Human nature seems to regard perpetual scarcity as the law of life. Daily I am astonished at how

readily I believe that something I need is in short supply. If I __36__ . possessions, it is because I

believe that there is not enough to go around. If I struggle with others over power, it is because I

believe power is limited. If I become jealous in relationships, it is because I believe that if you

get too much love I will be __37__ . The irony, often tragic, is that by embracing the scarcity

__38__ , we create the very scarcities we fear. If I hoard material goods, others will have too little

and I will never have enough. If I fight my way up the ladder of __39__ , others will be defeated

and I will never feel secure. If I get jealous of someone I love, I am likely to drive that person

away. If I cling to the words I have written as if they were the last of their kind, the pool of new
possibilities will surely go dry. We create scarcity by fearfully accepting it as law, and by

competing with others for resources as if we were on the Sahara at the last oasis. __40__on the Sahara at  the last oasis.