LESSON 12 I am upset because I see a meaningless world.

1. 1The importance of this idea lies in the fact that it contains a correction for a major perceptual distortion. 2You think that what upsets you is a frightening world, or a sad world, or a violent world, or an insane world. 3All these attributes are given it by you. 4The world is meaningless in itself.

2. 1These exercises are done with eyes open. 2Look around you, this time quite slowly. 3Try to pace yourself so that the slow shift­ing of your glance from one thing to another involves a fairly constant time interval. 4Do not allow the time of the shift to be­come markedly longer or shorter, but try, instead, to keep a meas­ured, even tempo throughout. 5What you see does not matter. 6You teach yourself this as you give whatever your glance rests on equal attention and equal time. 7This is a beginning step in learning to give them all equal value.

3. 1As you look about you, say to yourself:

2I 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. 3If terms which seem positive rather than negative occur to you, include them. 4For example, you might think of “a good world,” or “a satisfying world.” 5If such terms occur to you, use them along with the rest. 6You 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. 7All terms which cross your mind are suitable subjects for today’s exercises. 8Their seeming quality does not matter.

4. 1Be 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. 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 meaningless world.

5. 1What is meaningless is neither good nor bad. 2Why, then, should a meaningless world upset you? 3If you could accept the world as meaningless and let the truth be written upon it for you, it would make you indescribably happy. 4But because it is mean­ingless, you are impelled to write upon it what you would have it be. 5It is this you see in it. 6It is this that is meaningless in truth. 7Beneath your words is written the Word of God. 8The truth upsets you now, but when your words have been erased, you will see His. 9That is the ultimate purpose of these exercises.

6. 1Three or four times is enough for practicing the idea for today. 2Nor should the practice periods exceed a minute. 3You may find even this too long. 4Terminate the exercises whenever you experi­ence a sense of strain.