A Course in Miracles – Manual for Teachers
4. What Are the Characteristics of God’s Teachers?
M-4.1. The surface traits of God’s teachers are not at all alike. 2 They do not look alike to the body’s eyes, they come from vastly different backgrounds, their experiences of the world vary greatly, and their superficial “personalities” are quite distinct. 3 Nor, at the beginning stages of their functioning as teachers of God, have they as yet acquired the deeper characteristics that will establish them as what they are. 4 God gives special gifts to His teachers, because they have a special role in His plan for Atonement. 5 Their specialness is, of course, only temporary; set in time as a means of leading out of time. 6 These special gifts, born in the holy relationship toward which the teaching-learning situation is geared, become characteristic of all teachers of God who have advanced in their own learning. 7 In this respect they are all alike.
M-4.2. All differences among the Sons of God are temporary. 2 Nevertheless, in time it can be said that the advanced teachers of God have the following characteristics:
I. Trust
M-4.I.1. This is the foundation on which their ability to fulfill their function rests. 2 Perception is the result of learning. 3 In fact, perception is learning, because cause and effect are never separated. 4 The teachers of God have trust in the world, because they have learned it is not governed by the laws the world made up. 5 It is governed by a power that is in them but not of them. 6 It is this power that keeps all things safe. 7 It is through this power that the teachers of God look on a forgiven world.
M-4.I.2. When this power has once been experienced, it is impossible to trust one’s own petty strength again. 2 Who would attempt to fly with the tiny wings of a sparrow when the mighty power of an eagle has been given him? 3 And who would place his faith in the shabby offerings of the ego when the gifts of God are laid before him? 4 What is it that induces them to make the shift?
A. Development of Trust
M-4.I.A.3. First, they must go through what might be called “a period of undoing.” 2 This need not be painful, but it usually is so experienced. 3 It seems as if things are being taken away, and it is rarely understood initially that their lack of value is merely being recognized. 4 How can lack of value be perceived unless the perceiver is in a position where he must see things in a different light? 5 He is not yet at a point at which he can make the shift entirely internally. 6 And so the plan will sometimes call for changes in what seem to be external circumstances. 7 These changes are always helpful. 8 When the teacher of God has learned that much, he goes on to the second stage.
M-4.I.A.4. Next, the teacher of God must go through “a period of sorting out.” 2 This is always somewhat difficult because, having learned that the changes in his life are always helpful, he must now decide all things on the basis of whether they increase the helpfulness or hamper it. 3 He will find that many, if not most of the things he valued before will merely hinder his ability to transfer what he has learned to new situations as they arise. 4 Because he has valued what is really valueless, he will not generalize the lesson for fear of loss and sacrifice. 5 It takes great learning to understand that all things, events, encounters and circumstances are helpful. 6 It is only to the extent to which they are helpful that any degree of reality should be accorded them in this world of illusion. 7 The word “value” can apply to nothing else.
M-4.I.A.5. The third stage through which the teacher of God must go can be called “a period of relinquishment.” 2 If this is interpreted as giving up the desirable, it will engender enormous conflict. 3 Few teachers of God escape this distress entirely. 4 There is, however, no point in sorting out the valuable from the valueless unless the next obvious step is taken. 5 Therefore, the period of overlap is apt to be one in which the teacher of God feels called upon to sacrifice his own best interests on behalf of truth. 6 He has not realized as yet how wholly impossible such a demand would be. 7 He can learn this only as he actually does give up the valueless. 8 Through this, he learns that where he anticipated grief, he finds a happy lightheartedness instead; where he thought something was asked of him, he finds a gift bestowed on him.
M-4.I.A.6. Now comes “a period of settling down.” 2 This is a quiet time, in which the teacher of God rests a while in reasonable peace. 3 Now he consolidates his learning. 4 Now he begins to see the transfer value of what he has learned. 5 Its potential is literally staggering, and the teacher of God is now at the point in his progress at which he sees in it his whole way out. 6 “Give up what you do not want, and keep what you do.” 7 How simple is the obvious! 8 And how easy to do! 9 The teacher of God needs this period of respite. 10 He has not yet come as far as he thinks. 11 Yet when he is ready to go on, he goes with mighty companions beside him. 12 Now he rests a while, and gathers them before going on. 13 He will not go on from here alone.
M-4.I.A.7. The next stage is indeed “a period of unsettling.” 2 Now must the teacher of God understand that he did not really know what was valuable and what was valueless. 3 All that he really learned so far was that he did not want the valueless, and that he did want the valuable. 4 Yet his own sorting out was meaningless in teaching him the difference. 5 The idea of sacrifice, so central to his own thought system, had made it impossible for him to judge. 6 He thought he learned willingness, but now he sees that he does not know what the willingness is for. 7 And now he must attain a state that may remain impossible to reach for a long, long time. 8 He must learn to lay all judgment aside, and ask only what he really wants in every circumstance. 9 Were not each step in this direction so heavily reinforced, it would be hard indeed!
M-4.I.A.8. And finally, there is “a period of achievement.” 2 It is here that learning is consolidated. 3 Now what was seen as merely shadows before become solid gains, to be counted on in all “emergencies” as well as tranquil times. 4 Indeed, the tranquility is their result; the outcome of honest learning, consistency of thought and full transfer. 5 This is the stage of real peace, for here is Heaven’s state fully reflected. 6 From here, the way to Heaven is open and easy. 7 In fact, it is here. 8 Who would “go” anywhere, if peace of mind is already complete? 9 And who would seek to change tranquility for something more desirable? 10 What could be more desirable than this?

How Policing Works in a Privatized City
Jeffrey Tucker
Wednesday, June 10, 2015

“All the common areas of Atlantic Station including the streets, sidewalks, parks, and alleys are private property.”
Thus reads one line buried in the Rules of Conduct for Atlantic Station, Atlanta, Georgia: a marvelous city within a city. But it’s this one line that makes the critical difference. It’s why this one-square mile in the heart of this great city has done more to model beauty, prosperity, diversity, and happy living than 50 years of “urban renewal” and other government programs.
The entire community was built on top of the old Atlanta Steel Mill, which opened in 1901 and closed in the 1970s, leaving desolation in its wake. Atlantic Station opened 10 years ago as a visionary entrepreneurial venture — the brainchild of The Jacoby Group, headed by Jim Jacoby — funded mostly with private money (the city helped with tax breaks and some infrastructure funding).
It is not a gated community walled off from the public for only the elite. There is no charge to get in. Everything is public access, and subject to all the laws governing commercial property. The difference between the public and private city, however, is huge.
You can tell when you have entered the space. Whereas many areas of Atlanta struggle, this area in the heart of the city is clean, bright, ebullient, bustling with enterprise and life.
On an evening recently, on the way to the movies in the spectacular theater there, I sat outside on the patio of a Mexican food restaurant and watched adults and children playing games and having fun on the green space that serves as a mini-park in the middle of this urban experiment in capitalism. There were people from all races, classes, and ages. They listened to the live band and sang along.
As I sat there, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the sense of a mini-utopia. It’s like an idealized scene you see in a commercial for soda or some happy vacation getaway. It was one of the most blissful city scenes I’ve ever witnessed.
It was a typical evening, and it was all taking place in a place that was, only twenty years ago, a burned out, low-rent disaster zone, the kind of place people flee. Now, the migration patterns have changed. Atlantic Station is a place where you want to live and work.
I was walking along and a uniformed police office greeted me good evening. I responded with delight, and we had a nice conversation. She wanted to know if I was enjoying the evening, made a few bar recommendations, we chatted about the weather, and I went on. She was uniformed, yes, and probably armed, but in a non-threatening way. She looked sharp and helpful, as well as official.
Then it struck me: the police in the community are privately employed by main stakeholders in the community, which are the merchants, apartment owners, and other service providers. (The streets are also private but public access.) For this reason, the police themselves have a deep investment in the well-being of the community and the general happiness of the consumers who shop there. They are employees of the free enterprise system. In particular, Atlantic Station owners contract with Chesley Brown for experienced service.
Sometimes in today’s overly-militarized environment, it is easy to forget: policing is a completely legitimate, useful, important profession. They are there to make sure that everyone is keeping the rules and to apprehend the vandals and criminals who break the rules. You might even call them the thin-blue line.
What makes the difference here is the private nature of the contract that employs them. Just as every other employee in this community, they have a direct stake in the value of the space. They are there to serve customers, just as every merchant in this community does.
The more valuable the community, the more valuable their own jobs. They have the incentive to do their job well, which means enhancing the experiences of rule keepers while driving out those who do not keep the rules.
The rules for Atlantic Station are rather strict, more so than I would have thought. There is a curfew for teens. You can’t wear gang-related or obscene clothing. You can’t carry weaponry. You can’t use indecent language. You can’t smoke. You can’t be boisterous. You can’t shout or be vulgar. You can jog, but you can’t just take off running through streets like an animal.
If rules like this were imposed by a city government, people would rightly complain about the violation of rights. So why aren’t these rules violations of rights? Because it is private property and the owners determine them.
More importantly, the point of the rules is not to control people and run their lives; it is to enhance the value of the community for everyone. They can be changed depending on circumstances. They can be imposed strictly or not. It all depends on what’s best for Atlantic Station, and, yes, what’s best for business.
But you know what’s interesting given all the rules? You don’t really feel them. They are not really posted anywhere. You just sense that they exist, and you feel a desire to behave well. The culture of cooperativeness and good behavior is ever present. And the rules have the effect of freeing you from annoying things, not restricting your behavior. It doesn’t feel like an imposition. It feels orderly. The rules are enforced but with gentleness and care.
The first time I entered Atlantic Station was about 18 months ago. I had some sense that something was different about the place, but I hadn’t understood that it was entirely private. I stepped out on the sidewalk and lit up a cigarette. One of these very nice private policeman came up and greeted me and politely asked me to put it out, on grounds that this was against the rules in this private community. I said, you mean by this building? He said, no, for the whole community.
I didn’t resent it. In fact, I was delighted to comply. I even thanked him for being so kind. There were no tickets, no yelling, no moments of intimidation. No one is taking your stuff, threatening to arrest you, or even giving you tickets. You have the right of exit. The rules themselves become part of a larger market for rules.
Another interesting feature is how Atlantic Station has marketed itself. It is not seen as an experiment in capitalist living. All the promotion uses all the usual lefty buzzwords about energy efficiency, sustainability, diversity, renewable this and that, certifications by various green groups, and so on. None of it matters in the slightest. This is about private property. Period. It’s ownership that realizes the ideals, whatever they are.
The lesson I derive from all of this is that institutions matter. You can have the same principles and laws in two places, one enforced publicly and one enforced privately. The code of conduct can be identical, but the results can be completely different.
Where monopolistic, tax-funded enforcement can be cruel, inflexible, and violent, the same enforcement brought about within the matrix of an exchange economy can yield results that are humane, orderly, and beautiful. The right to just walk away makes all the difference.
The implications for policing are perhaps the most interesting, given the current controversy over police abuse. When the police function is part of the market order, the phrase “to serve and protect” takes on substantive meaning. It’s this feature of public vs. private property that is decisive.
There must be many of these communities appearing around the country. Governments at all levels are out of ideas and out of money. When was the last time you heard of some hugely expensive urban renewal program, or massive public housing structure, that was to be built in a major city?
These visions are less and less part of our lives and our future, thankfully. With governments bowing out of the planning business, private enterprise is increasingly moving in with real efforts at restoring community.
Private enterprise is gradually bringing about what governments only promised to do, and it is happening without much fanfare. In fact, I’ve not seen a single headline story about this community, whereas there should be thousands that read something like “Private commerce saves Atlanta!”
Private property and inclusive commerce: it’s the magic sauce that makes life beautiful. Come to Atlantic Station and see for yourself.

Jeffrey Tucker
Jeffrey Tucker is Director of Content for the Foundation for Economic Education and CLO of the startup Liberty.me. Author of five books, and many thousands of articles, he speaks at FEE summer seminars and other events. His latest book is Bit by Bit: How P2P Is Freeing the World. Follow on Twitter and Like on Facebook. Email. Tweets by @jeffreyatucker
Currently Mr. Tucker is managing partner of Vellum Capital who consult extensively on matters related to Crypto and Block-chain related investments.
For more information: https://vellum.capital/