Yes it's reminded me of that parable that I've told many times of my friend Axel who
was guided to go towards the twin towers after they had come down.
And how he was inspired to walk to Ground Zero
in a miraculous state of mind.
And he got closer and closer, this was probably less than 2 weeks after the event.
And he came upon a Japanese man wearing like a plaid suit.
And the Japanese man had his head bowed, he was shaking his head and just saying,
"So sad, so so sad."
And my friend Axel told me that for just an instant he had the thought pass through his
mind, "What if my happiness and joy could be an offense to this man?"
It was just the smallest, fleeting thought going through his mind.
But as soon as Axel had this thought, he felt the heat, the dust going up his nostrils.
He smelled the smell of decaying bodies, suddenly the whole situation that was surrounding him
took on a reality.
Just from one thought, "I wonder if my joy could be an offense to this man."
So in A Course in Miracles, Jesus tells us that one of the most difficult ideas to grasp
is true empathy.
Because if defilement would be possible for one person, it would mean that there is no
God.
[Translator trying to understand a word]
It runs that deep.
And we could say mistreatment of any degree would mean that there is no God.
Because again, God is Source and perfect and everything that is real and true comes from
God.
And so anything that we think or believe or perceive that denies the all powerfulness
of God is a temptation.
And that's what it was for my friend Axel, it was a tempting thought.
And so we are given circumstances that allow us to align with the light.
And the situation can be involving a family member or a loved one.
Just as a very strong opportunity to choose again.
I think also when we talk about the death of a loved one.
It reminds me of what Jesus says in A Course in Miracles, he says you have many strange
beliefs but perhaps the strangest of all your beliefs is that you can lose the ones that
you love.
It is so different than Heaven, where loss is impossible.
So different from the idea that there are angels surrounding us, encouraging us to remember to laugh
at illusions.
Because once one illusion is taken as serious then all the rest must follow.
Just like when they say the devil is legion, really it's just one tiny thought.
But if we give the power of our Christ Mind to that one tiny thought, we seem to have
a legion of illusions we must face.