How the Law of Non-Interference Humbled Me
Why do so few people know about this spiritual law?
The principle of non-interference
There’s a saying that your freedom to swing your fist ends where my nose begins. Anyone who appreciates the current shape of their nose will agree.
The sovereignty of our body means it’s our choice to deal with it as we choose. But the principle goes beyond our body. It includes our internal space — our beliefs and way of thinking — too.
Perhaps the reason this spiritual law is not as well-known is that it lacks the appeal of the Law of Manifestation or the Law of Abundance. We love to hear about spiritual laws that give us choice — the more the better — and that make us feel powerful so we can have all in our life that we desire.
This law is different. It tells us what we shouldn’t do.
The principle of non-interference is well known in international law: sovereign states shall not interfere in each other’s internal affairs.
Just as nations should not meddle in the elections and policies of other nations, so also should we regard each human being as a sovereign state, and we should not interfere with their elections and internal affairs — what they choose to believe and choose to do.
Exceptions to the rule
I realize there are some exceptions, so let’s get those out of the way.
Is it wrong to interfere with children’s beliefs and actions? No. As a parent or guardian there’s a social and spiritual contract. The child is in your care, and it is your responsibility to keep them safe and see to it that they learn the ropes of how to become a responsible person in society. In that role you are supposed to guide them.
Is it wrong to interfere with a couple who are having marital problems? Let’s say you are a marriage counselor, and the couple is asking for your help. Now there is an agreement between you and the couple. They have given you permission (and presumably are paying you) to interfere in their internal affairs.
So interference or help can be OK, as long as it is predicated on an agreement.
Now let’s look at the flip side, interference that is neither asked for nor based on an agreement.
Respecting another point of view
Last year I read a post on Medium about God. The post eloquently made the case that God’s system of karma and reincarnation has some flaws. I disagreed and left a comment. The author replied, and we engaged in a back-and-forth where we both made arguments to bolster our own viewpoint. In the end I was humbled when the author pointed out my posts were disrespectful, and after some reflection, I had to agree. I had been trying to change her belief. By trying to convince her my viewpoint was so much better than hers I had invaded her state of consciousness and broken the Law of Non-Interference.
We all have our own state of being. We have our beliefs, and we have the right to them. Other people do not have the right to try and change our beliefs, unless we invite them to do so. Our state of consciousness is like our home. Few people would be OK with a stranger coming into their home who then, unasked for, started to rearrange the furniture because “it would look so much better.” That is how I think of it. When I was trying to change the author’s point of view, it was like stepping into her house and trying to rearrange the furniture.
The cost of breaking the law
I had another run-in with this law, which revealed the karmic consequences of my actions.
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This time my dad was the recipient of my well-intended meddling.
In early October, my dad told me he had come down with the flu, apparently flu season had started early.
Well, I thought I had just the solution for that. I had discovered how taking vitamin D supplements boosted my immune system and had noticed that I simply wasn’t getting sick anymore. No colds or flus.
It seemed obvious to me that the reason for his flu was vitamin D deficiency.
Since I had recently ordered a couple of bottles of vitamin D, I had an extra bottle lying around, and I figured I could send it to my dad as a gift.
My intention had been to call my dad first and ask him if he would like me to send him a bottle with the sunshine vitamin. But I was busy and didn’t get around to calling him so I told myself it would be OK if I put the bottle in the mail first and then told him about it later.
That turned out to be a mistake.
A fine line
I discovered the fine line between doing someone a kindness by giving a gift, and trying to manage their health. By taking it upon myself to protect my dad from the flu I had unknowingly crossed that fine line.
I could have asked him first if he would like me to send him a bottle of vitamin D, giving him the option to say yes or no, as had been my intention. If he said yes, I could have sent him the gift with no strings attached. As it was, I had managed to get into his space by trying to interfere with his health and it was only weeks later when I began to see the results.
A few days before I was going to leave for a spiritual seminar I felt this tickle in my throat that usually means a cold is on the way. I knew what to do though.
Several years earlier I had started testing my vitamin D levels and found that keeping them in the proper range kept my immune system in tip top shape, able to deal with any cold virus without getting sick. When I felt a cold coming on, usually taking some extra vitamin D would give my body all it needed to fight off the virus in my throat.
In the past this had worked like a charm, but this time my body just didn’t seem to respond. My throat was getting more and more sore no matter how much vitamin D, zinc and other immune boosters I took. By the time I arrived at the seminar, I had a full-blown cold.
What really caught my attention was that the cold lasted only for three days. When I used to get colds, it would normally take about one to two weeks to clear out of my system, but this time it started exactly when the seminar started and ended when the seminar was over. It occurred to me that this might indicate that there was a spiritual reason for my cold, as indeed there was.
Breaking the Law of Non-Interference comes with consequences. It didn’t take me long to realize that I had picked up some of Dad’s karma by taking it upon myself to try and fix his health. Spirit very efficiently had me pay the karma I had earned by trying to fix something that wasn’t mine to fix.
The Law of Non-Interference draws a fine line, and that line is about responsibility. Who was responsible for my dad’s health? Not me, but my dad. Trying to take responsibility for making a change that wasn’t mine to make was a breach of spiritual law.
This is how I incurred the karma, by unwittingly stepping over that line.
The Golden Rule
Spiritual laws are similar to human laws in that ignorance of the law does not excuse us from its consequences. In the case of the Law of Karma, it’s simply a matter of time — and sometimes a lot of time — before the karma (result of our actions) comes back to us.
Both the Law of Karma and the Law of Non-Interference are offshoots of the Law of Love. They have a purpose. These laws are here to teach us more about love. When we interfere in someone else’s life, and try to make them believe as we do, or act as we think they should, we are not acting with love.
That’s what this law is here to teach us: to treat others as we would like them to treat us.
We each have the right to choose our own state of consciousness and believe as we see fit. The Law of Non-Interference is here to protect that right, and to educate and remind us when we forget.
