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If the world and everything is an illusion why bother? A genuine question for teachers of the ACIM

So what I gather is that what we live is an illusion if all we live is an illusion why bother or what is the Course.. that is seperate from the illusion?

after reading a bit I encountered a nhalistic attitude that creeps up with the underlaying theme " why bother" if its an illusion why bother running my businesses why bother picking up the phone why bother composing is the course in miracles objective to remove the puposefullness and passion of living? this is a genuine question. If it is all an illusion why are we here in the 1st place. Thanks for your feedback have a great weekend my friends. thanks for all sharings.

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Permalink Reply by Fernando Tiberti on July 22, 2012 at 5:06pm

You bother with your life because that is the classroom that you have chosen. Engaging in one's life is where the forgiveness lessons are, which are the means for leading us home.

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Permalink Reply by Patricia Erickson on July 24, 2012 at 10:32am

Dear David.....altho I wdn't have stated it exactly as "why bother"...I am passing thru some "dulldrums" myself. After studying the Course on and off for 25 yrs...the last few months have seemed very important to my "progress". Only recently did I get it about turning whatever is reactive..annoying..infuriating..irritating etc over to the Holy Spirit...just stepping back and letting him take it....as soon as I started doing that..a lot of my furies started calming down. Which is good of course. But those ego energies can also be the fuel of one's life..life on this plane shall we say.

I can't quite explain it but suddenly I'm not feeling like making any plans. I'm not worrying. But it doesn't feel exactly good either. As you said..the passion seems gone. I used to keep lists of what I hoped to realize in the next months or year...it was exciting to watch for signs of those things happening...tweaking the desires etc....now maybe it is as you say "why bother"

I'm feeling kind of tired today...blah..depressed. But the Course has brought me this far and I'm going to continue to trust it..in fact I'm going to give THIS to the Holy Spirit and see what happens.

Let's be in touch....Bless and Be Blessed...pme

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Permalink Reply by Patricia Erickson on July 25, 2012 at 8:28am

It doesn't look as tho this Forum is very well read but I want to add from yesterday that I was lucky enough to get out of the "funk" in which I found myself. Altho it contained no actively vibrant negative reactions...I did as I said...I gave the "mood" over to the Holy Spirit for healing.

A question that had arisen in my mind after reading Fernando's post was...if we've lost passion...interest...ambition...how do we even get to the "classroom" that he mentions. And I definitely agree that all that goes on in our lives is that classroom.

Anyway...nothing much happened...no illumination struck but I was going around doing ordinary little things that have to be done and my brother in law crossed my mind....he had unexpectantly suffered a stroke a few months ago and I found myself blessing his health....or rather asking the Holy Spirit to bless his health (Bless..for me..means..to "bring forth good")

And then I wondered why I didn't put everything that has been on previous lists of mine into the hands of the Holy Spirit and just see what he presents me with since I myself felt no energy to move myself forward. I feel pretty sure that that will get me back in the "classroom" quick.

My list includes:

Successful completion of 6th grade for my child.

Joy.

Abundant good health.

Love.

Wildly Abundant financial resources.

Acceptance

My house and lot next door to be full of music...edible landscape...sustainable living....spirit based community and.recognition of spirit in all things.

Blessing.

Exactly the right energy..chemistry..ideas and people to move forward on these fronts.

Gratitude.

Travel in 2013 for my child and myself.

And once again..gratitude.

In Chapter 30 of the Course text..it talks about the Rules for Decision......creating with the Holy Spirit and then remembering that "Today I will make no decisions by myself".

David....the space that you provided here...helped me clear my head and get back on track.

Thank you....pme.

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Permalink Reply by Joe Wolfe on July 27, 2012 at 12:12am

The idea that the "world" we percive through five very limited sences is an illusion is not new by any means. Thousands of years ago the Hindu called it myah..the Budhists used a simlar term two thousand years before Jesus. Today, with the most recent message from Jesus given in A Course in Miracles, reminds us once again of the very same Truth.We're the lucky ones. Back then if you opposed the ruling order of times with 'heritical' ideology you were either burned at the stake or crucified.

Why bother? Well, to begin with, if you believe in a higher power, a God, then it stands to reason that everything you think you know about Him has thus far been filtered and interpreted through the properties of those five very limited sences. So all of that cannot be true.

But if something burns inside of you...a desire to know and experience, that 'something' which is beyond all worldly physics...something greater than what the body's eyes can see....then we've been given the means to access it. Forgiveness. Genuine Forgiveness forgives ourselves for having been hoodwinked into beliveing that we're something we're not. We validate the body, adorn it, cherish its meager offerings of temporary gratification. We justify grievance, build walls and borders, defend and attack, all in the name of that which doesn't even exist except in mistaken projection.

Why bother?

:-)

~~~~~~~~~

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Permalink Reply by Peter Infante on July 27, 2012 at 8:14am

When I catch this thought I always try to remember that I am currently living Gods Will! That in itself makes me remember that it is mine also! I ask the Holy Spirit for help with the Correction/Atonement! This happens mostly when I think I have a " better" place to be than what God has planned for me. So I try to look at where I am and make that moment my entire focus, as I want to "do a good job" in the moment presented me!