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The Course begins by saying, “Nothing real can be threatened” and “nothing unreal exists.” Well, when you feel threatened, it does feel to you as though something exists that can be threatened, and to say that that doesn’t exist doesn’t make sense. And yet it’s the only way out of the illusion.
Now, when you find yourself feeling like a hostage, even when you can point at the one who is holding you hostage, or the situation or the political system that is holding you hostage, you must realize that you’ve been distracted to something “out there” being the cause of your incarceration—of your being jailed and held until some benefit can be obtained before you can be released.
The one thing that’s been forgotten is, that you’re not paying attention to the role or the part you’re playing, because anyone who’s holding you hostage is one you’ve given permission to hold you hostage. You’ve said that their attack on you, their threats against you, their intent to prove you invalid and to cause you harm has a chance of working, when what they’re saying are lies.
Why . . . why are you doing that? It doesn’t matter what they’re doing. Why are you agreeing with them? Why are you telling yourself that you must be afraid? Well, I’ll tell you, you’re listening to your ego, you’re being host to your ego, which is making you hostage to it and to your fear . . . and you’re forgetting to be host to God.
It’s really that simple . . . it really is that simple.
ACIM Study Group — October 15th, 2013