This course emphasizes that altruism does not work. Any attempt to sacrifice myself sacrifices every one's happiness. When one person is hurt everyone is hurt because we are all in this together. Only by pursuing my own enlightened self-interest do I enhance every one's highest interest.
In like manner, since we are all in this together, by finding ways to serve others I serve myself greatly. Even while my ego would counsel me to separation and damaging forms of selfishness, my spirit always counsels me to serve others, and provides guidance as to what does and does not serve every one's highest happiness.
Service doesn't have to look like what the world thinks of as service. I learn in this course that the world's way of looking at things is more often than not 180 degrees backwards. For example, A little old lady radiating total peace while rocking in her rocking chair on her front porch in Wisconsin is bringing infinitely more peace to everyone in the world than antiwar protesters at war with their counterparts in the Pentagon.
My heart and soul will guide me perfectly. Yes, I might be guided to serve meals at a homeless shelter or volunteer in some way the world would think of as service. On the other hand, I might be guided to sit in meditation in the mountains. I might be guided to seclude myself and work on my new invention. I might be guided to urge everyone in the world to read Ayn Rand's anti-altruism novel "Atlas Shrugged." There is no way for me to intellectually figure out how I can best serve. I just have to listen inside and hear what is right for me.
The truth is when I am following the instruction of my inner spiritual guidance, my heart and soul, I am serving everyone. But even with great loyalty to spiritual guidance I don't always see how I am serving. Could Thomas Edison serving himself even begin to imagine giant cities aglow 100 years into the future when he invented the incandescent light bulb? Could the inventor of the alphabet have imagined...?
My goal this week is to dedicate myself as never before to being in the service and to feel how it "lights me up" to know I am serving.
Upon awakening each day I will pronounce a statement which reminds even the depths of my ego mind why I am really on earth:
"I live for no other reason than to serve my inner light."
Saying this aloud until I feel the truth of it, I then follow it with sincere asking:
"Today let me be shown how I can best serve."
Each night I feel incredible joy and aliveness knowing that John Galt's vow: "I pledge by my life and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine." is recognition that pursuing my own highest good serves everyone.
Also available free of charge online:
Course in Political Miracles
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