I came to the sentence, "The Atonement is a total commitment" in Chapter 2, section II, p7, 7.
This reminds me of how Jennifer Hadley says, "You can't be a little pregnant." :) I have thought of the example of vegans, vegetarians, zero wasters, and others who declare a life choice based on their values and preferences. Vegans could take a day off and have a cheeseburger. Most likely, their bodies would have an adverse reaction, and they may also feel guilty. I am not suggesting vegans shouldn't eat a cheeseburger, simply pointing out that once you make a commitment to yourself, breaking it has consequences. All consequences can be forgiven, of course, yet we are looking at the idea: Peace is an 'all in' lifestyle.
Those of us who say we want peace must know that peace is achieved by following a certain set of guidelines. Attack is no longer an option. Victimhood is no longer an option. Separation thinking is no longer an option. Suffering is no longer an option.
I had a question in a recent workshop, "How can you choose to be peaceful all the time? It's so hard." My response was, "How do you feel when you attack your loved ones?" She said something like, "crappy." Well, there is the consequence. What helps you choose peace consistently, is the freedom and joy that it opens up. You learn to follow the feeling.
The ego would have us think we are "sacrificing" or "giving up" a freedom, or a temptation to attack. Just like a vegan may go through the fear thought that "I can never have cheese again. Like real cheese."
Yet, the reward for eating clean is equal to the effort: clear skin, clear mind, energy, and so on. The reward for choosing the atonement is peace. Atonement, as I have learned, can be seen as at-one-ment. One with each other. One with the world. When we are one with the world and all experiences, people, situations, when we choose to attack, we attack ourselves. When we argue, we argue with what WE designed.
It's like the Robins (birds) that were bashing into my windows last week. Apparently, during a particular time of year, they are territorial and irritable. When they see their reflection in the window, they attack it. And I mean, they keep freakin' doing it! What a nice alarm clock, a bird bashing itself against the window behind our bed at 5:28am :). It's a nice reminder though, that when we attack someone, we are bashing up against our own mirror; we are fighting with ourselves.
The ego will mostly likely express it's resistance to seeing everything as ours. Historical tragedies, horrific crimes, and behaviors that seem outside of our capabilities. The ego would love to find exceptions, holes and traps so that it can continue to tempt us into attack, victimhood, separation and suffering. Just like for some, being on a diet, only increases the temptation for what we are not supposed to eat.
For me, if I want peace, I must first align with the ONENESS, choosing a 100% responsibility mentality, just like 0% waste, or 0% animal product consumption. Once you are on the path, you can experiment with exceptions and see what happens. If a vegan decides to eat fish, they can try it and see how it feels. It's not about deprivation. It's about the awareness that what we choose creates a vibration, a feeling. If we truly want peace, we must learn the choices, thoughts, and behaviors that secure and perpetuate peace.
The commitment becomes a joy because the reward is everything we ever truly wanted!
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