A Course In Miracles from My Perspective

May 9th 2014  Lesson 12

I am upset because I see a meaningless world.

The importance of today's 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.
  
What is meaningless is neither good nor bad, so a meaningless world should not upset you?  In fact, 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 the world.  It is this that is meaningless in truth.  Beneath the words you write upon the world, are written the Word of God, and when your worlds have been erased, you will see His.  That is the ultimate purpose of these exercises.

• Intention:  Three or four practice periods are recommended, with each lasting about a minute or so.  Whenever you experience a sense of strain, terminate the exercise. 
     
• Practice:  Today's exercises are to be done with the eyes open.  Look around you slowly.  Pace yourself so that the slow shifting of your glance from one thing to another involves a fairly constant time interval.  Do not linger on or hurry past anything, keep a measured, even tempo throughout.   
    
  As you look about you, repeat the following phrase, filling in the blank spaces with whatever descriptive terms, positive or negative, that happen to occur to you, like "good", "bad", "crazy", "satisfying", "fearful", "dangerous" etc.  All terms which cross your mind are suitable subjects for today's exercise.
      
  I think I see a _______ world,
  a ________ world, a _______ world, ... etc.

At the end of the practice period, add:

But I am upset because I see a meaningless world.

• Application:  Remember that 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.  Be sure not to spend more time on terms that you think are pleasant, as opposed to unpleasant; treat them equally.
    

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Insights/comments:

• The need for meaning in life is the bane of our existence.  And not just any old meaning, but the specific meaning we like.  The one that we feel comfortable with and which we think everyone else should agree with.  It polarizes us, engendering conflict and confusion because we cannot agree on a common meaning.  Would it make a different if we understood and accepted  the inherent meaninglessness of the world, like we understand and accept the inherent meaninglessness of the different colors of M&M chocolate candies?  No one cares if another likes only the blue M&M, because everyone gets to choose whatever color or combination of colors they like, and no one is upset by it.  It might lead to a happier more peaceful world.

I and my Creator are One.