I remember being teased a lot as a kid, ridiculed with various names. Intervening teachers would suggest this common adage as a suitable response: “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.”
While literally true, that guidance wasn’t always practical.
Primarily because I didn’t believe it. Nor did it stop other children from their viciousness.
Yet that maxim still contains much depth. Particularly as we grow in awareness and understanding of the nature of thought.
One of the most challenging – and radical – concepts in A Course in Miracles is that everything we experience is the result of thought. In fact, our entire worldview is based on which thought system we’ve chosen in our mind: either the ego or the holy spirit.
That’s why Lesson 281 counsels us with this powerful principle: “I can be hurt by nothing but my thoughts.” Which expands on these lines from Lesson 190: “It is your thoughts alone that cause you pain. Nothing external to your mind can hurt or injure you in any way.”
We’re so certain that our distress comes from what’s going on in the world or our body. Which perpetuates the belief that if things in the world (or my body) improve, then I’ll feel better.
But to truly escape pain, we must first recognize its source. And that’s what we’ll be discussing in our Thursday’s Zoom discussion. I look forward to seeing you then.