The Laws of Belief
November 8th, 2006 by Richard CockrumNewton’s three laws of motion
- Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.
- The relationship between an object’s mass m, its acceleration a, and the applied force F is F = ma. Acceleration and force are vectors. In this law the direction of the force vector is the same as the direction of the acceleration vector.
- For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
I know. You didn’t come here expecting a physics lesson. Neither did I. The way beliefs work in the human world are remarkably similar to the way Newton’s three laws of motion work in the physical world.
The core beliefs of the physical world are the laws of physics. Gravity, Newton’s laws of motion, E=mc2. All of these laws function at all places in the universe. Usually we don’t think of beliefs in terms of physical laws, but if you create your own reality, then this must be a core belief in the world also, a law on the psychological plane. Reality creation has analogs to Newton’s laws of motion.
The Three Laws of Beliefs
- If you retain the same beliefs, you will continue to find yourself in similar circumstances. If you don’t change, your world won’t change.
- When you do change a belief, the new belief will interact with current beliefs to create a set of circumstances congruent with the new set of beliefs. Beliefs don’t exist in a vacuum.
- Every belief creates a corresponding reaction in your world. This is a restatement of the law of attraction.
Popularity: 13% [?]
Del.icio.us
reddit
November 8th, 2006 at 10:08 pm
[…] I love finding short, simple ideas that express so much. Rick Cockrum has a very interesting post entitled Three Laws of Beliefs that captures a great deal in just a short space: The way beliefs work in the human world are remarkably similar to the way Newton’s three laws of motion work in the physical world. […]
November 9th, 2006 at 2:26 pm
Great post Rick! Very interesting comparison. (Okay, now you have to do one about those beliefs that are all standing in a big lobby - like at intermission - and they’re all kind of mumbling together so you can’t really pick out one to change. They all kind of band together in a din of anxiety or fear or whatever the belief may be. What then? (Just thought I’d add some fodder to the discussion.)
November 9th, 2006 at 2:41 pm
I love the analogy and the simplicity. Hat tip to Tony for sending me here.
Steve Olson
November 9th, 2006 at 2:59 pm
Hey, it’s nice to see you here Christine! You got it. Next week a post on beginning to deal with the din. Of course you understand the stage will be set with the quote from your comment.
November 9th, 2006 at 3:02 pm
Hi Steve. Thanks, and a definite hat tip to Tony.
I’m not totally happy with the wording, but the analogy with the laws of motion seems valid and worth working on.
November 10th, 2006 at 6:35 am
Great post Rick! Ken Wilber of the integral world would love this.
In working with change in behavior, the only change that “sticks” comes from a change in how a person sees their world, goes through their world and checks how they are doing. That is the water the fish sees thru. That is why it can be tough to do meaningful, lasting change alone.
Some coaches (depends on their training) know how work with someone so that how they see, go and check can be changed in ways to expand their world and how they live in it.
This is the way learning and change sticks. YOu see this in high performance work teams, atheletics, and in effectice change.
November 10th, 2006 at 7:47 am
[…] In an article by Rick Cockrum, Three Laws of Belief: The way human belief s work in the human world are remarkably similar to the way Newton’s three laws of motion work in the physical world. […]
November 10th, 2006 at 9:04 am
Hi Dave!
Thank you and welcome to this little corner of the universe.
Creating lasting change in your life is difficult for most of us working alone. Your analogy of a fish swimming through water is great. It’s hard to see clearly when you’re on the inside looking out. It can be done, but it is harder.
Historically most skills, including spiritual skills, were learned in the context of an apprenticeship system. With the increasing prevalence of coaches and mentorships I wonder if we’re returning to such a system?
November 10th, 2006 at 1:53 pm
[…] Newton doesn’t know that Shards of Consciousness has the laws of relativity reapplied in a new and interesting way. […]
November 12th, 2006 at 12:17 am
Thanks for the warm welcome Rick.
[quote]Historically most skills, including spiritual skills, were learned in the context of an apprenticeship system. With the increasing prevalence of coaches and mentorships I wonder if we’re returning to such a system?[/quote]
That’s interesting. I never thought of it that way, but I think you may be right. Especially in the area of consciousness development and spiritual growth, one needs help.
It is so hard to do alone. The idea of the traditional apprentice model - artisans, the “wax-on wax-off student and his teacher, etc are important.
November 15th, 2006 at 3:43 pm
[…] The Laws of Belief […]
January 3rd, 2007 at 3:41 pm
[…] In The Laws of Belief I discussed how beliefs, and their effects in creating our world, have laws analogous to Newton’s Laws of Motion. In the comments Christine Kane said Okay, now you have to do one about those beliefs that are all standing in a big lobby - like at intermission - and they’re all kind of mumbling together so you can’t really pick out one to change. They all kind of band together in a din of anxiety or fear or whatever the belief may be. What then? […]
May 10th, 2007 at 6:30 am
[…] Welcome to episode 14 of the Shards of Consciousness Podcast. This episode is based on an article originally published in November, 2006 - The Laws of Belief. […]