The law of compensation begins by stating that nature compensates for any action by

producing a reaction. The author also claims that every faculty that receives pleasure has an
equal penalty for abuse. So, if we abuse any of our abilities, we will face a penalty, because this
is a natural law. This is not the same as the justice meted out by humans to punish one another.
He's only referring to the universal laws that will compel justice to be served in every
circumstance. He uses the example of a man who is too fierce and strong for society, a bad
citizen by temperament and position. Nature sends him a swarm of pretty sons and daughters
who are doing well in the dame's classes at the village school, and his grim scowl is smoothed
to courtesy by love and fear for them. So nature will pull him back from that extreme by
exposing him to experiences and situations in life that will force him to soften, in this case.
Emerson goes on to say that perfect equity adjusts its balance in all aspects of life. This balance,
he believes, is a fundamental component of how the universe is put together. Every action pays
off. The reward is already present in the act of doing good. However, the same is true for bad
actions, and if this sounds a lot like karma, karma is very similar to what Emerson is talking
about. "Crime and punishment grow out of one stem. Punishment is a fruit that, unnoticed,
ripens within the flower of the pleasure that concealed it. Cause and effect, means and ends,
seed and fruit cannot be severed. For the effect already blooms in the cause," Emerson writes.
You have already caused the bad consequence to come to you as soon as you do something
bad. It's a component of something else. We can't separate the act from the result. They work
as a team. One cannot exist without the other. He claims that while the specific stripes may
appear late, after the offense, they do so because they accompany it. The punishment, he
means the stripes, will come, perhaps late, but it will come, because it is already wrapped up
in the act itself. Act and consequence are inextricably linked. He uses this to talk about the
senses and how we, as humans, want to separate the act from the result when it comes to
indulging our senses. To gratify the senses, we separate the pleasure of the senses from the
needs of character.

Emerson lists a variety of sayings that reflect this same wisdom in the middle section of
the essay, such as "tit for tat" and "eye for an eye," "measure for measure," "give and it shall
be given you," and "thou shalt be paid exactly for what thou hast done, not more, not less."
"You cannot do wrong without suffering wrong," Emerson later says. He is attempting to
convince us that doing something bad will have negative consequences for you. Now he adds,
"The exclusionist in religion does not see that he shuts the door of heaven to himself in striving
to shut out others." The message here is intended for those who believe they are going to
heaven and no one else is, and that they may actually be forbidding their own way to heaven
rather than forbidding other people's way. He also says, "Treat men as pawns and ninepins,
and you will suffer as well as they." This means that if you go around treating people as
manipulable objects, you will suffer as well. "If you leave out their heart, you will lose your
own," he says, "because the senses would make things of all persons, of women, of children,
of the poor." You can't treat people badly without causing yourself harm. The senses are
insufficient. Our senses would simply treat people as things, when our soul knows they aren't
just things, but fellow souls. "The benefit we receive must be rendered again, line for line, deed
for deed, scent for scent, to somebody," he says, implying that whatever we receive must be
paid back. That is investing ahead of time, doing something nice for someone before they do
something nice for you. Kindness does not have to be grandiose; people perform acts of
kindness on a daily basis. Although most people regard our society as selfish, there are some
people who are compassionate. They can demonstrate compassion through small acts of
kindness. "The soul says eat. The body would feast. The soul says the man and woman shall be
one flesh and one soul. The body would join the flesh only. The soul says, 'Have dominion over
all things to the ends of virtue.” He's saying that we can't forget that when we indulge or misuse
our senses, some kind of consequence will follow, because it's all wrapped up as one thing, and
we can't separate the act from the consequence. According to Emerson, we have a tendency
to overlook this. "We see the mermaid's head but not the dragon's tail," he says. As a result,
we are more likely to notice the pleasure while ignoring the consequences.

In "Compensation," Ralph Waldo Emerson stated that each human is compensated in

like manner for what he or she has contributed. The Law of Compensation is an extension of
the Law of Sowing and Reaping. It states that you will always be compensated for your efforts
and contributions, no matter how large or small. Emerson takes a step back. When everything
is in balance, there will be an up for every down. Everything bad will be made up for almost
immediately. Cause and effect are inextricably linked. It is only a flaw in our perception that
separates them and causes us to lose track of the missing piece. The Universe is analogous to
a gyroscope. Whatever moves within and how, the entire system is in balance.