Lesson 12

I am upset because I see a meaningless world

The importance of this idea lies in the fact that it contains a correction for a major perceptual distortion. You think that what upsets you is a frightening world, or a sad world, or a violent world, or an insane world. All these attributes are given it by you. The world is meaningless in itself.

These exercises are done with eyes open. Look around you, this time quite slowly. Try to pace yourself so that the slow shifting of your glance from one thing to another involves a fairly constant time interval. Do not allow the time of the shift to become markedly longer or shorter, but try, instead , to keep a measured. even tempo throughout. What you see does not matter. You teach yourself this as you give whatever your glance rests on equal attention and equal time. This is a beginning step in learning to give them all equal value.

As you look about you, say to yourself:

I think I see a fearful world, a dangerous world, a hostile world,

a sad world, a wicked world, a crazy world.

And so on, using whatever descriptive terms happen to occur to you. If terms which seem positive rather than negative occur to you, include them. For example, you might think of “a good world,” or a “satisfying world.” If such terms occur to you, use them along with the rest. You may not yet understand why these “nice” adjectives belong in these exercises, but remember that a “good world,” implies a “bad” one, and a “satisfying world,” implies an “unsatisfying” one. All terms which cross your mind are suitable subjects for today’s exercises. Their seeming quality does not matter.

Be sure that you do not alter the time intervals between applying today’s idea to what you think is pleasant and what you think is unpleasant. For the purposes of these exercises, there is no difference between them. at the end of the practice period, add:

But I am upset because I see a meaningless world.

What is meaningless is neither good or bad. Why, then, should a meaningless world upset you? If you could accept the world as meaningless and let the truth be written upon it for you, it would make you indescribably happy. But because it is meaningless, you are impelled to write upon it what you would have it be. It is this you see in it. It this that is meaningless in truth. Beneath your words is written the Word of God. The truth upsets you now, but when your words have been erased, you will see His. That is the ultimate purpose of these exercises.

Three or four times is enough for practicing the idea for today. Nor should the practice periods exceed a minute. You may find even this too long. Terminate the exercises whenever you experience a sense of strain.

Personal Notes: I am upset because I see a meaningless world. Wow, I really had to read and reread this lesson today, to glean from it what Holy Spirit was trying to teach me. Before coming to my lesson today, I was questioning myself where this unsettled feeling inside me was coming from. I found the first sentence very encouraging that this idea contained a correction for a major perceptual distortion. When reading further I realized that in response to people complaining of current events I was replying “well it’s a crazy world we live in what do you expect” thinking I was avoiding engaging in negativity, when here I was doing exact opposite by labeling the world I see good or bad, when what is meaningless can be neither good or bad, so why be upset? Let my descriptive words be erased now and only God’s Word’s be heard. I pray for the eyes of Jesus to see, ears of Jesus to hear, the heart of Jesus to love, the voice of God coming from this mouth of mine, to be of One Mind and Spirit with my Heavenly Father in Christ Jesus for Oneness and Unity for All of us, Amen. Thank you for sharing with me. Walk in Love my friend.

God is Love

And

Love is God