I do not know what anything is for.

1. The purpose of something is its meaning.^I

²Today’s idea explains why nothing you see has meaning.^II

³You do not know what it is for.

⁴Therefore, it has no meaning for you.

⁵Everything exists for your own benefit.^III

⁶That is what it is for.

⁷That is its purpose.

⁸That is its meaning.

⁹When you recognize this, your goals become unified.

¹⁰When you recognize this, what you see becomes meaningful.

2. You perceive the world and everything in it as meaningful according to the goals of the ego.^IV

²These goals have nothing to do with what is truly in your best interest, because you are not the ego.^V

³This mistaken identification prevents you from understanding the purpose of anything.

⁴As a result, you cannot help but misuse everything you see.

⁵Once you accept this, you will be willing to withdraw the goals you have assigned to the world, rather than to reinforce them.

3. Another way to describe the goals you now value is to say that all of them are related to your “personal” interests.

²But since you have no personal interests in truth, your goals are not truly related to anything.^VI

³Therefore, in valuing them, you have no goals at all.

⁴And that is why you do not know what anything is for.

4. Before today’s exercises can make any sense to you, you must be willing to reflect on the following:

²At the more superficial levels, you do recognize purpose.

³However, real purpose cannot be understood at those levels.

⁴For example, you know that the purpose of a telephone is to speak to someone who is not physically present.

⁵What you do not understand is why you want to reach that person.

⁶And that is precisely what determines whether your communication with them is meaningful or not.

5. It is essential to your learning that you be willing to let go of the goals you have set for everything.^VII

²Recognizing that they are meaningless, rather than judging them as “good” or “bad,” is the only way to accomplish this.

³Today’s idea is a step in that direction.

6. Six practice periods are required today, each lasting two minutes.

²Begin each session by repeating today’s idea slowly. Then look around you, allowing your gaze to rest on whatever catches your attention—near or far, “important” or “unimportant,” “human” or “non-human.”

³As you observe each object you select, say, for example:

⁴I do not know what this chair is for.

⁵I do not know what this pencil is for.

⁶I do not know what this hand is for.

⁷Say this calmly, without shifting your gaze until you have completed the sentence.

⁸Then move on to the next object, applying today’s idea in the same way.

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^I Put another way: the meaning of a thing lies in its function, in its purpose. And since the meaning of a thing defines its identity, then a thing’s identity is what it is for.

If my identity in this world is my function, a fundamental question arises: what is my function in this world? This question is crucial, because in answering it I will discover who I truly am. Jesus teaches us that the function God has assigned us is to be happy and to make others happy. We can therefore deduce that our identity is happiness; that is what we truly are: happiness, the Love of God.

Here, in this world, everyone seeks happiness, and the reason for this is very simple: what they are really seeking is their true identity, that which they are in essence—the remembrance of the Love of God they have forgotten by becoming distracted with illusory things.

^II “Nothing I see means anything.” (W-1)

^III You perceive only illusions. To perceive is to imagine, to conceive illusions, to project what you wish to see. Everything you perceive is the result of what you have projected, and you have projected it because you want it. That is why you relate to everything you perceive in terms of utility.

The meaning everything has for you is determined by the reason—or purpose—for which you conceived it and brought it into your perception.

^IV The ego relates to everything from lack, and by identifying with it, you too relate to what you perceive from need or even rapacity. Thus you seek in things, people, or circumstances what you believe you lack. In this way, instead of celebrating life, you consume it—you devour it.

^V This is the second time the concept of the ego appears in the Workbook. The first was in Lesson 13, where the challenge between the ego and God regarding what meaning should be assigned to perception was addressed. In this instance, the premise is that the ego has already appropriated all the meanings of the world. The task of this Course is to undo that appropriation and restore true meaning.

^VI You have no personal interests because, in truth, you are not a “person”; you are the Son of God.

^VII This is an important statement; do not overlook it. Reflect on what it implies and what it entails. Do not take it lightly, for it is asking you—no more and no less—to relinquish all the meanings you have attributed to the world in order to learn to see a new world, a different world. Be aware that this request is enormous, but so is what is offered to you in exchange. Consider that this request is not only logical but necessary. If the aim of this Course is to reverse your way of thinking, you must first undo the former way. For this reason, it is crucial to your learning that you be willing to relinquish the goals—the functions, the meanings—you have set for everything you behold.