Course in Political Miracles: Lesson 31

"I emphasize areas of likely agreement."

This week's lesson is another practical political lesson.

Nine people out of ten will say they favor political liberty but if you question them further they adamantly argue that some form of government control or intervention in people's lives is beneficial.

Conservative-leaning people will rally to my cause if I emphasize generalities like freedom, liberty, limited government, and free markets. But I will thoroughly alienate some of these same conservatives if I mention specifics such as the possibility of a free market in some object they consider to be highly dangerous.

Liberal-leaning people will rally to my cause if I emphasize generalities such as freedom, liberty, free speech, and basic human rights. But some of these same liberals will scream bloody murder if I mention that an employer has a basic right to hire and fire who he chooses for any reason he chooses.

Most people are willing to live with such contradictions and I need to learn to gain their support irrespective of their current mind-set, knowing that someday they will decide to clear their minds of contradictions.

Gaining the political support of a large number of people means learning to stay quiet concerning issues many would disagree about while heavily emphasizing positions most people would agree with.

This week I want to train my mind to always emphasize areas of agreement. I want to reinforce the habit of not getting into areas of discussion where disagreement is likely to occur.

To this end, when I waken each day I will take a few minutes for visualization and picture myself repeatedly emphasizing points where agreement is likely, and gently avoiding any topic which is likely to be an area of disagreement.

I visualize myself being tempted to go into topics which are dear to me, but heatedly controversial ... and not yielding to the temptation.

With each visualization, I repeat to myself words which relate to this week's lesson, such as:

"I emphasize points of likely agreement only. I steer clear of areas where there is great danger of disagreement."

I already do this in many areas of my life. I sometimes call it, "Getting along with others." It's the old principle embodied in, "We get along fine! We just don't talk about politics or religion."

As a freedom facilitator, I have no choice but to talk about politics. Yet I don't have to talk about areas of politics where people are likely to react with violent disagreement. If there is an attempt to pin me down on controversial specifics, my cause is better served if I laugh and say something like, "Now that's an area I have no interest in getting into."

During the day each hour I take a few moments for visualizing myself operating in a way that serves my cause and repeating to myself some variant of the words of this week's lesson such as:

"My focus is on areas of likely agreement."

"Nothing can sidetrack me from staying on areas of likely agreement."

"I'm riding home on areas of likely agreement."

As I retire for the day, I rejoice that I am mastering this principle of gaining my goals by staying with areas of agreement. I might say to myself something like:

"When I know what I am doing, even politics is fun."







The device which even more deeply prepares freedom lovers for success, A Course in Miracles , talks about our ultimate need to free ourselves from every kind of slavery:

You have been told to bring the darkness to the light, and guilt to holiness. And you have also been told that error must be corrected at its source. Therefore, it is the tiny part of your self, the little thought that seems split off and separate, that the Holy Spirit needs. The rest is fully in God's keeping, and needs no guide. But this wild and delusional thought needs help, because, in its delusions, it thinks it is the Son of God, whole and omnipotent, sole ruler of the kingdom it set apart to tyrannize by madness into obedience and slavery.




Also available free of charge online:
Course in Relationship Miracles