Hello again, I'd like to address Jeremy's comment on "A Better Way to Catch a Snake." Jeremy commented that, if you want to catch a snake and not get bitten in the process, it's best to learn from a master snake catcher. ACIM was channeled from a master, Jesus of Nazareth. In the Course, Jesus attempts to share his experience with regard to "catching" peace.
Most of us live our lives in fear--fear that some nut will push the button for nuclear meltdown, that the stock market will collapse, that we won't have enough insurance coverage, that our loved ones will abandon us, and so on. Jesus is very clear in ACIM how to rid our lives of fear.
First, Jesus says, "Don't ask me to rid your mind of fear." Why? Because, he says, it's not God's will for anyone to control your life except you. God placed the kingdom of heaven within YOU. That gives you dominion over your life experiences. Jesus says in Course that he is your equal, one to be respected as an elder brother, but not one to "lord it" over your life.
At the same time, Jesus shares with anyone who "has ears to listen"how to rid oneself of fear. He begins by saying that, though we call them by myriad names, there are only two emotions: love and fear. The first is judgment free. The second entails judgment. When we judge, others or ourselves, we expect retaliation and that expectation creates fear. When we relinquish judgment, our fears dissolve. As uncomplicated as that.
As human beings, we often think our judgments are the measure of our intelligence. We think smart people are wary people, people who worry about the state of things. ACIM calls this a problem of authorship. We think we authored ourselves and the world and that it's about to blow up in our faces. True, we "author" or generate this illusion we call the world, but God created All That Is. And that means All That Is is good. There is no life outside of God, ergo, there is nothing to fear.
As the intro to the Course so aptly puts it: "Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God." If God made it, it can't be threatened. If God didn't make it, it isn't real and is no cause for concern.
But how does a "normal" person get through his day, or even through a few minutes, without making a judgment? In the physical realm which we inhabit, we are constantly called upon to decide--what to wear, what to eat, where to buy our insurance, who to cast our vote for. These are decisions of preference, not judgments. I prefer short sleeves today. I prefer chocolate cake for lunch. The judgment that ACIM refers to is evaluating someone or something as not all that God created it to be. It's declaring that someone or something is "less than" or "inferior to" the perfection God created. This constitutes "attack." And what happens when we attack? We fear retaliation.
The bottom line of all fear is that we believe we have attacked God, as the parable of The Garden of Eden so poignantly portrays. (Also the story of the Prodigal Son.) And therefore we fear retaliation from the most Awesome Force there is. From God Herself. Yet are told in Course--by the master--that God has never judged anyone or anything--except as perfect. Who do you think is more likely to be correct? Jesus or you and me?
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