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A Course In Miracles Lesson #19 - I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.

Lesson #19

I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.

What you think you will see you will see. Our thoughts affect our perceptions and as we perceive and think we have an impact on other people through our nonverbal, and verbal behavior.

How often have you been falsely accused of doing things you didn’t do, thinking things you didn’t think, feeling things you didn’t feel? People are constantly telling us what they think we think, what they think we feel, what our behavior means in terms of motivations, intentions, preferences, and desires.

There probably is little in the world of the ego that hurts our pride and sense of well being as much as to be falsely accused, or to falsely accuse others because in a judgmental way we think we know them.

Today, in applying this lesson, we are asked to look around for 2 or 3 minutes, 3 or 4 times during the day, and say to ourselves subvocally, I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts. This exercise can be unnerving and maybe even spooky at first until we get used to it and then we laugh at our own arrogance and presumptiveness. We all are such fools.

As Unitarian Universalists we covenant together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person but so often we overlook it and see things we think we see in our ignorance, malice, and sometimes naivete. Today’s lesson, if applied, will help us become more mindful.

Good news for 08/20/20 - National Fraud rate for mail-in ballots.

The National Fraud rate for mail-in ballots in the United States for the last 20 years has been 0.00006%

Letter #8 from Hilton, NY - Media fast leads to more peace and tranquility

Letter #8

Media fast leads to more peace and tranquility

It’s been quite a month in Hilton, NY where Harry Hollywood has been practicing a digital media fast. Harry has vowed to stay off of his smartphone and social media platforms for a week. No instagram, no Facebook, no scrolling the web for distracting and entertaining attention stealers like YouTube, Pinterest. Harry was shopping in Tops where he ran into Elmer Sandbagger who growled at him, “Why didn’t you answer my text?”

Harry said, “Oh, hi Elmer. How are you? I’ve been on a media fast for a week. I haven’t been doing texts this past week. It’s been hard but now a sense of peace and calm has come into my life which is quite comfortable.”

“Media fast,” said Elmer. “How the heck is anyone supposed to get in touch with you?”

“They could call me,” said Harry.

“Nobody does that any more,”said Elmer. “This media fast business seems like a bunch of hooey to me.”

Roy Christian came down the aisle having heard the conversation and said to Harry and Elmer, “Fasting is a religious practice engaged in by many religions. Us Catholics have a number of fast days. Thank goodness we don’t have to abstain from meat on Fridays any more.”

Jennifer Golddigger came walking up and said, “Hey if my family didn’t eat meat on Fridays I could save $20.00 on my grocery bill and buy me some more lip gloss.”

Roy said, “The problem, Jennifer, is that with you it's always about money. We’re talking about spiritual well being here.”

“Roy,” said Jennifer, “you just don’t want people to be happy so you tell them to sacrifice things to get to heaven faster and not spend so much time in purgatory.”

Ted Marketer walked up and the aisle was getting pretty crowded and said, “That’s a tough sell trying to get people to give things up. If you’re going to sell that you better have plenty of incentives and rewards.”

“How about greater inner peace,” said Harry?

“Interesting idea,” said Ted. “What image comes to mind?”

“None for me,” said Elmer, “but I’ll bet Barb Golden could come up with one.”

Barb who was in the next aisle over hollered over the top of the shelf, “I heard that! How about a sleeping baby all innocent and peaceful.”

Ted said, “Yeah, that’s great. I could work with that.”

Jacob who was in Barb’s aisle said, “I’ve not been sleeping well lately. You think I should turn off my screens?”

Harry walked over to the next aisle with Barb and Jacob and said, “Great idea, Jake. It’s helped me sleep better and have more relaxed, peaceful days. Sometimes you have to give something up to get something. Some people call it purification, and the Buddhists call it detachment.”

“I love you Harry,” said Barb laughing.

“Not here, Barb,” said Harry laughing as well. Jacob looked embarrassed and said nothing.

And that’s the way its been this month in Hilton, NY where Harry is on a media fast, Elmer is frustrated that people don’t respond to his texts, Jennifer wants meatless Fridays so she can use the grocery savings for cosmetics, Ted is trying to figure out how to sell peace and quiet, Barb wants to sleep like a baby, Jacob is thinking about giving up his screens before bed time, and Barb and Harry have a mutual understanding which has enhanced their rapport and friendship.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson #18 - I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.

Lesson # 18

I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.

Our thoughts are social constructions. Language is a tool which enables us to name things, describe the context for those things, create a storied history of our experience and relationship with those things, and these activities, usually unconsciously engaged in, is a social not an individual activity.

No person is an island. The American idea of rugged individualism is a big lie. There is no such thing. We are all joined in a social fabric and the idea that we are separate individuals is a trick of the ego which creates hell on earth.

Unitarian Universalists know this because when they covenant together to affirm and promote the respect for the interdependent web of all existence they acknowledge this spiritual fact that we are not alone in experiencing the effects of our seeing.

Good news for 08/19/20 - 100 years since women gained the vote in the United States.

The 19th Amendment was passed 100 years ago yesterday on August 18, 1920 100 years ago.

It is hard to believe that women have only had the right to vote in the United States for 100 years. My mother was born in 1920 and my father in 1918. I knew, loved, and was loved by both my grandmothers who did not have the right to vote when my parents were born.

I have been so happy that my mother could vote, my wife could vote, my 6 daughters can vote, 2 of my granddaughters can vote, and 6 more of my granddaughters will be able to vote when they come of age.

I live in the Rochester, NY area the home of Susan B. Anthony and many of the other women in the Finger Lakes region who held the Women's convention in 1848.

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person, justice, equity, and compassion in human relations and the right of conscience and the use of democratic processes in our congregations and in society at large.

This year on November 3, 2020, we will have an opportunity to vote for the first female vice-president who will then be first in line to become the first female president of the United States.

We have come a long way in 100 years and we are a much better society for it.