Tiny, Mad Idea

From Out of the Maze, an e-book by the author of this blog.

A Course in Miracles makes a stunning statement about how the separation from God came about. A tiny, mad idea (T-27.VII.6:2) that one wished special favor from God, more than He would give to another, brought about our encasement in separate but illusory bodies, a “solution” that made our specialness seem the truth. At the same moment, God gave His Answer and our way Home (reunion with Him), the Holy Spirit. And never would this Voice speak for specialness, however much we in our insanity might long for it.

We have long given support to achievement potential in one another, and in so doing, we have moved closer to our own undoing. Why? The ego is constantly being undone in us, and the more that we feed its insatiable hunger in ourselves and others, the more quickly the pain of ego makes itself know. Our competitive strife, the longing to be “the best,” the desire to beat the other guy out–all are derivative of the desire to be better than our brother, to merit more in the eyes of God. Seen in this light, the Protestant work ethic, the idea that God rewards those who work hard, is a perversion of the truth. Our sometime disdain for elitism is a symptom of our dim recognition that all are equal in the eyes of God.

So, if specialness is wrong, is it also wrong to succeed in the eyes of the world? In an individualistic sense, yes. When we follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we will choose for the good of all, not ourselves only. And this is the true meaning of success. When we follow this guidance, we do not know “challenge,” because we are not in doubt about the outcome. We choose for all of humanity, and therefore can only succeed. We are in harmony. And so we have happy dreams.