I am upset because I see a meaningless world.
1. The importance of this idea lies in the fact that it corrects a major distortion in the way you perceive.
²You think that what you see is a fearful, sad, violent, or insane world.
³All these attributes you have given to it.
⁴The world itself has no meaning.I
2. These exercises are to be done with your eyes open.
²Look around you, this time quite slowly.
³Try to let your gaze move evenly from one thing to another, without haste.
⁴Do not vary the amount of time you spend looking at each thing; try to maintain a steady rhythm throughout the exercise.
⁵What you see does not matter.
⁶You teach yourself this by giving equal attention and equal time to everything you look at.
⁷This is an initial step in learning to give the same value to everything external.
3. As you look around, say to yourself:
²I seem to see a fearful world, a dangerous world, a hostile world, a sad world, a wicked world, a mad world…
³and so on, using any descriptive terms that occur to you.
4. If words that seem to be positive rather than negative come to mind, include them as well.
²For example, you might think of “a good world” or “a satisfying world.”
³If such terms occur to you, use them along with the others.
⁴You may not yet understand why these “pleasant” descriptions belong in these exercises, but remember that a “good world” implies a “bad” one, and a “satisfying world” implies an “unsatisfying” one.
⁵All the terms that cross your mind are suitable for today’s exercises.
⁶Their apparent quality does not matter.
5. Be sure not to vary the length of time you spend applying today’s idea to what you consider pleasant and to what you consider unpleasant.
²For the purposes of these exercises there is no difference between them.
³At the end of the practice period, add:
⁴But I am upset because I see a world that means nothing.II
6. What is meaningless is neither good nor bad.
²Why, then, should a world that means nothing upset you?
³If you could accept the world as meaningless and let the Truth be written upon it, you would be filled with indescribable happiness.
⁴But because it is meaningless, you are impelled to describe it as you want it be.III
⁵That is what you see in it.
⁶That is what does not mean anything.
⁷Beneath your words is written the Word of God.
⁸What now upsets you is the Truth, but when your words have been erased, you will see His.IV
⁹That is the ultimate purpose of these exercises.
7. Practicing today’s idea three or four times is sufficient.
²None of these practice periods should last more than one minute.
³Even that may prove too long.
⁴Discontinue the exercise if you experience strain.
I The meaning of anything is the content a sign or symbol conveys, and since you have built a universe of symbols bereft of love, what you perceive around you displeases you. But how could it be otherwise?
Do you think you could find satisfaction in something devoid of love, something not made of the same substance as you—the Love of God? What truly repels you is the unreality of the world you see, for, deep within, you recognize that this world is not real, since it does not resemble you.
If that world were like you, you would surely love it. But that which you have truly created, which is like you and which you love, is not called a “world.” That is real, and this Course calls them “the Creations of God’s Son.”
II In the Text there is a practice akin to this (T-14.XII.9:1-4): “And when your peace is threatened or disturbed in ANY way, say to yourself: I do not know the meaning of anything, NOT EVEN THIS. Therefore, I do NOT know HOW TO RESPOND TO IT. And I will not use what I learned on my own in the past to guide me now.”
III This, precisely, is what you dislike: the meanings you yourself have assigned to the world. Reflect for a moment on what is said here: “…you feel impelled to describe it as you want it to be.”
Is it not surprising that you wish to see precisely a world you find distasteful? This statement is so striking that it deserves a pause to ask yourself whether it is truly so. Yet it is likely that, for now, you have not managed to develop the honesty and clarity needed to recognize things as they are.
Do not dismiss this idea, but neither feel obliged to accept it as true merely because you have been told so. Take the time you need to consider it calmly. Watch yourself; examine your mind. It may take you days, months, years… or even lifetimes. That does not matter. What matters is not to forget it, for the power of this idea to free your mind is extraordinary. When you finally understand clearly that you suffer precisely because you choose to suffer, you will have discovered the key to happiness.
IV What now repels you is the truth that the world you see has no meaning of its own.