Here is a brief summary of yesterday’s class.
The real world is of course an ordinary term in our language, meaning the actual world of practical matters, problems, and hard knocks, as opposed to the theoretical world of education, the artificial world of the Internet, the luxurious world of the very wealthy, or the idealized worlds of our imagination. The Course turns this virtually on its head, saying that the world of problems and hard knocks is the abstract world that exists only in imagination, while the real world is a realm of unimaginable happiness and beauty.
The real world, according to the Course, is not seen with our physical eyes. It is not the pain-filled human life cycle we see with our eyes. And it is not the city-scene of buildings, streets, stores, artificial light, and day and night that most of us see when we look outside. The Course at one point asks us to perform the following exercise:
Sit quietly and look upon the world you see, and tell yourself: “The real world is not like this. It has no buildings and there are no streets where people walk alone and separate. There are no stores where people buy an endless list of things they do not need. It is not lit with artificial light, and night comes not upon it. There is no day that brightens and grows dim. There is no loss. Nothing is there but shines, and shines forever.”
So what is the real world? What is it composed of? What do we see when we are in it? Mainly three things:
1. We see only the loving thoughts of others and ourselves
The loving thoughts his mind perceives in this world are the world’s only reality. (T-11.VII.2)
In the real world there is no sickness, for there is no separation and no division. Only loving thoughts are recognized. (T-11.VIII.10)
Only the loving thoughts of God’s Son are the world’s reality. (T-12.III.7)
2. We see only the pure holiness in others, ourselves, and all living things
Can you imagine how beautiful those you forgive will look to you? In no fantasy have you ever seen anything so lovely. Nothing you see here, sleeping or waking, comes near to such loveliness. And nothing will you value like unto this, nor hold so dear. Nothing that you remember that made your heart sing with joy has ever brought you even a little part of the happiness this sight will bring you. For you will see the Son of God….
This loveliness is not a fantasy. It is the real world, bright and clean and new, with everything sparkling under the open sun. (T-17.II.1-2)
3. We see only God’s purpose in everything
The real world is the state of mind in which the only purpose of the world is seen to be forgiveness. (T-30.V.1)
This can be seen as having two different aspects:
a. The purpose of every situation is to learn forgiveness and extend love
b. The purpose of every object is to be an instrument for extending love
Summary
What, then, does it mean to live in the real world? To rephrase my list above slightly, it means to live in a world where:
…what fills our vision are all the expressions of love in the world
…we gaze upon a holiness in all things that is indescribably beautiful
…the purpose of each situation is to learn how to love
…the purpose of each situation is to give love
…the purpose of each object is to be an instrument for extending love
Like some of you, I was inspired by the class yesterday, and so today I am practicing this idea: “Today I live in the real world.” When I repeat it, I focus on the items on the above list. And I try to remember that this is not a fantasy. Rather, this is the real world.
[Please note: ACIM passages quoted in this article reference the Foundation for Inner Peace (FIP) Edition.]
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If you enjoyed this article, you might like Part 2!
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