Lesson 13. A meaningless world engenders fear.
Today's idea is really another form of the preceding one, except that it is more specific as to the emotion aroused. Actually, a meaningless world is impossible. Nothing without meaning exists. However, it does not follow that you will not think you perceive something that has no meaning. On the contrary, you will be particularly likely to think you do perceive it.
Recognition of meaninglessness arouses intense anxiety in all the separated ones. It represents a situation in which God and the ego "challenge" each other as to whose meaning is to be written in the empty space that meaninglessness provides. The ego rushes in frantically to establish its own ideas there, fearful that the void may otherwise be used to demonstrate its own impotence and unreality. And on this alone it is correct.
It is essential, therefore, that you learn to recognize the meaningless, and accept it without fear. If you are fearful, it is certain that you will endow the world with attributes that it does not possess, and crowd it with images that do not exist. To the ego illusions are safety devices, as they must also be to you who equate yourself with the ego.
(The exercises for today, which should be done about three or four times for not more than a minute or so at most each time, are to be practiced in a somewhat different way from the preceding ones. With eyes closed, repeat today's idea to yourself. Then open your eyes, and look about you slowly, saying:
I am looking at a meaningless world.
Repeat this statement to yourself as you look about. Then close your eyes, and conclude with:
A meaningless world engenders fear because I think I am in competition with God.
You may find it difficult to avoid resistance, in one form or another, to this concluding statement. Whatever form such resistance may take, remind yourself that you are really afraid of such a thought because of the "vengeance" of the "enemy." You are not expected to believe the statement at this point, and will probably dismiss it as preposterous. Note carefully, however, any signs of overt or covert fear which it may arouse.
This is our first attempt at stating an explicit cause and effect relationship of a kind which you are very inexperienced in recognizing. Do not dwell on the concluding statement, and try not even to think of it except during the practice periods. That will suffice at present.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Below, is from Kenneth Wapnick's commentaries on this lesson, from "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles," which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesson 13. "A meaningless world engenders fear."
(1} "Today's idea is really another form of the preceding one, except that it is more specific as to the emotion aroused. Actually, a meaningless world is impossible. Nothing without meaning exists. However, it does not follow that you will not think you perceive something that has no meaning. On the contrary, you will be particularly likely to think you do perceive it."
*This is because you do not want to realize that what you perceive has no meaning. Once again, if what I see out there in the world has no meaning the thought within me that gave rise to it has no meaning either. Since I <am> my thoughts, it follows that *I* do not have any meaning, which means *I* do not exist. Therefore, rather than realize everything is meaningless within and without, I will substitute my own meaning. Obviously, if I perceive something I think is out there, which effects me, I have already pronounced it real. And I want to keep the underlying thought real so *I* can continue to exist.*
(2:1) "Recognition of meaninglessness arouses intense anxiety in all the separated ones."
*The anxiety arises because at some level I realize that the meaningless extends to <my> existence.*
(2:2) "It represents a situation in which God and the ego "challenge" each other as to whose meaning is to be written in the empty space that meaninglessness provides."
*The ego challenges, but God does not; that is why the word is in quotes. To the ego, then, competition is the nature of its relationship with God. An "empty space" exists because the ego is nothing. Yet it believes it must get to the emptiness before God, to claim the Son's identity as its own; thus the perceived competition with the Creator. If my existence as an ego is predicated on the belief in <one or the other> -- I exist at God's expense; I killed Him so I can live -- I will project that thought and believe He is doing the same thing to me. This deeply rooted belief is the source of our perception that people are out to get us, to hurt, abandon, and sabotage us, because we accused ourselves of doing the same to others, and ultimately to God. As Jesus states near the end of the text:
"You never hate your brother for his sins, but only for your own. Whatever form his sins appear to take, it but obscures the fact that you believe it to be yours, and therefore meriting a "just" attack." (T-31.III.1:5-6).*
(2:3-4) "The ego rushes in frantically to establish its own ideas there, fearful that the void may otherwise be used to demonstrate its own impotence and unreality. And on this alone it is correct."
*Namely, that it is nothing. The ego knows, as I have explained before, that its power rests in the decision maker, because the ego in and of itself is impotent. To ensure that we never recognize its inherent nothingness and meaninglessness, it seeks to make itself important and powerful through sin, guilt, and fear. If I have sinned against God and destroyed Him, I am certainly important and powerful. This also makes me fearful, but at least I have become something that God notices, which also makes me important.
The most frightening thing of all is to realize God does not even know about us, because then we are literally nothing -- impotent and unreal. Thus we want God to pay attention to us, either because we are His most devoted follower or the most wretched sinner. It makes no difference to the ego, as long as God takes notice. Our real fear, of course, is that He knows nothing about us. Somewhere deep inside we know that to be true. But rather than accept its truth, we cover it over with the ego's lies; first with the thoughts of separation -- sin, guilt, and fear -- and next with a world that reflects those thoughts.*
(3:1) "It is essential, therefore, that you learn to recognize the meaningless, and accept it without fear."
*This acceptance comes from developing a relationship with Jesus or the Holy Spirit that allows you to look at your ego without fear, helping you realize its meaninglessness. If you are fearful or guilty about your ego, or if you embrace it, you obviously believe it is real. Once again, however, if you step back and watch this "oddly assorted procession" go by, you realize it is nothing, understanding its meaning lies in trying to protect you from what <is> meaningful. Finally, since we want that meaningfulness more than anything else -- it is our identity as God's Son -- we would then realize everything else makes no sense and choose against it.*
(3:2) "If you are fearful, it is certain that you will endow the world with attributes that it does not possess, and crowd it with images that do not exist."
*In this sense we talk about the world as powerful, hostile, threatening, wonderful, peaceful, blissful, holy, etc. These are its attributes; and the "images that do not exist" are everything we see in the world, which are of course the projections of thoughts that do not exist.*
(3:3) "To the ego illusions are safety devices, as they must also be to you who equate yourself with the ego."
*Safely devices are defenses. Sin, guilt, fear, and the world that arises from them are illusions, the purpose of which is to preserve the fundamental illusion that I exist as a separate individual.
And now we go to the blockbuster line in the next paragraph:*
(4) "The exercises for today, which should be done about three or four times for not more than a minute or so at most each time, are to be practiced in a somewhat different way from the preceding ones. With eyes closed, repeat today's idea to yourself. Then open your eyes, and look about you slowly, saying:
I am looking at a meaningless world.
Repeat this statement to yourself as you look about. Then close your eyes, and conclude with:
A meaningless world engenders fear because I think I am in competition with God."
*We thus go from our mind's thoughts to our bodies' perceptions, and then back within. To state it once again, the world is fundamentally meaningless. Yet we strive to give it meaning, since that ultimately gives meaning to our separated self. Listening to the ego we make up a thought system of <sin, guilt, and fear>. Our <sin> of separation leads to the experience of <guilt> which culminates in the <fearful> belief that we deserve to be punished by a vengeful God, who now is in mortal competition with us for existence, either He survives, or we do, as the manual states: <kill or be killed> (M-17.7:11). But the inherent meaningless of this constellation of insanity does not preclude its having tremendous power, for we have invested our belief in it. Such investment means we must strive to give it meaning so we can defend against the ego's meaningless thought system, which is the basis for our meaningless identity.
To summarize this important point. When I realize the world is nothing, since it is simply a defense against the mind's thoughts, I am thrown back to these thoughts. If the world is meaningless and I am meaningless, I do not exist, which means God has won. But rather than lose the battle, I strive to give meaning to myself and to the world around me.
Jesus is helping us realize how we project everything onto the world. If we pay careful attention to our perceptions and what we value here, we would realize none of them comes from anything inherent in the world, because there is no world. They are but the result of a need within ourselves to justify and reinforce the spurious fact that we exist.*
(5:1-2) "You may find it difficult to avoid resistance, in one form or another, to this concluding statement. Whatever form such resistance may take, remind yourself that you are really afraid of such a thought because of the "vengeance" of the "enemy."
*The fear is that this a competition we cannot win -- God will be victorious. The terror engendered by such insanity is beyond what we can tolerate. We defend against it by constructing a thought system and then a world, behind which we can hide. Having become identified with this defense that culminates in the body, we <resist> having it taken from us, which exposing its foundation to the truth of the Atonement would surely do. And so we do not think about the wrath of God. That thought, as horrifying as it is, nonetheless protects the individual identity, which in turn defends against our acceptance of the Atonement.*
(5:3-4) "You are not expected to believe the statement at this point, and will probably dismiss it as preposterous. Note carefully, however, any signs of overt or covert fear which it may arouse."
*Obviously, if you are relatively new to A Course in Miracles, this statement will make no sense. But Jesus is asking for your vigilance, that you pay careful attention to any anxiety or fear that is within you.*
(6) "This is our first attempt at stating an explicit cause and effect relationship of a kind which you are very inexperienced in recognizing. Do not dwell on the concluding statement, and try not even to think of it except during the practice periods. That will suffice at present."
*The cause and effect connection is between our thoughts -- the ego's thought system of sin, guilt, and fear -- and the way we perceive the world. In other words, I am fearful <not> because of what is outside me, but because of my thought system, which tells me that survival is between God and me. Note, too, how Jesus does not confront or attack our resistance. He simply and gently reminds us of the truth. This allows us to accept it when we are ready, without any pressure or guilt inflicted on us. A wonderful example for all Course students!*
