Lesson 13: A meaningless world engenders fear.

Jan '24 (edited) • Feed

🧩 WHAT WE FEEL ABOUT THE TRUTH AND OUR STRONG MOTIVATION NOT TO SEE THE TRUTH:

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📘 "1. Today’s idea is really another form of the preceding one, except that it is more specific as to the emotion aroused. ²Actually, a meaningless world is impossible. ³Nothing without meaning exists. ⁴However, it does not follow that you will not think you perceive something that has no meaning. ⁵On the contrary, you will be particularly likely to think you do perceive it." (ACIM, W-13.1:1-5)

💫 This is one of these mind-bending statements that casually refute the reality of our perceived world and go against what seems to be obvious: that there is a world out there. But Jesus says that not only it isn't the case, but we have a strong motivation to deny it. Kenneth Wapnick explains it as follows:

🔎 “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 affects me, I have already pronounced it real. And I want to keep the underlying thought real so I can continue to be real.” Excerpt from Journey through the Workbook of "A Course in Miracles", Kenneth Wapnick, Vol. 1, p 41.

💫 Thus the angle of today's lesson, "A meaningless world engenders fear." Because the recognition of a meaningless world, a thought that rests upon the idea that the separation didn't occur, is threatening what I think I am, is threatening the very idea that I exist. In this lesson, Jesus makes it more clear for us to understand what is going on when we feel a subtle or clear anxiety when doing the lessons.

🧩 FACING THE TRUTH WITHOUT FEAR:

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📘 3. "It is essential, therefore, that you learn to recognize the meaningless, and accept it without fear. ²If 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. ³To the ego illusions are safety devices, as they must also be to you who equate yourself with the ego." (ACIM, W-13.3:1-3)

📘 "A meaningless world engenders fear because I think I am in competition with God." (ACIM, W-13.4:7)

💫 Jesus is asking us to be brave and face the Truth without fear because if we yield to it, we will remain prisoners in the loop of projecting a world for us to hide in. Kenneth helps us make sense of this strange idea that we fear a vengeful God and helps us understand, because this is so important, where this fear comes from and why we are so intent in keep hiding:

🔎 “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, or, as the manual states: kill or be killed (M-17.7:11). But the inherent meaninglessness 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.”

Excerpt from Journey through the Workbook of "A Course in Miracles", Kenneth Wapnick, Vol. 1, p 42.

💫 In other words, we have taken our lies about everything so far and so seriously that it now takes a lot of courage to admit that we were wrong all along. Jesus knows that it is a difficult thing to do but urges us to find in ourselves the willingness to let the mask drop. This of course, is bound to make us feel unsettled but Jesus has no intention of leaving us drifting in terror and insecurity, he is walking with us every step of the way.

🧩 ON JESUS'S GENTLENESS:

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💫 There is something sweet about the way Jesus exposes us to an idea that is likely to make us feel uncomfortable and asks us not to overthink it. About the way he reassures us that will make sense over time when we will be better equipped to deal with it. As if he was, as gently as possible, making big revelations to impressionable children, in a "You'll understand when you'll grow up" reassuring kind of way:

📘 "5. You may find it difficult to avoid resistance, in one form or another, to this concluding statement. ²Whatever form such resistance may take, remind yourself that you are really afraid of such a thought because of the “vengeance” of the “enemy.” ³You are not expected to believe the statement at this point, and will probably dismiss it as preposterous. ⁴Note carefully, however, any signs of overt or covert fear which it may arouse." (ACIM, W-13.5:1-4)

💫 This is of course why he has been so mindful in all the lessons so far to give us instructions not to strain ourselves in applying the lesson. Many examples illustrate his gentleness and progressive approach toward us, here are a few of them from lessons 13, 12, 10, and 4:

📘 "Do not dwell on the concluding statement, and try not even to think of it except during the practice periods. ³That will suffice at present." (ACIM, W-13.6:2-3)

📘 "Nor should the practice periods exceed a minute. ³You may find even this too long. ⁴Terminate the exercises whenever you experience a sense of strain." (ACIM, W-12.6:2-4)

📘 "It is not recommended that this time period be extended, and it should be reduced to half a minute or less if you experience discomfort." (ACIM, W-10.5:3-4)

📘 "Do not, however, examine your mind for more than a minute or so. ⁴You are too inexperienced as yet to avoid a tendency to become pointlessly preoccupied." (ACIM, W-4.5:3-4)

💫 His approach is far from the "No pain, no gain" idea about learning anything new. We are on a progressive journey and Jesus is taking all necessary precautions to have us walk with him as comfortably as possible, while also making sure that we are consistently building up what it takes for us to follow along. Jesus loves us and it shows... (Sigh... 🥰)

🎯 ITEMS OF ATTENTION:

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👉 From the mind (with eyes closed) to the world (eyes open) and back to the mind (eyes closed again):

"²With eyes closed, repeat today’s idea to yourself. ³Then open your eyes, and look about you slowly, saying:

⁴I am looking at a meaningless world.

⁵Repeat this statement to yourself as you look about. ⁶Then close your eyes, and conclude with:

⁷A meaningless world engenders fear because I think I am in competition with God." (ACIM, W-13.4:2-7)

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* My comment on this lesson follows my studying of the in-depth comment of the same lesson by Kenneth Wapnick in his published work, Journey through the Workbook of "A Course in Miracles". While it may sometimes contain my thoughts on it, it is essentially my humble take and summary of the masterful work of Kenneth. I share them here in the hope that someone might find them helpful.

** I also share, in these ACIM posts, the wallpaper images that I use on my phone and change every day to help me commit to my lesson, in the hope that some might enjoy them as well. Here is the link to a Dropbox folder where you can download the lessons's wallpaper for mobile I have uploaded so far.

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