After reading the ACIM lesson on forgiveness yesterday, a new understanding came to me in meditation. Picture a cruise ship sailing from Los Angeles to Hong Kong on a beautiful summer day. When out at sea the passengers partake of the many shipboard activities available. Some are relaxing in the sun, others swimming in the pool, others playing shuffleboard, others dining, or strolling on the deck. Every moment of every day, thousands of passengers may choose what they will do at that moment, and will change their activities throughout the cruise.

In addition to the passengers, the crew is also engaged in many different activities. Some are in positions of authority, some with no authority at all. All serve the purpose of the cruise in their own special way. No matter what their "job", each is important to the happiness of the passengers and the success of the cruise.

No matter what each person on that ship does, THEY ARE ALL GOING TO HONG KONG.

Can you imagine the absurdity of someone telling the passengers that, if they failed to play shuffleboard, they WOULD NOT GET TO HONG KONG? The ship IS going to Hong Kong, with ALL its passengers and crew. Whether or not someone reads a book or swims in the pool, they WILL get to Hong Kong.

Can you imagine the even further absurdity of someone telling the passengers that if they continue sitting in the sun they will somehow end up in Antarctica? That if they *FAILED* to dance properly at the evening party they would somehow end up in Alaska?

Would it not be just as absurd, equally insane, for ANY of the passengers or crew to JUDGE whether any of the others would arrive in Hong Kong based on the activities they chose at any given moment? Would that not be the height of insanity?

Yet isn't that what we do in this world? If we accept the premise that we are on our way to God, the finding of Truth, Love, that IS where we are going, just as the cruise ship is going to Hong Kong. How could we possibly judge, either ourselves or others, for actions or activities we undertake during our trip?

Forgiveness is the acceptance of the journey, the knowing that we WILL arrive at our destination, there IS no other place to go, and the knowing that all *others* are fellow passengers on our cruise.