Every day you look out at the world around you through the doors of your perception. How real is that perception? What if you’re making it all up?

You may have heard the story about a wise old guru who always had the perfect answer for every question.

One day, someone told the guru he was moving to Chicago, and wanted to know what the city was like. The old guru asked, “What is the city where you live now like?” The man replied, “It’s a crazy world! People are unfriendly, they’re always complaining about everything.” The guru replied, “That’s exactly what Chicago is like.”

Then someone else came to the wise old guru, and asked the same question. She was also moving to Chicago and wanted to know what the city was like. “What is the city where you live now like?” The woman replied, “It’s great! People are friendly, they’re always willing to lend a helping hand.” The guru replied, “That’s exactly what Chicago is like.”

Spirit

When you look out on today’s world, what do you see?

It depends on the “lens” through which you look at it. You might reply, “Well, the world is just what it is, isn’t it?”

Not really. What you see “out there” is only what is “in here.” As one of Johnny’s favorite quotations from A Course in Miracles puts it, “Perception is a mirror, not a fact.”

All of you see only what you carry around inside you—your thoughts, beliefs, values, etc.

So can you change what you see? Absolutely, yes!

But you can’t do it by “fixing” the world, other people, even yourself.

In fact, there’s nothing to fix because there’s nothing wrong with the world, other people, or you.

In God’s eyes, all is perfect. How can that be? Because God sees only through the eyes of love. Once you also start seeing through love’s eyes, everything and everyone will transform in miraculous ways.

As A Course in Miracles says, the world “out there” is nothing more than a reflection of your thoughts. The Course puts it bluntly—the world you think you see is not real. The world you think you see must end.

Thoughts of love will transform the world into into a place filled with peace, joy, and happiness. This is what God wants for you.

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Alan Cohen is one of our favorite spiritual teachers. In his book, A Course in Miracles Made Easy, Alan says “Pray for the end of the world. Pray for the end of fear, loss, suffering, and death. The world as we know it makes no sense. End a senseless world by coming to your senses.”

Here’s Marianne Williamson with some great advice from A Course in Miracles.