Lesson 55: Review:  “I am determined to see things differently.”  “What I see is a form of vengeance.”  “I can escape the world from giving up attack thoughts.”   “I do not perceive my own best interests.”  “I do not know what anything is for.”

It is common for people to feel that they wouldn’t be able to count the number of times that they have longed to escape the world’s insanity.

Because all have experienced emotional pain and physical pain that is intense, all people do get to a place of feeling helpless. 

The world and the ego seem like intimidating enemies against whom we can in no way with the war we believe we must win if we want to be at peace and relieve our suffering.  The world appears to be a formidable opponent.  We have no way to have faith in anything else than the options of the world to deal with the destruction we find there.  It seems way too much to master and subdue.

We then feel powerless because the world appears to be a powerful foe.

The Course says that we can be completely happy and take care of ourselves more than adequately simply by realizing our attack thoughts are the problem. 

Our inner experience is what matters. 

The world may be frightening to face in battle, but the truth is that this is all just a dream and has no reality beyond the reality we give it in our minds.

The Course says that we just need to be willing to pay attention to our thinking and feeling which comes from our thinking.

When we have attack thoughts, we live in the nightmare. 

All attack thoughts are a terrible way to live because they are all a rigid, hateful, angry energy that blocks us from the love of God.  This is why attack thoughts are never helpful.

Our task is to forgive our minds when we are filled with attack thoughts. 

We start with our own mind first whenever there is a problem, especially if it seems like it is outside of us in the world. 

The world is deceiving because it appears to be outside of us and then we feel disempowered to change our thinking because the world’s circumstance seems beyond our control.

The Course reminds us that when we look first at our own minds, then we invariably find out how our own attack thoughts are part of the problem.  

We always have them and we always contribute some to the dilemma as we see it.

The beauty is that we can play a very powerful role in changing the situation energetically and emotionally regardless of how it looks practically. 

We can change our thinking and allow our minds to be soft with the healing and light of God’s Love and energy to be a part of the solution in our minds.

We have the opportunity to be quite empowered with the action of simply choosing.   Our task is to keep focused on our vigilance to catch attack thoughts in whatever form they come.

This is the way to in the solution of the world’s problems, simply by making our own minds clear of attack. 

Then the world in form follows in time because this is the nature of the world’s making.