I am upset because I see something that is not there.
1. The exercises you will do with this idea are very similar to the previous ones.
²In this exercise as well, it is necessary to name very specifically both the form the disturbance takes—anger, fear, worry, depression, and so on—and the cause you believe is responsible for it.
³For example:
⁴I am angry with ____ because I see what is not there.I
⁵I am worried about ____ because I see what is not there.
2. You can apply today’s idea to anything that seems to upset you, and it can be used helpfully throughout the day for that purpose.
²However, the three or four practice periods required today should be preceded by about one minute of mind searching, as in the previous exercises, and then apply the idea to each disturbing thought you uncover in the search.
3. Again, if you find yourself resisting the idea when it comes to certain thoughts that seem to disturb you more than others, remind yourself of the two cautions from the previous lesson:
²There are no small upsets.
³They all equally disturb my peace of mind.
And then say:
⁴I cannot keep this form of upset and let go of the others.
⁵For the purpose of this exercise, I will regard them all as the same.
I What upsets you is not out there; it is in your mind. It is in your mind where the discomfort lies, along with its cause and the very idea that all of it is outside you.
Indeed, what provokes your distress is not something present before you, for, as you have already seen, what you believe you see out there has no meaning in itself. Your anger, in reality, comes from a story you have told yourself, from a particular interpretation of “reality.”
What disturbs you is not what you perceive, for what you see in itself means nothing (W-1). What disturbs you is the interpretation you give it because you believe it frustrates your expectations, and now you say it is wrong without pausing to consider that perhaps your expectations were misguided. Once you have set yourself up as judge of reality, it becomes difficult to recognize the arrogance involved in passing judgment on what you perceive from your own exclusive and peculiar frame of reference.
To see this clearly is no trivial task; it requires great honesty. In truth, it is such a feat that, once you achieve it, it will bring you enormous release and the ability to master your states of mind.
This exercise is an invitation to reflect, and you must keep it in mind whenever anything or any circumstance seems to disturb you in any way. In reality, what makes you suffer is only an illusion of your own making.
But be on guard, for you will discover that, the very moment you question the cause of your distress, the ego will immediately begin to supply you automatically with countless “reasons” to justify your annoyance. Judgments of condemnation are always “justified,” and that is precisely the “voice of the ego”: a perfectly consistent ecosystem of insane “reasons” you have assumed to be true.
Although this is but one of the 365 exercises in this Workbook, you can and must use it from now on whenever something seems to upset you. Consider that today is the day you learn that the cause of your disturbances lies in you, not out there. You are responsible for all your suffering. And although this idea is certainly disturbing, realize that it also contains the key to your liberation, for it places in your hands the control of all your mental states. Take these exercises very seriously, for they are extraordinarily powerful tools that will enable you to regain control of your mind. You had lost it, and had not even realized it.