Quote for September 1st 2013
If you were one with God and recognized this oneness, you would know His power is yours. But you will not remember this while you believe attack of any kind means anything. It is unjustified in any form, because it has no meaning. The only way it could be justified is if you and your brother were separate from the other, and all were separate from your Creator. For only then would it be possible to attack a part of the creation without the whole, the Son without the Father; and to attack another without yourself, or hurt yourself without the other feeling pain. And this belief you want. Yet wherein lies its value, except in the desire to attack in safety? Attack is neither safe nor dangerous. It is impossible. And this is so because the universe is one. You would not choose attack on its reality if it were not essential to attack to see it separated from its maker. And thus it seems as if love could attack and become fearful.
A Course In Miracles (ACIM) 22,VI,12
Here again the uncompromising logic of ACIM asserts itself. It is impossible that our empirical experience of separateness and all its implications is true. Granted we experience ourselves as separate, which makes attack seem somehow justifiable and logical. But is it really so? Can we truly attack and hurt another without feeling some measure of pain ourselves, or witness the pain or suffering of anyone and not feel it within ourselves? Is not this pain of empathy also part of our empirical experience? And so our experiences seem to lead to different and diametrically opposed conclusions: either we are all one, or we are not all one. And each conclusion leads to logically justifiable speech and actions.
If we believe in oneness, then the motive for our actions is to realize (make real) this truth in all that we say and do. If however we believe in separateness, then of course, attack in all its forms become logically justifiable. Is there a solution to this seeming irreconcilable contradiction: oneness vs. separation?
We have already hinted at the solution in our brief analysis. Clearly, if the logical extension of either premise leads to a contradiction, then that premise must be false. And as we have acknowledged, the pain of empathy we always feel at the suffering of another, completely contradicts the premise that we are separate, therefore oneness must be true. The word 'always' is emphasized because while it is true that we feel a strong sense of empathy for the suffering of those close to us, we obviously feel some measure of empathy for anyone who suffers. Verifying again the truth of our oneness. Finally, if oneness is true for any part of creation, then it must be true for the whole, so the Creator and His creation are one. Oneness is all that there is. This perennial truth is echoed in the ancient Vedic scripture, the Chandogya Upanishad 3.14.1
Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma
All this is Brahma (oneness)
