In the third article in the series on the “miracle” and the “mind,” we are going to bring kindness and unkindness into the discussion about specialness. In A Course in Miracles (ACIM), kindness is associated with humility and learning and unkindness is with arrogance and specialness. The miracle-minded obviously choose humility, learning and kindness which means they will eventually learn to forgive all specialness which is what maintains the separation from God. Belief in separation applies to everyone who is the One Son perceiving Himself as separate and different fragments. All unkindness stems from the anxiety in the mind when we repress our fear and guilt instead of forgiving our specialness desires. We blame and project it onto others who are really a part of us in reality.

There are two books by Kenneth Wapnick on, “The Healing Power of Kindness.” Volume 1 is on, “Releasing Judgment” and Volume 2 on, “Forgiving Our Limitations.” In my opinion, these should be required reading and continuing study for anyone who is a serious Course student. The following passage says it all:

When you set aside the brilliant metaphysics of A Course in Miracles and its sophisticated psychological insights, the Course could be pared down to one simple rule: Be kind. If you are not kind, then not only are you not practicing the Course, there is no way you can even begin to understand it. No matter how brilliant your understanding of its metaphysics may be, if you are not being kind toward another person, you are not doing what this Course is asking (The Healing Power of Kindness, Vol.1: Releasing Judgment by Kenneth Wapnick, p. 10, underline mine).

Despite this admonition, we insist on being unkind:

This inability to truly practice A Course in Miracles’ kind principles of forgiveness that they study, and sometimes even teach, has perhaps been the most serious failing among its students. This book’s sequel, “Few Choose to Listen,” discusses how students often conceal their thought system of specialness under the guise of spiritual counseling or friendship. The absence of simple kindness is, unfortunately, unmistakable to all except the Course student making the spiritual pronouncements (The Message Of A Course in Miracles: All Are Called, p. 306).