One of the prominent themes in A Course in Miracles (ACIM) is about others being your brother. In theory, this sounds really good but it can be difficult to put into practice. It is one thing to love your brother when they are being lovable; but it's quite another to love them when they're not. When you make a judgment they've done something wrong or harmed you in some way, you won't be willing to share love with them. The ego will judge them not worthy of love because they have caused you harm. This comes from the original separation and not being worthy of God's love. You cannot share with another what you think you do not have.

ACIM is clear: No error has occurred. No separation has happened. Because you visually see another body, you assume (judgment) that this person is different, and difference means separation to the ego mind. The illusion of a separate identity is thus made real. Specialness now exists freeing the ego to create a God who will "give" you the special love the other vengeful God denied during the sin of the original separation. Specialness also extends to your brothers whom the ego uses replace the love of the vengeful God.

What does it take to see another as your brother? Let's break down the components but be aware that even with these understandings, it is going to come down to your willingness to let go of judgment and doing the actual work of undoing the ego.

Special Relationships:

These special relationships replace the love of God. They can be love or hate relationships, but either way, they are based on the "wrong" or "right" mind of the ego. If you do one little thing an ego judges wrong, it goes from love to hate faster than the blink of an eye. To believe God would do this is to believe the lie of the ego that God is vengeful and He attacks. You would only attack others because you believe the same lie about yourself. These are judgments you must be willing to hand over for correction (forgiveness). Only the ego judges and attacks. You are not your ego.

Absolutely all relationships are special until you choose to make them Holy. You cannot see others as your brother if you are involved in judgment and projection. The darkness blinds you to their light as well as your own. Holy Relationships are used by the Holy Spirit for correction of the mind (forgiveness). This makes the choice to see another as a brother an experience which becomes real.

The only way any relationship becomes a Holy Relationship is, for at least one of you, to be practicing forgiveness. Seeing someone as a brother means doing this even if you are the only one in the relationship willing to relinquish judgment. What you do as cause will be your effect.

Specialness:

Another favorite employed by the ego to keep you from seeing another as your brother is to use your own specialness as a way to increase separation. So long as you see yourself as better, or different, you are considered special. God's special love will shine on you because you stand out by being unique.

Examples: Taller versus shorter. College degree(s) versus uneducated. Good looking versus ugly. Wealthy versus poor. Healthy versus sick.

The list goes on and on and remember that either side is a trick as both are still the ego mind. You can be unique because of your illness just as much as having your health. Remember, the ego's judgments are one or the other. It knows no other way.

ACIM clearly points out that you have to give up all judgments of others and everything in this world if you want to go home. As long as you judge yourself or others as being special, or even different, you won't see everyone else as being a brother. Specialness, by definition, is separation because it makes you unique. Only sameness and oneness exist in Heaven and your brothers are all the same. Judgment hides this from you.

Forgiveness and Guilt:

The Course also makes clear that what you see in another is a projection of your own guilt and therefore, what you need to forgive in yourself. Judgment of a brother keeps you from knowing yourself directly as it distracts you from using your decision maker capabilities for correction. The tirade of judgments is merely showing you what you think you are: A judgmental ego. Every time you judge, this is what you are saying you are. You deny your own truth.

It is really quite simple: Look at your judgments of a brother. Your

and theirs are hidden in judgment. You don't see what you keep hidden in judgment. Be willing to withdraw from projection and judgment and hand them over to the Holy Spirit for correction (forgiveness). That is doing the work and using the decision maker to choose the other side of the split mind.

Hand over all judgments until you receive correction (forgiveness) and you will find this to be true. You'll see another as a brother when judgment about them is gone. At that point, separation doesn't exist because they are seen as the same. Heaven is sameness and oneness.

We are all Brothers:

The decision maker is a neutral observer whose mechanism is based on action. The idea is not enough. You can talk all you want; but putting it into practice is the only thing that makes a difference. Choosing to let go of judgments of a brother, especially during the times you don't want to, is how you will come to see them as brothers.

The only true form of difference you can make is to change your perceptions of others back to True Perception. You must do this while in a body. Here's some criteria to keep in mind:

To judge a brother for not putting into practice spiritual principles means you should go back to the sections on forgiveness and guilt, and specialness. Start from there with your own judgments about them not doing what you think they should on their path. Hand the judgments over for correction (forgiveness) so you can be the full light of God that shows them the way. To judge them for not putting the ideas into practice is how you feel about yourself. Make sure you relinquished all judgment towards others.

To judge a brother and project blame, anger and attack means you should just start from that place. Withdraw from conscious attack and go back to the decision maker. If you want peace, be willing to hand those judgments over for correction. We're all in this together so where you start makes no difference. Anyone judging you is showing their reality just as you are showing yours when you judge. Work on turning over judgments from the level of mind where you find yourself. That's presence of mind.

No matter where you are, if you want to see others as your brother, it all begins with you making the decision to see the truth. Do it sometimes, and you see it sometimes. Do it always, and you see it in all ways. Right now, you believe in separation so you won't be able to see through the illusion of the ego's darkness until you take decision making action. Who you really are is not hurt by a brother; and you have not hurt them. Only the ego claims to be injured and pours salt on the wound. It's called guilt.

We all have the same wants, needs, problems and goals and our brothers walk beside us as heavenly companions in this world. See them as judgments and they will behave as such. See them as Holy, and you will see God reflected back at you. All that stands in your way is you handing over every judgment about a brother all the time