In the third article within the series around the “miracle” along with the “mind,” we intend to bring kindness and unkindness to the discussion about specialness. Inside a Course in Miracles (ACIM), kindness is associated with humility and learning and unkindness is to use arrogance and specialness. The miracle-minded obviously choose humility, learning and kindness meaning they’re going to eventually discover how to forgive all specialness that is what maintains the separation from God. Belief in separation applies to everyone who is the main one Son perceiving Himself separate and various fragments. All unkindness is a result of the anxiety inside the mind whenever we repress our fear and guilt instead of forgiving our specialness desires. We blame and project it onto other individuals who are very an element of us actually.
There’s two books by Kenneth Wapnick on, “The Healing Energy Kindness.” Volume 1 is on, “Releasing Judgment” and Volume 2 on, “Forgiving Our Limitations.” In my opinion, these ought to be required reading and continuing study if you are a serious Course student. The subsequent passage says it all:
Whenever you set aside the brilliant metaphysics of an Course in Miracles and its sophisticated psychological insights, the Course might be pared down to one easy rule: Be kind. If you aren’t kind, then not just are you not practicing this course, it’s impossible you may also begin to realize it. Regardless of how brilliant your understanding of its metaphysics could be, if you are not being kind toward somebody else, you are not doing what this Course is asking (The Healing Strength of Kindness, Vol.1: Releasing Judgment by Kenneth Wapnick, p. 10, underline mine).
In spite of this admonition, we require being unkind:
This wherewithal to truly practice A program in Miracles’ kind principles of forgiveness that they can study, or even teach, has perhaps been the most serious failing among its students. This book’s sequel, “Few Opt to Listen,” discusses how students often conceal their thought system of specialness within the guise of spiritual counseling or friendship. The lack of simple kindness is, unfortunately, unmistakable to all except the program student making the spiritual pronouncements (What it’s all about Of the Course in Miracles: All Are Called, p. 306).
The non-dualistic concept of kindness can not be understood here from the experience of dualism provided that specialness is continuously chosen since the ego arises from an unkind thought against God and Heaven. Our unwillingness to identify this about the ego, and just what all of that thought method is able to do, is a thing that hinders our progress with all the Course. We should be prepared to consider the ego with all the Holy Spirit – the real Teacher – and take that darkness to Him for forgiveness. Nothing could be hidden that is certainly right out the Course.
Kindness To other people Is Kindness To Self
In their books on kindness, Mr. Wapnick also discusses the origin of a person’s unkind behavior is the same fear (and repressed guilt) that’s in our own mind and that’s what unites us. We have precisely the same right-mind and also the same capacity to choose from them. Determining to be kind won’t make us different or better; rather it indicates were ready to practice the “kind principles” of the Course so that we can discover how to understand everything it is teaching. It’s only a question of priority.
He proceeds to say that in learning how you can be kind towards others, we’re practicing being kind toward ourselves because, “you along with your brother are one. They may be an integral part of you. About to catch different.” This goes straight away to the heart of the ego’s thought system wherein the thought of difference is the place the ego began – God and the Son were separate as well as – and undoes it. Even slightest hint of specialness may be the ego. What he could be saying becomes clear in case you actually study and employ what type forgiveness with the Course!
A life threatening student with the Course wants to determine what this means. These students choose to be described as a happy learner with all the only true teacher – the Holy Spirit – as opposed to a spiritually special teacher in the ego of any type. They’re thrilled to study on Him the best way to be without any the burdens linked to denying the facts:
Forgiveness’ kindness is obscure to start with, because salvation isn’t understood, nor truly sought for (S-2.I.1). And here you are going to set down the load of denying truth. This is the burden that is certainly terrible, and never the truth (T-21-VI.7).
Self versus “self” -or- Identity versus “identity”
From the Course, there is a contrast between the “Self” which can be our true Identity as Christ along with the “self” identity with all the ego. This is the key factor to understand since the first accepts the part God gave us through being God-created; though the latter is self-created and completely dependent on the ego as well as its aim of vengeance and separation. Everyone already believes those are the ego. We may not be here otherwise. To consider the possibly of these being correct and in necessity of correction restores desire to your head given it suggests the way in which out.
When a spiritually special Course teacher (a kind of unhealed healer) teaches specialness with the ego, these are being unkind towards others and therefore themselves although they are highly unlikely to look at it like that. They are also not likely to think it really is kind for someone to possess boundaries with these his or her fear and guilt (and anxiety) are extremely great. However, honestly going through the world, we have seen that it is full of the fragmented Sonship who is anxiety-ridden from identifying with all the ego self. Unkindness is rampant in the world plus in this course community. As Wapnick states though, we won’t discover the Course until we choose to get kind.
Our behaviors are the illustration showing which mind we now have chosen (God or the ego). The ego is really a vengeful and tyrannical thought system of unkindnesses whereas freedom from this is tied directly to kindness:
Without anxiety mental performance is wholly kind (T-6.III.3).
Freedom cannot be learned by tyranny regardless of the sort (T-8.IV.7).
It is usually unkind to switch this course and spiritual specialness does that through competition with God and so everyone. One small change effectually changes the whole thing from the Course, an utter thought system. If you believe you realize that, that you do not. Once you know you do, you are going to be kind available for you view the inherent value kindness plays in learning and knowing the Course. As Wapnick states, “It’s an issue of priority.”
When Kindness Calls
In summary, let’s turn back how to Mr. Wapnick and his awesome book, “The Message Of A Course In Miracles: Few Opt to Listen,” and to Chapters 4 and 6 on spiritual specialness. I’ll highlight some important passages you start with a very telling quote. First, however, permit me to also add this two-book set (including, “Few Decide to Listen”) should also be required ongoing study for serious Course students:
“Love is frightening since it is all-encompassing and within it there isn’t any room for specialness or individual uniqueness.”
He procedes to explain any time we are inclined to call awareness of our opinion offers some deficiency, or lack, we have been planning to make such limitation real and into something which divides the Sonship. The rock of salvation is always that no-one can lose so another gains, i.e., there’s nothing to adopt from another, not even their success. However, and we don’t understand why until a year the necessary time purchased learning the words are actually correct in addition to their true meaning. What the body seem doing says which internal teacher we have chosen – the ego or Holy Spirit. The ego is limitations, judgment, specialness and separation – abdominal muscles the complete the Sonship jointly.
While we are not kind, we aren’t Course students or teachers of God (the Course as our path). When kindness calls, it needs to be chosen as kindness leads to miracle-mindedness. Unkindness is with the ego.
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