A Course In Miracles from My Perspective

May 2nd, 2014  Lesson 5

I am never upset for the reason I think.

Today's idea, like the preceding one, can be used with any person, situation or event you think is causing you pain.

• Intention:  To recognize that we do not know the "sources" of upsetting thoughts, but whatever the source or the form in which they appear, they are all equally disturbing to our peace of mind, and for that reason, we will apply today's idea indiscriminately to all of them.
       
• Practice:  When using today's idea for a specific perceived cause of an upset in any form, use both the name of the form in which you see the upset, and the cause which you ascribe to it.  For example:
    
  I am not angry at ________for the reason I think.
  I am not afraid of ________for the reason I think.
  I am not worried about ________for the reason I think ... etc.
    
  In addition, for three or four times during the day and only for a minute or so, search your mind for "sources" and forms of upset that are disturbing to you and apply today's idea to them.  Avoid the temptation to give greater weight to some subjects than to others.  It might help to precede your mental search with the statement:  
  There are no small upsets.  They are all equally disturbing
  to my peace of mind.
    
     If you find yourself less willing to apply today's idea to some perceived sources of upset, than to others, think first of this:
    
  I cannot keep this form of upset and let the others go.  For the purposes of these exercises, then, I will regard them all as the same.
    
• Application: The upset may seem to be fear, worry, depression, anxiety, anger, hatred, jealousy or any number of forms, all of which will be perceived as different.  In truth, their form does not matter, and we will recognize this more and more as we apply today's idea to them separately.

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Insights/comments:

• We reason to ourselves that because the various upsets we experience express themselves in different forms--worry, anger, disappointment, etc--that they are inherently different, but this is not true because they all have the same underlying source, which is the false identity we have taken to be ourselves.  The correction for them all is the same, to become aware of our true identity as the holy children of God.
       

I and my Creator are One.