Library of Christ Mind Teachings
ACIM Original Edition
Hang on a sec…
1 Purpose is meaning. Today’s idea explains why nothing you see means
anything. You do not know what it is for. Therefore it is meaningless to
you. Everything is for your own best interests. That is what it is for;
that is its purpose; that is what it means. It is in recognizing this
that your goals become unified. It is in recognizing this that what you
see is given meaning.
2 You perceive the world and everything in it as meaningful in terms of
ego goals. These goals have nothing to do with your own best interests,
because the ego is not you. This false identification makes you
incapable of understanding what anything is for. As a result, you are
bound to misuse it. When you believe this, you will try to withdraw the
goals you have assigned to the world instead of attempting to reinforce
them.
3 Another way of describing the goals you now perceive as valuable is to
say that they are all concerned with “personal” interests. Since you
have no personal interests, your goals are really concerned with
nothing. In cherishing them, therefore, you have no goals at all. And
thus you do not know what anything is for.
4 Before you can make any sense out of the exercises for today, one more
thought is necessary. At the most superficial levels, you do recognize
purpose. Yet purpose cannot be understood at these levels. For example,
you do understand that a telephone is for the purpose of talking to
someone who is not physically in your immediate vicinity. What you do
not understand is what you want to reach him for. And it is this that
makes your contact with him meaningful or not.
5 It is crucial to your learning to be willing to give up the goals you
have established for everything. The recognition that they are
meaningless, rather than “good” or “bad,” is the only way to accomplish
this. The idea for today is a step in this direction.
6 Six practice periods, each of two minutes duration, are required. Each
practice period should begin with a slow repetition of the idea for
today followed by looking about you and letting your glance rest on
whatever happens to catch your eye, near or far, “important” or
“unimportant,” “human” or “unhuman.” With your eyes resting on each
subject you so select, say, for example:
7 I do not know what this chair is for.
I do not know what this pencil is for.
I do not know what this hand is for.
8 Say this quite slowly, without shifting your eyes until you have
completed the statement. Then move on to the next subject, and apply
today’s idea as before.
