The only reason people attack is NOT because they are bad, but because on a much deeper level they feel hurt (fear). When we feel hurt, the automatic response seems to be attack (blame) because we have forgotten that the seeming attacker is in our own mind.

Now, what is an attack? It is either a call for love, or an opportunity to extend love. How does it work? Simple! When someone "seems" to be attacking us, and we react, who is the one calling for love? WE are. We just projected our own guilt outward so that we can react and pretend that we have been done wrong. However, when someone "seems" to attack us, and we do not react, we are now in a position to extend our love. But who are we extending the love to? Ourselves! Because there is no one out there. It is all happening in our mind.

That's why A Course in Miracles is so uncompromising with its teaching. It rattles people's cages by reminding us:

"The secret of salvation is but this: that you are doing this unto yourself. 2 No matter what the form of the attack, this still is true. 3 Whoever takes the role of enemy and of attacker, still is this the truth. 4 Whatever seems to be the cause of any pain and suffering you feel, this is still true. 5 For you would not react at all to figures in a dream you knew that you were dreaming. 6 Let them be as hateful and as vicious as they may, they could have no effect on you unless you failed to recognize it is your dream." T-27.VIII.10:1-6

Now the ego, who's existence is threatened by our new level or understanding, tries to disguise itself as a spiritual teacher and says, "oh, that person is really attacking you, so you need to be compassionate." I know this sounds very spiritual and wonderful. But the issue is not the compassion, the issue here is that we believe that there is someone out there that needs our compassion, and in that sense, the separation is perpetuated. That does not mean we are going to be mean or ignore anyone's plea for help. It simply means that in EVERY decision that we make, we choose to put the Holy Spirit before us FIRST, to ensure that our act of kindness is coming from Truth and not guilt (fear). Otherwise the illusion will manipulate us emotionally and what appears to be kindness, it is really more guilt in disguise.

This is not an easy thing to do, specially when we are dealing with loved one, or if we are just very caring people who wants to give change to every beggar on the street. It takes practice to relinquish our thoughts to the Holy Spirit to ensure that our actions are motivated by love and not fear. Love does not perpetuate fear by judging the behavior of a loved one who seems to be hurting us, or by feeling sorry for the seeming homeless, it simply allows us to recognize the Truth in every situation, regardless of the form it may seem to take.

We are better of seen the Christ in a beggar while offering a smile than seeing them as destitute and offer them some money. In judging them as less than perfect, even if we gave them money we have already crucified them because we unconsciously agreed with the way they see themselves. "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." [Matthew 18:20]

In that same way, back to the "seeming" attacker, we are better of NOT resisting the behavior of others by attempting to defend ourselves, but by asking the Holy Spirit to enter into our mind while the seeming attack takes place. From that place we will know what to do, and we are now giving ourselves an opportunity to truly heal the attacker, maybe not in form, but in Truth, because the attacker is really in our own mind. Same with the beggar. It is all in our imagination.

"This is how all illusions came about. 7 The one who makes them does not see himself as making them, and their reality does not depend on him. 8 Whatever cause they have is something quite apart from him, and what he sees is separate from his mind. 9 He cannot doubt his dreams' reality, because he does not see the part he plays in making them and making them seem real." T-27.VII.7:1-6

Although we know it is all an illusion, we still do not have the power to transform them, however we do have the power to choose with Whom we want to see that illusion so that our mind can be transformed:

"When you have been caught in the world of perception you are caught in a dream. You cannot escape without help, because everything your senses show merely witnesses to the reality of the dream. God has provided the Answer, the only Way out, the true Helper. It is the function of His Voice, His Holy Spirit, to mediate between the two worlds. He can do this because, while on the one hand He knows the truth, on the other He also recognises our illusions, but without believing in them. It is the Holy Spirit's goal to help us escape from the dream world by teaching us how to reverse our thinking and unlearn our mistakes. Forgiveness is the Holy Spirit's great learning aid in bringing this thought reversal about. However, the Course has its own definition of what forgiveness really is just as it defines the world in its own way." Preface

Remember, no one is attacking anyone. It is all happening in our imagination!

---