The
importance of this 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.
These exercises are done with eyes open. Look around you,
this time quite slowly. Try to pace yourself so that the slow shifting of your
glance from one thing to another involves a fairly constant time interval. Do
not allow the time of the shift to become markedly longer or shorter, but try,
instead, to keep a measured, even tempo throughout. What 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.
As you look about you, say to yourself:
I think I see a fearful world, a dangerous world, a hostile world, a sad world, a wicked world, a crazy world,
and so on, using whatever descriptive terms happen to occur
to you. If terms which seem positive rather than negative occur to you, include
them. For example, you might think of “a good world,” or “a satisfying world.”
If such terms occur to you, use them along with the rest. You may not yet
understand why these “nice” adjectives belong in these exercises but remember
that a “good world” implies a “bad” one, and a “satisfying world” implies an
“unsatisfying” one. All terms which cross your mind are suitable subjects for
today’s exercises. Their seeming quality does not matter.
Be sure that you do not alter the time intervals between
applying today’s idea to what you think is pleasant and what you think is
unpleasant. For the purposes of these exercises, there is no difference between
them. At the end of the practice period, add:
But I am upset because I see a meaningless world.
What is meaningless is neither good nor bad. Why, then,
should a meaningless world upset you? 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 it. It is this that is
meaningless in truth. Beneath your words is written the Word of God. The truth
upsets you now, but when your words have been erased, you will see His. That is
the ultimate purpose of these exercises.
Three or four times is enough for practicing the idea for
today. Nor should the practice periods exceed a minute. You may find even this
too long. Terminate the exercises whenever you experience a sense of strain.
