One of the most difficult lessons of the Spiritual path is the challenge that people face in dealing with relationships. It is in relationships that people often build the most amount of negative energy. The focus of this article is how to effectively deal with people and neighbors who are extremely run by the negative ego.

To begin this discussion, it must be understood that when life is looked at from the perspective of the Soul, everything is seen as a Spiritual lesson, challenge and Spiritual test. Every interaction is seen as an opportunity to respond from the Spiritual / Christ / Buddha Consciousness attitude rather than the negative ego / fear based / separative / dualistic / illusionary / selfish / lower self attitude. Every interaction is seen as an opportunity to respond from unconditional love rather than fear and attack. Every interaction is seen as an opportunity to choose oneness with God rather than separation from God. Every interaction is seen as an opportunity to choose forgiveness instead of holding grudges.

It must be understood that every person is one with God already, for in truth the negative ego / fear based / separative thought system doesn’t exist. It is illusion. Although every person is one with God, not everyone is one with God in terms of his or her realization of this Spiritual ideal. It is our thoughts that create our reality. Most people, not being trained in the difference between Spiritual / Christ / Buddha thinking and negative ego / fear based / separative thinking, live in a bad dream filled with negative feelings and emotions, thinking the cause is outside of themselves when, in truth, the cause of all negative thoughts, emotions and negative interaction is an unconscious choice to interpret the situation from the negative ego mind rather than the Spiritual / Christ / Buddha Mind. Does not the Bible say, “Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus”? Said another way, you can interpret every situation from your lower self or your Higher Self.

When you interpret your interactions with people from your Spiritual / Christ / Buddha Mind, each of our jobs Spiritually is to set a better example. Did not the Master Jesus say, “Love your enemies”?

So when you approach a person, neighbor, family member, stranger, or fellow worker on the job who is run by the negative ego, the first thing that God is teaching you is how not to be. You are also being taught to maintain and remain in your personal power. You are being taught by God to remain centered, and remain in your bubble of protection so other people’s negativity slides off like “water off a duck’s back.” You are also being taught forgiveness and unconditional love. You are being taught to respond instead of react. You are being taught to cause your own reality and to not let other people cause your emotions. You are being taught patience and tolerance. You are being taught to look at all things as teachings and lessons instead of bummers and problems. You are being taught even-mindedness and to maintain inner peace in all situations. You are being taught to maintain your self-love and love from God within self, and not to seek it outside of self. You are being taught to remain right with self and right with God even though someone around you is not. You are being taught to remain whole in your self and not seek wholeness outside of yourself. You are being taught to have preferences and not attachments. You are being taught to set a better example. You are being taught to let go of all attack thoughts and to be kind instead.

In some cases, you are being taught humility and to turn the other cheek. In some cases, you are being taught to remain silent and unaffected. You are being taught to transcend duality. By this, I mean that when truly centered in your God Self you remain the same when criticized or praised, in victory or defeat, in sickness or in health. In some cases you are being taught to speak up in a calm, rational, objective, loving manner rather than a reactive, overly emotional, angry, attacking manner. In the ideal you are being taught to love your enemy and to see the diamond underneath the mud, or the light behind the lampshade. You are being taught to see the Christ within the other person, even though they do not see it in themselves and are not seeing it in you. It must be understood that what you see in others is a mirror of your own consciousness, since your outer life is nothing more than a projection screen for your own thoughts. How you see your Brother and Sister is literally determining your oneness or lack of oneness with God. Your Brother and Sister are a Son and Daughter of God even if they are not acting like it. If you do not see this, it is you who have a lesson to learn in God’s eyes. Be more concerned about learning your lessons than about whether your neighbor or friend learns theirs.

You are also being taught to remain in the Spiritual / Christ / Buddha Consciousness at all times even when under attack. You are also being taught to stay out of your negative ego at all times. In truth, you are being taught to be a Spiritual Master. From God’s perspective, you should bless your negative Brother and Sister for giving you the opportunity to learn such wonderful lessons! Quite a different perspective than the negative ego’s, wouldn’t you say?

So, my friends, your negative ego neighbor or friend is teaching you God Realization. The proper attitude to all situations in life is to say, “Not my will, but Thine, Oh Lord. Thank you for the lesson.” As Sai Baba says, “Welcome adversity.” Everything that happens in life happens for a reason, and the reason is to teach you a Spiritual lesson you need to learn. There are no accidents. Some interactions are actually set up by your Higher Self to test you to see if you are ready for higher levels of initiation and Spiritual responsibility

.Anyone can be Spiritual when things are going well. The true test of your Spiritual Realization is if you can remain in your Spiritual / Christ / Buddha Consciousness when you are attacked. “So what that you gain the whole world but lose your own Soul,” as the Bible says.

My friends, every single moment of your life you are choosing God or your negative ego. What do you really want? Do you want power, fame and money at the expense of God? Do you want the permanent or the impermanent? Do you want liberation or endless rounds of rebirth? Do you want Heaven and true God Realization or the glamours of matter and worldly attachments?

If you find yourself choosing wrongly in a given moment, stop yourself, forgive yourself, and choose once again. Perfection is not: never making mistakes. Perfection is: not making conscious mistakes. When you become conscious that you have chosen negative ego, forgive yourself, forgive the other person, and attitudinally heal yourself by rechoosing the Christed attitude. It only takes 21 days to cement a new habit into the subconscious mind.

In conclusion: Bless your negative ego neighbor, family member, co-worker or friend who is run by the negative ego, for you need the blessing if you are to remain one with God. Let your mantra hence be, “I choose God and not negative ego in every interaction with a Brother and Sister.” In final conclusion, as the Master Jesus said in A Course In Miracles, “Be vigilant for God and His Kingdom.”

So let it be written. So let it be done.

by Dr Joshua David Stone