Kenneth Wapnick, in his book A Talk Given on a Course in Miracles, mentions another cycle that emerges from the ego game. I am referring to the cycle of defense and attack. Imagine that you were very hurtful to someone. That made you feel guilty, but since you don’t want to accept it, you take it into your unconscious and convince yourself that you did it because of something terrible that person did. In other words, you blame him. Since you were hurtful, you think that person will attack you in some way.
Consequently, you become defensive and attack him in the way you speak to him. The person, then, feels attacked, and to defend himself, he attacks you. This creates the cycle of defense and attack.
This cycle is so in this world we live in, the world of the ego, from interpersonal relationships to relationships between countries. That is why there are so many wars and so much violence.
Unfortunately, as long as people think that “the other” did or will do something to them, this cycle of defense and attack will continue. Nobody does anything to you. Your reaction comes from your interpretation of what you see outside of yourself. That is why there can be as many interpretations of a situation as there are people observing it.
Everything arises from your mind, from your perceptions acquired from your childhood, most of which are hidden in your unconscious. For those who, like me, believe in reincarnation, you already came with those perceptions to heal them in order to raise your consciousness.
If you see something outside of you that bothers you, ask yourself: In what form does what I am seeing outside of me reflect something I don’t want to see about myself?
Ask your Holy Spirit for guidance to help you see them. Notice that in the perfect moment for you, when you are ready to see it differently, the answer will come to you.