We Don't Know What Anything Means

Have you ever been in a situation where something happened – perhaps an unkind word was uttered or deed committed – and you felt certain you knew the purpose behind it? But then you subsequently came to realize that you totally misunderstood and had a completely wrong interpretation.

Well, we do that all the time.

Regrettably, we don’t know what anything means.

Every one of our interpretations comes from our past experiences. Which means, every time we assess a situation, we are basing it on the past, not on the present moment.

There is not a single evaluation we can make that is not completely determined by our extremely limited history. Consider these lines from A Course in Miracles:

Judgment always rests on the past, for past experience is the basis on which you judge. Judgment becomes impossible without the past.” (T-15.V.1)

Not only is this true for our assessments of others, but also of ourselves. “I’m not good enough, smart enough, pretty / handsome enough, rich enough, safe enough, young enough, normal enough, healthy enough …” and any other condemnation we accept. Totally based on the past, fully without merit, and completely wrong.

When we can step into the present moment, we are free from the past. Free from all judgment – of others and of ourselves. “Here you are completely absolved, completely free and wholly without condemnation.” (T-15.I.9)

From this vantage point – and only from here – can we now understand the meaning of anything. And it is from here that we experience the “tremendous release and deep peace that comes from meeting yourself and your brothers totally without judgment.” (T-3.VI.3)

Join me in Thursday’s Zoom discussion where we’ll dig into the concept that we literally do not know what anything means – and how we can enter the present moment to experience true understanding and joy. I look forward to seeing you then.