Law of ScarcityThe Law of Scarcity is not really what I would consider a Universal Law, but it is crucial to understand if you want to have abundance in your life. Simply stated, the law of scarcity or scarcity principle states that if what you desire is in limited supply or seemingly limited supply, its perceived value increases. This also increases the urge for people to want it and want it immediately. This law is almost always used in marketing and advertising. Marketers want to create a perception that their product is scarce by stating "for a limited time only" or "while supplies last". Consumers start to feel like they need to take action now to get access to this product. When an object/product is rare or unusual or one of a kind, it has a higher perceived value. Diamonds and oil are good examples. Diamonds also have the added cachet of expressing one's socio-economic class, which has limited room. In these times of perceived economic scarcity, the law of scarcity is rampant. People are feeling panicked because they don’t know what part of the global economy will be affected. Who will lose their job? What if I can’t afford my mortgage? People are grabbing at whatever they feel will help them without much thought. Scarcity feels scary and it brings up our need to survive. The reason why it is so important to understand this principle is because we are basing our lives on it most of the time. Our economic system is based on supply and demand. When there is low supply and high demand, price go up. We have a perception that everything is scarce and so we need to grab it while we can and tough luck to the poor guy who comes too late. In essence, we have treated our abundance with the principle of scarcity. Hoarding as much as we can, hesitant to share. In fact, the conventional wisdom is that the act of sharing is just going to make the other guy weak or greedy. The law of scarcity is an ego based law. Are there things in the world in limited supply? Yes. However, the way we use them, or rather misuse them actually makes them more scarce, when they could benefit so many others. We also end up using our money (a form of energy) to buy things that we perceive as valuable because they are in limited supply, that hurt other people. So the scarce object becomes more valuable than the people who work to produce it for us. In other words, the law of scarcity, although it can create the urge to protect us, ultimately hurts all of us. It motivates us to take action based on fear instead of love. When we take action based on an energy of fear of not having enough, more of that scarcity will show up says the Law of Attraction. How about another way to see scarcity. Scarcity can be an opportunity to make the most out of the least. Here's an example from a Christian text: In the Gospels of the New Testament, there is a story about Jesus and the loaves and fishes. Jesus was giving a talk to a large crowd. It was getting late and people were getting hungry, but there was only a loaf of bread and a few fish available. Jesus ordered that this limited food be passed out to the mass of people. The miracle was that after the food was passed and distributed amongst all these people, not only did everyone get their share and were satisfied, but there was enough to fill several baskets. This is a story about an another way to be and act when there is real or perceived scarcity. Instead of hoarding and taking what is good for you and screw the others, take what is needed and share the rest. If we actually took just what is necessary, there would be enough for everyone. The whole system is built that way says the Law of Abundance. In nature this is seen all the time. Animals take what they need and the rest is left behind for others to take what they need. The lion kills the gazelle. She eats the meat and leaves the carcass. The scavenger animals, hyenas and vultures eat what is left. Then the insects come and feast on what is left of that. Nothing is wasted and there is enough for all.
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