This morning we're going to talk about another way of looking at forgiveness as
the Course talks about it. Almost exclusively in the Course we are told that
we have to forgive our brothers, we have to forgive people for what they haven't
done to us. We have to forgive all people. There can't be any exceptions to our
forgiveness and, of course, it's clearly—our relationships clearly
constitute the most significant and important classrooms and our learning
since our own unconscious guilt almost invariably tends to be projected onto
people and certainly significant people in our lives. But there's an even
more—there's another way of looking at forgiveness which is even more
embracing. You may recall in the early workbook lessons Jesus talks about
looking at objects in the room differently. One lesson has us look at a wastepaper
basket, a coat hanger, a hand, et cetera. In other words, setting aside the hand for
the moment, it would be things that we think of as being inanimate, things in our
world that are non-living in contrast with the animate, which would be things that
are living: human beings, animals, plants, et cetera. When we understand what
projection is, that there is literally nothing outside of our mind because "ideas leave
not their source" and the only problem is the mind's decision for guilt which is an
abstract, non-specific thought in our minds as is love, as is forgiveness, as is
Atonement, they would become specific when we project them out. That if that is
the problem, then it makes no difference onto what object the guilt is put on.
Whether we're talking about a person, whether we're talking about a pet,
whether we're talking about a toaster, an automobile or computer, whether we're
talking about some food, it makes no difference what the object of our
projection is since the problem is never what is outside. The problem is always
what is inside. That is why there's that line most course students know very well,
"...seek not to change the world, choose rather "to change your mind about the
world," at the beginning of Chapter 21. The problem is never what is outside of
us because, once again, "ideas leave not their source." There is one passage in the
workbook where Jesus refers to this as one of the most central concepts in the
Course. Without understanding that "ideas leave not their source," there is no
way of understanding anything in this course because the gist of that is that
there again the problem is never outside. The problem is the mind's decision for
the ego. That is the problem. That's why Lessons 79 and 80 say there's only one
problem, that's the belief in separation. There's only one solution, and that's the
Atonement. So again it doesn't matter what we project onto so that it's just as important
for our Atonement path and our progress on the Atonement path that as we go
through our day, we not only monitor our minds for unkind, unloving, judgmental
thoughts towards other people, but also towards the objects in our life. So if our
car doesn't start in the morning and we get angry at the car, that's an
unforgiveness that is just as detrimental to our spiritual growth as being angry at
the one who left the lights on so that the car didn't start. If our computer jams and
locks up and we start to get impatient with the computer, we are saying the
reason I am not at peace is because my computer has locked up...again. That's the
lie. So when we speak about not believing the ego's lies, that's a very glaring
example of that. The reason I'm upset is not because my computer locked up; I did not
invite Jesus in with me as I was sitting at my desk. If I had and I felt his love beside
me, then if my computer locked up, I would do whatever was needed to get the
computer up and running again, but I would not be impatient. I would not be
angry. I would not be annoyed. I would not feel why does this always happen to
me. If my toaster malfunctions and my toast in the morning is burnt, I would not
get angry at the toaster. If there is traffic on the highway and I will be late for a very
important appointment, I won't be impatient. Being impatient doesn't help
me get to the appointment any more quickly. If someone cuts me off, I won't be
angry at that person. So whether we're talking about a person or we're talking
about a thing, it should make no difference. So that our forgiveness
lessons really should become as generalized as we could possibly make
them—to include anything in the world outside of us, animate or inanimate, that
we believe has an effect on us, making us happy, making us peaceful, making us
angry, bringing us pain, bringing us pleasure. Since again "ideas leave not
their source," the problem is the idea of separation or the idea of guilt that our
minds have chosen, that is the problem, not what gets projected, or not what it
gets projected onto. So this would help us really broaden our understanding, not
only of the Course's metaphysical principles but certainly broaden our
understanding of how they are to be applied in our daily life. And this would
really speed us along our Atonement path and bring us home.