See Sameness = Awesome Life. See Differences = Sucky Life. - ACIM

ACIM - reading in the Song of Prayer. Chapter 3, Verse 5

Reading and Interpretation of "Song of Prayer" Verse 5: The group returned to their reading, starting with Song of Prayer, Chapter 3, Verse 5. Jevon Perra interpreted the text through the analogy of life as an "open hand," where pain and suffering arise from gripping too tightly to things they love or fighting things they dislike. Freedom comes from being willing to accept or lose everything, which releases internal fighting against the world.

Prayer for Goals and the Cost of Enemies: Soo Kim read a passage stating that prayers for external gifts like things, status, or human love are requests that set up "jailers" and hide guilt, distorting the purpose of prayer. These lesser goals are lost in the quest for God and turn prayer into requests for enemies, with the crucial point that "All other goals are at the cost of God". Jevon Perra explained that their own prayer or judgment creates the enemies in their life, such as an inconsiderate mother or an idiot driver, highlighting how they trade "heaven for some silly thing" like being mad in traffic over a small distance.

Serving One Master and Expansive vs. Contracted States: Soo Kim connected the idea of trading goals for God to the biblical concept that "you can only serve one master," as they are polar opposites. The group concluded that this is because the two paths are incompatible: one leads to an expansive energetic state and the other to a contracted state. Brian Genovese interjected, asking if the *Course of Miracles* principle involves using the Holy Spirit as the instrument of guidance.

The Holy Spirit and Blaming God for Suffering: Jevon Perra affirmed that the Holy Spirit is the voice of God and the only true source of guidance in the dream of life. Brian Genovese questioned whether negative impulses, such as road rage, should be checked against the Holy Spirit. The speakers discussed the common tendency to blame God for bad things, noting that, in the context of the course, suffering is a "fantasy perception" based on the belief in bodies that can die and lose things.

The Value of Suffering and Comparison in Perception: Jevon Perra argued that many painful experiences, like horror movies or intense drama, are enjoyed when framed in the "right context," but disliked when they violate a personal preference. The conversation related this to the *Truman Show*, where a character orchestrates their life only to reject it. Soo Kim affirmed that comparison is necessary for the human brain to define what it likes, establishing a "baseline".

Suffering and Baseline Adjustment: The group agreed that difficulty and suffering can be valuable for creating a new baseline, allowing people to appreciate a simpler life. The discussion moved to the idea that the brain requires contrast, like the experiment where kittens failed to develop the ability to see certain patterns without prior exposure. Similarly, Aboriginal people raised in the jungle could not assimilate the sight of the ocean and ships because they had no "far away things" in their experience.

Life as an Adventurous Dream: Jevon Perra presented an analogy of life as an adventurous dream chosen by the dreamer, where they eventually opt to experience even things like being "the loser" or "a failure" for the sake of adventure, which suggests that there is "no enemy" and that everything is "from God".

Praying with Others and the Release of Differences: Soo Kim read the next passage, "Praying with others," stating that joining in prayer becomes possible once the need to see the other as an enemy is questioned. The barrier to shared goals is "difference," while the vision of Christ relies on "similarities". Jevon Perra observed that humans are "difference machines," obsessed with tiny variations, which leads to judgment, whereas focusing on sameness can lead to finding friends and common ground.

The Role of Separateness and Evolution in Thinking: Jevon Perra suggested that the base ingredient for suffering is thinking oneself as separate, and suffering is proportional to how tightly one holds onto the belief in their separateness. They contrasted the traditional mindset of working 40 years for retirement with the contemporary thinking of younger generations, who expect abundance now, suggesting this is a beneficial "evolution in thinking".

The True Aim of Prayer: Cause and Forgiveness: Soo Kim read a final passage, which emphasized that those who pray together should ask "what is the will of God," because praying for specifics or effects without the proper cause is insufficient. Jevon Perra interpreted the text to mean that the "cause" for happiness is not the desired "effect" (the list of things to be happy), but rather "forgiveness," which is the release of judgment that can happen immediately.

Releasing the Present from Past Illusions: The final passage read by Soo Kim stated that praying for specifics is asking to repeat the past, but the aim of prayer is to "release the present from its chains of past illusions" and to accept the newborn chance to free oneself from all constraints. Jevon Perra affirmed this as a profound conclusion.

The Transitory Nature of Earthly Desires: Soo Kim and Jevon Perra discussed that everything time-bound eventually crumbles into dust, suggesting that external solutions derived from earthly desires will not ultimately fulfill them. Jevon Perra used the example of their two young sons, Charlie and Oliver, noting that Charlie only wants whatever Oliver possesses, demonstrating a comparison-based desire that changes constantly.

The Illusion of Happiness Through Comparison: Jevon Perra explained that this external comparison model is applied to adult life, where people seek happiness based on what they observed in the past or in others. They cited social media as an example, where posted pictures of apparent happiness often conceal intense effort, conflict, and pleading used just to capture the image. This external viewing leads others to wish for the "happy life" they see, even if the person in the picture is simultaneously wishing for a different life.