The Miracle And The Mind: Kindness
From the third article in the series on the “miracle” and also the “mind,” we’re going to bring kindness and unkindness in to the discussion about specialness. Within a Course in Miracles (ACIM), kindness is a member of humility and learning and unkindness is with arrogance and specialness. The miracle-minded obviously choose humility, learning and kindness which suggests they are going to eventually learn how to forgive all specialness that is what maintains the separation from God. Belief in separation refers to everyone who is normally the one Son perceiving Himself separate and different fragments. All unkindness comes from the anxiety within the mind whenever we repress our fear and guilt as opposed to forgiving our specialness desires. We blame and project it onto other people who are very a part of us in fact.
There’s two books by Kenneth Wapnick on, “The Healing Power of 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 for anyone who is a life threatening Course student. The next passage says everything:
If you set aside the brilliant metaphysics of an Course in Miracles along with its sophisticated psychological insights, this course could possibly be pared down to one simple rule: Be kind. If you’re not kind, then not simply are you not practicing the program, it’s impossible you may also set out to be aware of it. No matter how brilliant your knowledge of their metaphysics may be, if you are not being kind toward another person, you aren’t doing what this system is asking (The Healing Strength of Kindness, Vol.1: Releasing Judgment by Kenneth Wapnick, p. 10, underline mine).
In spite of this admonition, we insist on being unkind:
This wherewithal to truly practice A program in Miracles’ kind principles of forgiveness they study, and sometimes even teach, has perhaps been one of 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 underneath the guise of spiritual counseling or friendship. The lack of simple kindness is, unfortunately, unmistakable to everyone except the program student making the spiritual pronouncements (The Message Of an Course in Miracles: Each is Called, p. 306).
The non-dualistic concept of kindness can not be understood here inside the connection with dualism so long as specialness is continuously chosen for the reason that ego emanates from an unkind thought against God and Heaven. Our unwillingness to realize this regarding the ego, and just what all that thought strategy is able to do, is a thing that hinders our progress together with the Course. We’ve got to be inclined to look at the ego with the Holy Spirit – the actual Teacher – and take that darkness to Him for forgiveness. Nothing may be hidden and that is straight from the Course.
Kindness To Others Is Kindness To Self
As part of his books on kindness, Mr. Wapnick also references the origin of an person’s unkind behavior is similar fear (and repressed guilt) which is working in our very own mind and that’s what unites us. We also have exactly the same right-mind and the same capability to select from them. Opting to be kind doesn’t make us different or better; rather it indicates we have been ready to practice the “kind principles” with the Course to ensure we can easily figure out how to understand everything it can be teaching. It’s simply a question of priority.
He goes on to claim that to learn how to be kind towards others, we’re practicing being kind toward ourselves because, “you plus your brother is one. They may be part of you. You aren’t different.” This goes straight away to one’s heart with the ego’s thought system wherein the thought of difference is how the ego began – God and His Son were separate and other – and undoes it. Perhaps the slightest hint of specialness will be the ego. What he’s saying becomes clear should you actually study and use the kind forgiveness from the Course!
A serious student from the Course would like to determine what what this means is. These students choose to certainly be a happy learner with the only true teacher – the Holy Spirit – instead of a spiritually special teacher in the ego of all sorts. These are thrilled to study Him how you can be clear of the burdens associated with 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 lie down the responsibility of denying truth. This is actually the burden that is certainly terrible, and never reality (T-21-VI.7).
Self versus “self” -or- Identity versus “identity”
In the Course, there exists a contrast between the “Self” that is our true Identity as Christ and also the “self” identity together with the ego. This can be a key factor to understand because first accepts the part God gave us through being God-created; but the latter is self-created and completely dependent upon the ego as well as its aim of vengeance and looking after separation. Everyone already believes these are ego. We wouldn’t be here otherwise. To take into consideration the possibly of the being correct as well as in need of correction restores wish to mental performance given it exactly what to the way 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 watch it like that. They’re also not going to think it is kind for a person to own boundaries using them his or her fear and guilt (and anxiety) are so great. However, honestly going through the world, we see that it is full of the fragmented Sonship who is anxiety-ridden from identifying with the ego self. Unkindness is rampant on the globe as well as in this course community. As Wapnick states though, we won’t learn the Course until we choose to be kind.
Our behaviors are the tyoe of which mind we have chosen (God or the ego). The ego is a vengeful and tyrannical thought system of unkindnesses whereas freedom as a result is tied straight away to kindness:
Without anxiety your head is wholly kind (T-6.III.3).
Freedom can not be learned by tyranny of any type (T-8.IV.7).
It is usually unkind to switch this course and spiritual specialness does that through competition with God and thus everyone. One small change effectually changes the entirety of the Course, a total thought system. If you feel you already know that, you never. Once you learn you need to do, you are going to be kind for you see the inherent value kindness plays in learning and comprehending the Course. As Wapnick states, “It’s an issue of priority.”
When Kindness Calls
In conclusion, let’s reverse now to Mr. Wapnick with his fantastic book, “The Message Of the Course In Miracles: Few Decide to Listen,” and to Chapters 4 and 6 on spiritual specialness. I’ll highlight some important passages beginning from an extremely telling quote. First, however, permit me to also add this two-book set (including, “Few Opt to Listen”) should be required ongoing study for serious Course students:
“Love is frightening since it is all-encompassing and inside there isn’t any room for specialness or individual uniqueness.”
He goes on to mention that if we are influenced to call attention to our review is some deficiency, or lack, we’re seeking to make such limitation real and into a thing that divides the Sonship. The rock of salvation is it’s impossible to lose so another gains, i.e., nothing is to look at from another, not really their success. However, and we don’t appreciate this until we have spent the necessary time invested in learning these particular words are actually correct as well as their true meaning. What our systems appear to be doing says which internal teacher we’ve chosen – the ego or Holy Spirit. The ego is limitations, judgment, specialness and separation – abdominal muscles the complete the Sonship as One.
While we are not kind, we are really not Course students or teachers of God (the program as our path). When kindness calls, it ought to be chosen as kindness brings about miracle-mindedness. Unkindness is of the ego.
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