するものだ。あらゆる方向にあなたから発し、同種の思考と結合し——異なる性質の思考に反発し——組み合わせをつくり——引き寄せられるところに赴き——反対の思考の中心から飛び去る。そしてあなたの心は、他者が意識的あるいは無意識的に送り出した思考を引き寄せる。しかしそれ自身と調和する思考のみを引き寄せる。思考の世界では、類は類を引き、対極は対極を退ける。心を勇気、自信、力、成功の基調に合わせれば、同じ性質の思考を引き寄せる。同じ性質の人々を。精神の調べに合う事柄を。あなたの支配的思考あるいは気分が、何があなたに引き寄せられるかを決定する——精神の寝台仲間を選ぶのだ。あなたは今日、やがてあなたの支配的思考と調和する思考、人々、状況を引き寄せる思考の流れを始動させている。あなたの思考は同じ性質と心の他者の思考と混ざり合い、互いに引き寄せられ、どちらかが思考の流れを変えない限り、遅かれ早かれ共通の目的をもって確実に出会うだろう。

Fall in with the operations of the Law. Make it a part of yourself. Get into its currents. Maintain your poise. Set your mind to the keynote of Courage, Confidence and Success. Get in touch with all the thoughts of that kind that are emanating every hour from hundreds of minds. Get the best that is to be had in the thought world. The best is there, so be satisfied with nothing less. Get into partnership with good minds. Get into the right vibrations. You must be tired of being tossed about by the operations of the Law—get into harmony with it.

法則の作用に従え。それを自分自身の一部とせよ。その流れに乗れ。均衡を保て。心を勇気、自信、成功の基調に合わせよ。何百もの心から毎時発せられるあの種の思考のすべてと触れ合え。思考の世界にある最善のものを得よ。最善のものがそこにある。だからそれ以下のもので満足するな。良き心と提携せよ。正しい振動に入れ。法則の作用に翻弄されることにもう疲れたであろう——法則と調和せよ。