the relinquishment of attack

[happy soul]

ACIM says:

'I can escape from the world I see by giving up attack thoughts.'

Try removing the word 'thoughts':

'I can escape from the world I see by giving up attack.'

'Attack' is what keeps the lies intact. It's what prevents us from healing. It's what prevents us from awakening.

A choice is either an attack, or it is not. In that sense it's an 'absolute'.

Attack can be very subtle, it can take forms that are difficult to recognize.

Attack is the epitome of arrogance.

If a person could completely stop attacking, they would quickly become utterly humble, they'd quickly 'find out what love is', they'd quickly find great healing, they'd grow profoundly.

To attack another is to attack and damage YOURSELF. It's to separate yourself from Source. It's to give away your power. This isn't 'punishment' - it's 'what works', it's the 'highest good' for everyone.

When one attacks, they're being WEAK, not strong. Yet most people often equate love with weakness and attack with strength. ACIM says, 'What seems to be your strength is really your weakness, and what seems to be your weakness is your true strength.' It says that in the world things can be the OPPOSITE of what they seem.

To attack is in its nature hypocritical, because it's done in the guise of virtue and 'self-love'. The one attacking thinks they're justified. ACIM says, 'Attack is never justified.'

A spirituality in which the person is in the habit of attacking is a very superficial spirituality.

It's very unwise to attack, but it can be very tempting.

Many of the posts made on this website have been attacks.

[davidsun]

Originally Posted by happy soul

It's very unwise to attack, but it can be very tempting.

You sure you ain't 'attacking' 'attack' (by making such statements, of which I have only quoted one)?

Not saying that I disagree with everything you said, mind you.

Here some of what I think of as 'wisdom':

"To every thing there is a season, and a time [and place] to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."

No 'simple' solutions - a world of 'opposites' calls for sometimes 'accepting' 'embracing' etc. and sometimes 'rejecting', 'attacking', etc. IMO for Life being served, augmented, etc.

Knowing which to do and how best to do this in relation to any given 'issue' is wisdom - not that one ever has it all figured out (in relation to which 'point' is where your comments may bear fruit, I think, HS) - one can always get 'better' at playing the Life-serving, Life-augmenting 'game' (learning from one's mistakes, short-falls, etc.)

[happy soul]

Thanks Davidsun.

My view is that every choice is either born of love, or fear. It's ALWAYS wise to choose love, never fear.

To 'attack' (in the sense that I'm using the word) would always be considered unwise.

BUT, an act of LOVE may in some cases APPEAR to be an 'attack'. An example is to kill an violent intruder in your home.....but such a choice would (in most cases) in actuality be born of love, and therefore NOT an 'attack' (again, in the sense that I'm using the word).

So it may be a matter of semantics.

But I stand by my statement that it's always wise to choose love, and never wise to attack.

Nice connecting with you.

[davidsun]

Originally Posted by happy soul

But I stand by my statement that it's always wise to choose love, and never wise to attack.

to the way in which you mean it! Same as what I meant when I said "one can always get 'better' at playing the Life-serving, Life-augmenting 'game' (learning from one's mistakes, short-falls, etc.) - that is what I think 'love' (which is also often 'sematically' misused and misunderstood) actually means and entails, IMO.

Originally Posted by happy soul

Nice connecting with you.

Ditto, fellow-spirit.

[happy soul]

Originally Posted by davidsun

that is what I think 'love' (which is also often 'sematically' misused and misunderstood) actually means and entails, IMO.

And of course, love is much more than that also. I'm sure you agree.

I feel that there's no end to the growth in the apprehension of love we can find, at least while we're on earth.

We'll always stand room to more completely 'know what love is'.

[davidsun]

Originally Posted by happy soul

And of course, love is much more than that also. I'm sure you agree.

I feel that there's no end to the growth in the apprehension of love we can find, at least while we're on earth.

We'll always stand room to more completely 'know what love is'.

Yes, indeedy!

What I label as "Love-and-Joy" is the Essence of Life (or so I think ) - everything, i.e. everything 'in' The Flow of Life, is an ex-press-ion of IT. THAT Entity will continue to 'grow', i.e, 'unfold', in every possible way, i.e. in-finite-ly.

There is no (possible!) 'end' to THAT!

Vive la LOVE-and-JOY Life!

Woohoo!

[Dan_SF]

Originally Posted by happy soul

ACIM says:
ACIM says, 'What seems to be your strength is really your weakness, and what seems to be your weakness is your true strength.' It says that in the world things can be the OPPOSITE of what they seem.

There was/is an video on youtube, in which some spiritual teacher was interviewed, and he demonstrated, that the quoted principle is true, to the Reporter.

What he did is: he asked the reporter stretch his arm, and he tried to push it down, and he could not do it (or at least not without great effort)

Then he asked the reported to think hateful/Negative thoughts, and he could easily push his arm down, too easy !

Then again, he asked him to think loving/positive thoughts, and the arm stayed where it was.

This is a nice demonstration, and everyone can do a self test.
Whatever you are doing, if you do it while having negative thoughts, you will be more like to attack than to come with some creative solutions.
And not to attack while having negative thoughts needs great discipline.

While, having loving/positive thoughts, in the same situation, would bring you some satisfying solutions. Or you would simply remove yourself from the situation, if it is inappropriate, not even caring what the other person is thinking.

[happy soul]

Dan, interesting demonstration. Something similar is that I've noticed that when I'm feeling negative, I don't feel as mentally strong. The example I'm thinking of is that I hardly have the strength (when I'm upset) even to brush my teeth (I do it anyway but it's a major hassle). And when I'm feeling positive it's much easier.

Davidsun,

What you said is the view taught by Aristotle. He saw reality in terms of BECOMING - an eternal process of evolution.

Plato thought of reality as a matter of changeless, absolute BEING. As an already-established, eternal fact.

I'm not sure what the view of Advaita Vedanta is on this matter. Does anyone reading this know?

[Baile]

Your first post is full of absolutes. I'm going to suggest that absolutes lead to static ideas and empty tenets. Religion has this problem, and one can see this same one-sided thought-approach invading spiritual New Age thought.

"To attack another is to attack and damage YOURSELF."

I could just as correctly point out that in "real" life -- as opposed to the spiritual-ideal version we theorize about -- situations do come up where it is proper to strongly challenge and urgently push back. And yes, one could even go so far as to say "attack".

It's a fill-in-the-blank axiom; plenty of spiritual righteousness but little actual conversational content. The fact is one could easily say the same about any subject: To do (any unloving deed) to another, is to do (the same) to YOURSELF. That's obvious with anything and everything, so what's left to discuss?

Your last sentence seems to be the actual impetus for this whole thread. If you have a specific concern about people attacking others, in this or other forums, write about that. And from a to-the-point human-concern perspective, as in, "Why do people online attack instead of politely discuss?" That would be my advice anyway.

The answer BTW is because it's online and anonymous, and so it's easy to get away with it. Unlike in face-to-face "real" life where they'd risk a punch in the nose. ;) Much more of a practical human-nature question than a spiritual one, is my point.

[Nature Grows]

This is a good example of why some call the new age the new cage, because of false teachings like this, telling people they are wrong for defending themselves or others is not wise or smart, even if you did not mean it like that, some would take what you said as that and may even act accordingly.. be loving no matter what, lay down an stay down, everything is you anyway so what does it matter? It's an out of balanced teaching.