The Witness Stand
Nearly every courtroom drama features this moment: a witness takes the stand, raises their hand, and swears to tell “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
In every instant of our life this same moment plays out, albeit in a different form. We’ve constructed our own internal courtroom where we serve as defendant, prosecutor, witness, and judge. And the testimony we’re delivering—about why we suffer, why we’re upset, why life disappoints us—gets accepted as absolute truth.
“My back pain is making me miserable.” “If only my finances were better, I’d be happy.” “This relationship is the source of my anxiety.” We take the stand and testify with complete conviction that circumstances determine our inner state. The body’s condition. Other people’s behavior. World events. Our testimony is unwavering: these factors are guilty of causing our distress.
And we believe every word of it.
The prosecution rests its case, and we—acting as judge—accept the evidence without question. Guilty as charged. The world is responsible. The body is responsible. Other people are responsible. Case closed.
But what if the witness is lying?
Not intentionally, but fundamentally. What if every shred of attestation regarding external circumstances causing internal suffering is simply false? What if, as A Course in Miracles reveals, “I am never upset for the reason I think”?
There’s another witness present in this courtroom—one we’ve ignored entirely. Pure awareness, quietly observing the entire proceedings without buying any of the testimony. This witness knows that no circumstance can touch what we truly are.
The real trial isn’t about the world’s guilt. It’s about whether we’ll finally cross-examine our own statement and discover the freedom that comes from recognizing we’ve been lying to ourselves all along.
Join me in Thursday’s class where we’ll explore how to expose false testimony and discover the innocent peace that was always true. I look forward to seeing you then.