By Gonny 
Let’s begin with a scene you might recognize.
You find yourself in a different neighborhood, not your usual route. The people here seem simpler, the shops less polished, the energy unfamiliar. Workers, children, mothers in conversation, older men sitting on benches, and you feel secretly glad that you’re still way too fit for that.
You walk into a small shop and pick up a few things, as you step outside,
one of the older men calls out cheerfully:
“Got everything, grandpa?”
Boom.
In one second, the inner glow collapses.
“Grandpa?! Me?!”
The ego cracks like thin ice. Not because of what was said, but because something inside was clinging to a special self-image…young, different, a subtle voice inside that whispers: ‘I don’t belong here.’
You’re not judging anyone, not really.
But somehow, you feel different.
And under that difference… is a feeling of being special.
That’s where the ego quietly smiles.
According to A Course in Miracles, specialness isn’t just a cute personal quirk or healthy self-esteem. It’s the polished tool of the ego, the master illusionist, whose one job is to separate you from others and, ultimately, from Love.
Specialness is always about comparison.
“I’m better than this.”
“I’m worse than that.”
“I’m not like them.”
“I’m different.”
It can dress up as pride, as humility, as victimhood, or even as spiritual insight.
It loves to whisper: “No one understands what you’re going through.”
Or: “You’re way ahead of the rest.”
And suddenly, you are no longer joined.
You’ve stepped outside the circle of unity, not because they pushed you out, but because the ego offered you a throne.
So what does the Course say?
“Specialness is the idea of sin made real. It is the means by which the Holy Spirit would undo all guilt.”
It’s a strong statement. Specialness is not just “not helpful”, it’s the root of guilt and suffering. It’s how we forget who we are.
In truth, there are no favorites in God’s eyes. No VIP access, no chosen few.
Only perfect, eternal equality in Love.
Back to the shop.
What if, instead of holding onto the thought “I don’t belong,” you chose a different voice?
The Voice that says:
“These are my brothers. Not in form, not in language, but in essence. I don’t need to be special here. I only need to be kind.”
And just like that, the heart softens.
You smile at the woman behind the counter.
You thank the man who greeted you.
And you walk back home….not just with your groceries, but with a miracle in your heart.
In every moment when you feel “different,” ask:
“Am I trying to be special, or am I willing to be One?”
The ego may mumble something sarcastic in the background, let it.
You’ve made a higher choice. Not to be better or worse. But simply to be… together.
And in that, you are free.
With love and light,
G.