So then, how to tell the difference between the true and the false, the real and the unreal? Whatever has a beginning and an end is false. All else is true. From A Course in Miracles: “Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists.”
A spontaneous act is unexpected, unpredicted, unrehearsed, ungoverned, simple, direct, immediate, natural and now. The more we think, remember and plan, the less spontaneous we are. Jesus was making a point about spontaneity when he said we were to become again as little children.
A true apology by-passes the mind. It comes out unthought. “Oh, I’m sorry!” Just like that. An apology that’s been ruminated over, rehearsed, written down—here, obviously, we’re dealing with a defensive measure.
This instruction rewards close study: “Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists.”
Only the now is real. Past and future are one hundred percent mental.
Men's Work 