ACIM VII. Creation and Communication, P 2, 3. Everything the ego perceives is a separate whole, without the relationships that imply being.
ACIM Chapter 4, VII. Creation and Communication, P 2, 3
VII. Creation and Communication, P 2
2 Everything the ego perceives is a separate whole, without the relationships that imply being. The ego is thus against communication, except insofar as it is utilized to establish separateness rather than to abolish it. The communication system of the ego is based on its own thought system, as is everything else it dictates. Its communication is controlled by its need to protect itself, and it will disrupt communication when it experiences threat. This disruption is a reaction to a specific person or persons. The specificity of the ego’s thinking, then, results in spurious generalization which is really not abstract at all. It merely responds in certain specific ways to everything it perceives as related.
The Ego Protects Itself
The ego is only interested in protecting itself, which means keeping the idea of separation going. It will attack anything or anyone who threatens this idea. The separation idea includes many ideas, such as specialness, guilt, fear, and rage. Thus, the ego will protect against spirit when spirit moves away from these ideas. Also, the ego will judge each situation separately, as if they are discreet and have nothing to do with each other. That is part of the belief in separation. And further, in each case, the ego establishes the truth according to its specific needs at that moment.
Knowing its goals and means, it is easy to see that the ego is not interested in communication as a way of joining, but only as it can be used to separate and thus maintain the idea of ego. The ego idea ceases to exist when we choose to communicate as love. So, the ego discourages this kind of communication using fear tactics. It tells us that fear is our protection and that all safety lies in separateness. It encourages us to build defenses against others for our own good.
Attack Is Never Justified
For this to work, the ego must keep us deeply involved in the story. Take the situation with the Middle East or Russia, maybe China. The ego says that we need defenses against these countries. There are specific reasons, and it could seem very reasonable at first glance. The Course says attack is never justified. But ego says it depends on the circumstances. It is easy to see how the ego works. The ego makes up the rules as it goes along to justify its choices. It makes different rules for different situations, and this keeps our minds so mired in the complexities of it that we cannot find our way out as long as we continue to listen to the ego.
What if, in every situation, we knew that attack, anger, fear, and guilt are never justified? No matter what seems to be happening or whose fault it seems to be, no matter what the circumstances seem to suggest, attack is never justified. Attack, anger, fear, and guilt are never justified. What would we do if we knew these reactions were out the door? How would we think? What would we communicate if we had no interest in communicating hatred and fear? If we were not busy isolating through defense and attack, would we then join through love and acceptance?
Ego Justifies Attack
The ego fights with every weapon at its disposal to keep these questions unanswered. It is not interested in union, only in separation. It uses its biggest guns which always involve fear. If we don’t stop them, what comes next? What other horrible thing will they do? Will they do it to us? The ego uses righteousness as a defense.
What if we hadn’t stepped in when the Nazis were destroying the Jews? What if we had stepped in sooner? Thinking about this, the mind can easily move into fear and doubt. We might think that the ego is right in this case. And this is the way the ego keeps separation going.
Egos’ biggest deterrent is the belief that we are these bodies and that this story we are living is actually our life. As long as it can keep this idea alive, it has us. This is the sticking point. If I am this body, I must defend it. If this is my life, then what happens in it is of the greatest concern to me. My purpose is to wake up from the dream of separation, to forgive all I have made to take the place of reality, and to return my mind to its rightful place with God. If I think I am a body and this life is real, that purpose makes no sense, and I will throw it out the window the moment the body is threatened.
3 VII. Creation and Communication, P 3
3 In contrast, spirit reacts in the same way to everything it knows is true, and does not respond at all to anything else. Nor does it make any attempt to establish what is true. It knows that what is true is everything that God created. It is in complete and direct communication with every aspect of creation, because it is in complete and direct communication with its Creator. This communication is the Will of God. Creation and communication are synonymous. God created every mind by communicating His Mind to it, thus establishing it forever as a channel for the reception of His Mind and Will. Since only beings of a like order can truly communicate, His creations naturally communicate with Him and like Him. This communication is perfectly abstract, since its quality is universal in application and not subject to any judgment, any exception or any alteration. God created you by this and for this. The mind can distort its function, but it cannot endow itself with functions it was not given. That is why the mind cannot totally lose the ability to communicate, even though it may refuse to utilize it on behalf of being.
Not True Communication
What I do when I talk is so far from communication as it is meant to be that they are hardly related at all. When I was working, I thought I was communicating with customers and people at the office. I would talk to my boss when I got to work. I would police my words so they were close to what he wanted to hear. And I used my words to gain his approval and secure my job. This was not communication as described here. It was not complete and direct communication.
When I talked to my team members, I would share with them on a different level. I wouldn’t be as careful with my words as I was with my boss, but my words would have a specific purpose. I would share something about my personal life and ask about theirs. The purpose is to build a sense of camaraderie with them. I want them to have a pleasant feeling when they think of me. This way, they would be willing to help when I needed them. I liked the feeling of friendship, too. It made me feel part of something. This is not communication either. It is specific to this group of people and has a specific purpose. It is not universally applicable and is subject to judgment.
True Communication
The level of communication, what I say to them, how often I speak, the tone of voice I use, every part of communication is specific to the people I am speaking to. It is all based on what I want from this particular person or how I categorize them. The subject under discussion makes a difference as well. Some things I talk about freely, and others will cause me to be more guarded. Certain words or ideas, when expressed, will trigger the desire to defend and attack.
In true communication, there are none of these differences. It is hard for me to imagine communication that is not specific. However, I saw as I was writing this that I am very slowly coming closer to true communication. Nowadays, when someone says something that feels unfair or threatening to me, I disregard that feeling and respond in love.
Learning to Truly Communicate
The change began while I was still working. I developed sincere feelings of care and kindness for my team members. And not because they were useful to me. Through my study and practice of the Course, I deepened my connection to others. More and more, I felt the oneness as I let go of separateness with its defenses. I became excited to go to work and open my heart to the Holy Spirit while I talked to my co-workers.
Now my work is with A Course in Miracles, and communication has also changed in this area. I used to become confused about what my part was. I would think I needed to convince someone of my point of view. This is not it at all, and now I don’t do that, or if I do, I correct myself. I just want to be truly helpful, so I ask the Holy Spirit to give me the words. It is easy to slip into ego thinking, so I have to be vigilant.
I am far from true communication, but I am closer than I used to be. My desire for awakening is motivation to be vigilant for opportunities to remove the blocks to communication. I have indeed distorted my innate ability to communicate truly, but God created me by this and for this so I can recover my ability to communicate fully. I am intrigued that true communication is synonymous with creation. And I am willing to return my mind to God, and I long to remember what it is to truly create.
The Holy Spirit’s Interpretation of the New Testament, scribed by Regina Dawn Akers is an amazingly helpful and readable book. To hear some of the study groups discuss this book, CLICK HERE.