The Boomerang Principle--Spoken Word Given by Lloyd D. Newell

The Boomerang Principle

Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell

Boomerangs have been used for generations both as a weapon and for sport. Most of us are familiar with how these wooden, angular objects, when thrown correctly, fly right back to the thrower. But boomerangs aren’t the only things in life that behave this way. One of Aesop’s fables tells of an ant who falls into a fountain and is about to drown when a dove, watching from a tree above, drops a leaf into the water. The grateful ant climbs on it and floats to safety. Just then the ant sees a hunter approaching with a net to catch the unsuspecting dove. The ant quickly bites the hunter on the ankle, causing him to drop the net and allowing the dove to escape.1 Good deeds, like boomerangs, come back to us. This truth, which has been called the boomerang principle, is evident throughout our daily experience. We witness it on playgrounds and in corporate offices, in schools and stores and streets. When you interact with someone and strive to extend respect and friendliness, most respond in kind. Of course, the opposite is also true: rudeness usually generates rudeness; anger tends to lead to more anger. More often than not, we find that our thoughts, attitudes, and actions are stamped with “return to sender.” It may not happen immediately or directly. And it’s true that some people choose to hate even those who love them, just as some people continue to patiently love even those who despitefully use them.2 But eventually and overall, we will get back what we give out. If we want kindness, we extend kindness. If we want more love, we give love more freely. If we want friendliness, forgiveness, and compassion, we offer the same to others. What we send out will come back to us, just like a boomerang. 1 See “The Ant and the Dove,” Aesop’s Fables, comp. Thomas James (1851), 174. 2 See Matthew 5:44. Program #4171