The Law of Success. Napoleon Hill
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in all past history of the human race. Within three decades we have witnessed the mastery of the air; we have explored the ocean; we have all but annihilated distances on the earth; we have harnessed the lightning and made it turn the wheels of industry; we have made seven blades of grass grow where but one grew before; we have instantaneous communication between the nations of the world. Truly, this is an age of illumination and unfoldment, but we have as yet barely scratched the surface of knowledge. However, when we shall have unlocked the gate that leads to the secret power which is stored up within us it will bring us knowledge that will make all past discoveries pale into oblivion by comparison.
Thought is the most highly organized form of energy known to man, and this is an age of experimentation and research that is sure to bring us into greater understanding of that mysterious force called thought, which reposes within us. We have already found out enough about the human mind to know that a man may throw off the accumulated effects of a thousand generations of fear, through the aid of the principle of Auto-suggestion. We have already discovered the fact that fear is the chief reason for poverty and failure and misery that takes on a thousand different forms. We have already discovered the fact that the man who masters fear may march on to successful achievement in practically any undertaking, despite all efforts to defeat him.
Side note: Amidst all the mysteries by which we are surrounded, nothing is more certain than that we are in the presence of an Infinite and Eternal Energy from which all things proceed.—HERBERT SPENCER.
The development of self-confidence starts with the elimination of this demon called fear, which sits upon a man’s shoulder and whispers into his ear, “You can’t do it—you are afraid to try—you are afraid of public opinion—you are afraid that you will fail—you are afraid you have not the ability.”
This fear demon is getting into close quarters. Science has found a deadly weapon with which to put it to flight, and this lesson on self-confidence has brought you this weapon for use in your battle with the world-old enemy of progress, fear.
THE SIX BASIC FEARS OF MANKIND: Every person falls heir to the influence of six basic fears. Under these six fears may be listed the lesser fears. The six basic or major fears are here enumerated and the sources from which they are believed to have grown are described.
The six basic fears are:
a The fear of Poverty
b The fear of Old Age
c The fear of Criticism
d The fear of Loss of Love of Someone
e The fear of Ill Health
f The fear of Death.
Study the list, then take inventory of your own fears and ascertain under which of the six headings you can classify them.
Every human being who has reached the age of understanding is bound down, to some extent, by one or more of these six basic fears. As the first step in the elimination of these six evils let us examine the sources from whence we inherited them.
PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL HEREDITY
All that man is, both physically and mentally, he came by through two forms of heredity. One is known as physical heredity and the other is called social heredity.
Through the law of physical heredity man has slowly evolved from the amoeba (a single-cell animal form), through stages of development corresponding to all the known animal forms now on this earth, including those which are known to have existed but which are now extinct.
Every generation through which man has passed has added to his nature something of the traits, habits and physical appearance of that generation. Man’s physical inheritance, therefore, is a heterogeneous collection of many habits and physical forms.
There seems little, if any, doubt that while the six basic fears of man could not have been inherited through physical heredity (these six basic fears being mental states of mind and therefore not capable of transmission through physical heredity), it is obvious that through physical heredity a most favorable lodging place for these six fears has been provided.
For example, it is a well known fact that the whole process of physical evolution is based upon death, destruction, pain and cruelty; that the elements of the soil of the earth find transportation, in their upward climb through evolution, based upon the death of one form of life in order that another and higher form may subsist. All vegetation lives by “eating” the elements of the soil and the elements of the air. All forms of animal life live by “eating” some other and weaker form, or some form of vegetation.
The cells of all vegetation have a very high order of intelligence. The cells of all animal life likewise have a very high order of intelligence.
Undoubtedly the animal cells of a fish have learned, out of bitter experience, that the group of animal cells known as a fish hawk are to be greatly feared.
By reason of the fact that many animal forms (including that of most men) live by eating the smaller and weaker animals, the “cell intelligence” of these animals which enter into and become a part of man brings with it the FEAR growing out of their experience in having been eaten alive.
This theory may seem to be far-fetched, and in fact it may not be true, but it is at least a logical theory if it is nothing more. The author makes no particular point of this theory, nor does he insist that it accounts for any of the six basic fears. There is another, and a much better explanation of the source of these fears, which we will proceed to examine, beginning with a description of social heredity.
By far the most important part of man’s make-up comes to him through the law of social heredity, this term having reference to the methods by which one generation imposes upon the minds of the generation under its immediate control the superstitions, beliefs, legends and ideas which it, in turn, inherited from the generation preceding.
The term “social heredity” should be understood to mean any and all sources through which a person acquires knowledge, such as schooling of religious and all other natures; reading, word of mouth conversation, story telling and all manner of thought inspiration coming from what is generally accepted as one’s “personal experiences.”
Through the operation of the law of social heredity anyone having control of the mind of a child may, through intense teaching, plant in that child’s mind any idea, whether false or true, in such a manner that the child accepts it as true and it becomes as much a part of the child’s personality as any cell or organ of its physical body (and just as hard to change in its nature).
Side note: Remember that when you make an appointment with another person you assume the responsibility of punctuality, and that you have not the right to be a single minute late.
It is through the law of social heredity that the religionist plants in the child mind dogmas and creeds and religious ceremonies too numerous to describe, holding those ideas before that mind until the mind accepts them and forever seals them as a part of its irrevocable belief.
The mind of a child which has not come into the age of general understanding, during an average period covering, let us say, the first two years of its life, is plastic, open, clean and free. Any idea planted in such a mind by one in whom the child has confidence takes root and grows, so to speak, in such a manner that it never can be eradicated or wiped out, no matter how opposed to logic or reason that idea may be.
Many religionists claim that they can so deeply implant the tenets of their religion in the mind of a child that there never can be room in that mind for any other religion, either in whole or in part. The claims are not greatly overdrawn.
With this explanation of the manner in which the law of social heredity operates the student will be ready to examine the sources from which man inherits the six basic fears. Moreover, any student (except those who have not yet grown big enough to examine truth that steps upon the “pet corns” of their own superstitions) may check the soundness of the principle of social heredity as it is here applied to the six basic fears, without going outside of his or her own personal experiences.
Fortunately,