Suffering in Imagination

The Trap of Premeditated Anxiety

In the world of imagination, suffering often reigns supreme. It’s a realm where fear and misgivings take center stage, playing out scenarios of doom and despair with unbridled fervor. We conjure vivid images of what might be, dwelling on worst-case storylines while fretting over outcomes that haven’t come to pass. In so doing, we invite needless sorrow into our lives.

We suffer more in imagination than reality. ~Seneca

It’s a paradoxical state of affairs, as we know that premeditated anxiety is often far worse than actual occurrence. Yet we continue to conduct such ominous overtures.

Perhaps we perpetuate this intentioned agony as a form of preparation, a way to anticipate and prevent the worst from happening. And so we become entangled in a web of anguish and apprehension, convinced we must maintain a constant state of vigilance against the unknown. But this is a trap, a never-ending series of mental gymnastics to distract us from the present moment.

This is the purpose of the ego. To ensnare us in an ongoing performance of life’s theatrics, while we cling to the intoxicating allure of drama. But there is another way, a path out of this self-imposed prison of the mind. And it begins with a far better use of imagination.

Consider a reality with no anxiety, stress, fear, angst, dread, anger, or pain. Picture a life where negative emotions no longer rein. A freedom to live without the weight of worry.

This is our experience the instant we change the way we look. Rather than buying into the ego’s insistence that the world and other people are responsible for our hardship, we can peer down from above the battleground.

From A Course in Miracles:

A miracle is a correction. It does not create, nor really change at all. It merely looks on devastation, and reminds the mind that what it sees is false. (W-pII.13.1)

Reminds the mind that what it sees is false!

This is true perception. This is the recognition that we are sublimely safe, at one with perfect peace. In the meantime, allowing our temporary sense of self to imagine such a glorious state lovingly leads us to practice these teachings.

Join me in Thursday’s class where we’ll explore the nature of imagination and how we can shift its purpose from suffering to serenity. I look forward to seeing you then.