Yes, I agree with the quote. We are all governed by feelings or emotions (not just ordinary men and women)...we are wired up to be like that. I don't know anyone who does anything other than to feel good...even helping others makes you feel good that you did it.

The Abraham teachings however go a bit further than this...

They say that emotion always comes in response to a thought we are having. They say it is impossible to have an emotion that has not been stimulated by a thought first. Certainly, whenever I am experiencing an emotion, I have always been able to trace the birth of it to some thought I have had earlier...yes, I keep testing this in case I ever find an exception :)

This is because emotions are an indication of your alignment with your inner being/higher self or whatever label you prefer. Greater alignment indicates a more positive emotion, lesser alignment leads to a more negative emotion.

So to answer your question, yes the ordinary person is governed by their feelings or emotions but their feelings and emotions are governed by the thoughts they think.

In other words, we come back - from this little line of reasoning - to the age-old saying that the thoughts we think govern the lives we lead.

This then answers the first part of your question...I believe the cause and effect that Mr Haanel was referring to is that of thoughts creating our realities, and he was implying that not understanding this then results in becoming governed by your emotions (via your indisciplined thoughts).

This plane of manifestion is a sentient one and our emotions or feelings assist us towards inward growth. At this point in our evolution we are indeed controlled by our feeling bodies (inclusive of our conceptual and astrological as well). When we can make an awared choice to take control of them we can use the Law of Cause and Effect as a guide. All laws are created to assist humanity toward their further attainment of conscious evolution.

Love and Harmony, Your cosmic sister in truth

probably emotions for
survival, that also makes
us raw putty in the hands
of skillfully schooled

as they play with feelings

Yes a lot of problems of the earth stem from the emotion of fear.

It is either them or us, if you are not for me you must be against me, there is not enough for everyone, I'm not worthy, they have everything and if I want it I'm just going to have to take it from them, it is a harsh world, every one for themselves, look out for yourself because no one else will.

All of these lead people to act in poor ways that can lead to crime even just because they believe they have no choice. On a larger scale to wars. Even the belief that you must be competitive or a winner, better than everyone else, is fear based.

I wrote a question about healing the world from a God consciousness perspective that addresses this same thing.