The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. What is the Matthew Effect?｜Opening the Bible

After the Matthew effect was proposed by American sociologist Robert Morton in 1968, it has been widely used in the field of economics, and has also been cited in social psychology, chemistry, and library and information science. How do most people interpret this allegory in the Bible? How did Brother J teach this concept in "A Course in Miracles"?

Everyone has heard of the Matthew effect of economics, that is, under the structure of capitalist society, the rich always get richer and richer. The poor can only exchange money with labor for a limited amount of time, and because the rich have established a capital-intensive threshold, the poor are in a situation of information asymmetry, resulting in getting poorer.

It is also a cumulative advantage , so the children of the rich have a high probability of becoming the next rich, resulting in the polarization of the rich and the poor. If you have read "Rich Dad Poor Dad", you may be more familiar with the 80/20 rule, and the reasoning is similar.

Psychologist Jordan B. Peterson also mentioned in his recent book "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos" that there are many examples in real life that can be generalized by the Matthew effect.

1. Urban population: A few major cities account for the majority of the population.
2. Celestial mass: A few stars make up the majority of matter.
3. Word frequency: In each language, 90% of communication terms require only 500 words.
4. Lobster mates: Male lobsters fight each other to produce a small number of winners. Not only did the winner's brain network change into a shape that would benefit future battles, but it also attracted most females to mate.

It also piqued my curiosity a lot, because I remember seeing the passages quoted on the Matthew effect in A Lesson in Miracles. I searched for a long time and finally found this passage in the supplement. But we can first look at what is written in the original text of the Bible.

Jesus told a profound story in Matthew's Gospel to illustrate how believers use God's gifts. The story goes like this, one day the king suddenly said that he was going on a long journey, so he called three of his servants, gave each of them a piece of silver, and ordered them to do business.

When the king came back, the first servant said that he had earned ten pieces of silver, and the king was very happy, and immediately gave him ten cities to reward him. The second servant earned five coins, and the king rewarded him with five cities.

The last servant said, I wrapped the silver in a towel and kept it, for fear of losing it and not taking it out. So instead of encouraging the servant in a merciful way, the king. Instead, he took his money back and gave it to the first servant. Seeing this, I think most people's reactions were shocked. What? The king who symbolizes God is simply an accomplice of the M-shape.

Jesus then concluded:

"For whoever has will be given to him, and he will have a surplus; and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away" (Matthew 25:29).

Looked up the next few Christian websites and they didn't seem to agree on the interpretation of the Bible. Some sources claim that God’s thinking is different from that of man, and that man always expects to be treated fairly, but God wants those who are able to have more opportunities to manage. If you can't earn even a single piece of silver, how can you manage the city? It sounds more like management, doesn't it? Are we going to the kingdom of heaven to help God manage any assets?

Another source believes that this story is not easy to interpret. What does he think "everything" is? In fact, it is saying "everyone is listening." The metaphor is that how to listen is the key point for those who receive. Listen carefully and God will supply resources. I can understand every word of this article, but I don't know why it makes up a sentence.

Finally, there is a piece of information, which at first glance is a bit similar to "The Course of Miracles", but it is completely different in its bones. He thinks that each of us has the gift of God, but do we give it? If you collect it and don't pay, you may lose it, and even take everything you have. The pastor went on to say that it is like the church assigning work, some people are reluctant, and it is not very good if they can dodge. Those who can work hard should work harder, don't complain. It sounds authoritative.

Seeing this, I really admire the wisdom of people. The same sentence also brings people many different inspirations. Usually when we pay more attention to something or phenomenon, we will have corresponding experience. Sounds like he has a point.

And Brother J said in the supplementary psychotherapy:

There is a sentence in the Gospel: "Give him more to the rich." This is a very good saying. Because he has it, he can pay. Because he gave, he got more. This is the law of God, not the law of men. This is the picture of God's healing workers. They can give, not only because they have heard the word of the Lord, but because they have understood the meaning of it. (A Course in Miracles P-3.III.5)

It is still pure oneness, the ultimate metaphysical point of view. Whether it's love, forgiveness, healing, or salvation, they are all concepts that can be shared in the invisible realm. When we can give more and share with more people, it will strengthen our concept and feel that we have such a concept.

It can be seen from this that the biggest difference between the same metaphor in "A Course in Miracles" and the Bible and the Matthew effect is that in the law of heaven, intangible resources are infinite and can be shared, and the more you give, the more you get.

This is also a very subtle place. It is easy for us to say I love you to the person next to us, but it becomes extremely difficult to give him a house or a car. why?

In this material world, money is limited, time is limited, and labor is even more limited. Under the laws of the world, we have to compete for limited resources, because if not mine, it will only be yours. In such a situation, we are becoming more and more stingy with giving.

I'm afraid I don't have enough. If we mistake limited capacity for true creativity, we become poor people who always feel inadequate.

For example, there is a vegetable market next to our company, and there are always beggars stopping on the street corner when people come and go. Every time they pass by those people who wander the streets, they would like to say, should I give him money?

When we give money and feel lost, or feel that we may be deceived, we are actually subject to the laws of the world. We feel the sense of scarcity that we lost after we gave it, because we took the limited resources seriously.

And the memory that Brother J wants to wake up is that what we give, we can feel what we have, and what it really is.

If we decide that we are incapable of giving, giving, or not giving, or how much to give, it is not the point. Behavior is not important, but the state of mind we use to "think" or "see" to give it.

Do we give him money to sympathize with his poverty or to prove that we are a caring person? Do you not give him money because you don't want to help lazy people, or because you are angry that you can't be like him and want a free lunch? Or do you hate his existence and turn a blind eye to prevent his encounters from happening to you?

When we see clearly the various judgments in our hearts, as well as the choices that follow immediately after the judgments, we can better know what we want to achieve. We all want to feel love, to feel the flow and abundance of love. If there is no reason to give, and nothing to give up, will we still refuse to give?

If we are already rich people, "giving" is simply giving up the absurd notion of being inadequate. Since our source is the Lord, is it still difficult to "give"?

"Giving and receiving are the same thing." When we give, we receive instead. Such invisible power can bless both parties at the same time, bridge the gap between us and our brothers, and form a cycle of abundance. This is the law of heaven that is completely different from the law of the human world.

However, there is a misuse here. Do we have to give to others when we are obviously unable to protect ourselves?

Such cases often occur when relatives owe money to us, go to the hospital to take care of seriously ill family members, etc., as well as all kinds of emotional blackmail. Also, do we "must" help others? What if it doesn't help in form?

We must remember that Brother J refers to the spiritual level, otherwise there will be strange problems. Such as should I take out all my savings to help? Or is it okay to take all the time out of work without having to go to work?

Or, do you have to donate money to every beggar you encounter on the street? Do you have to buy a pack to help each group of Xihan'er biscuits? These are the sequelae of mixed cuisine.

As long as we can choose to see with the mind of the Holy Spirit, we do not exclude anyone in our mind. Corresponding money or care is just the way our finite body is presented in the impermanent world.

The ego is good at conjuring up all kinds of plots that draw blood and tears, making us fall into the predicament of powerlessness and the lack of self-pity. If you can't help, if you can't give it, you will be chased and run by the sense of guilt.

So the best way is to entrust it to the Holy Spirit. Spiritually recognize the meaninglessness of "not enough to give", then back down and leave it to the Holy Spirit to correct our errors in our minds. Finally, let Him tell us what to do as best and logically as possible.

If I intuitively pay 100 yuan to help others, that's fine, if not, that's fine.

After all, no brother is truly separated from us. With them in mind, when our perceptions change, we can feel sufficiency like never before.

 "Course of Miracles" is not a religious organization, not a new era, not an alien rumor, and not the only course, but it is purely monistic and a compulsory forgiveness method. If you are interested, you can find it in Play Books.
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