1. The learning of the world is built upon a concept of the self adjusted to the world’s reality. 2It fits it well. 3For this an image is that suits a world of shadows and illusions. 4Here it walks at home, where what it sees is one with it. 5The building of a concept of the self is what the learning of the world is for. 6This is its purpose; that you come without a self, and make one as you go along. 7And by the time you reach “maturity” you have perfected it, to meet the world on equal terms, at one with its demands.
2. A concept of the self is made by you. 2It bears no likeness to yourself at all. 3It is an idol, made to take the place of your reality as Son of God. 4The concept of the self the world would teach is not the thing that it appears to be. 5For it is made to serve two purposes, but one of which the mind can recognize. 6The first presents the face of innocence, the aspect acted on. 7It is this face that smiles and charms and even seems to love. 8It searches for companions and it looks, at times with pity, on the suffering, and sometimes offers solace. 9It believes that it is good within an evil world.
3. This aspect can grow angry, for the world is wicked and unable to provide the love and shelter innocence deserves. 2And so this face is often wet with tears at the injustices the world accords to those who would be generous and good. 3This aspect never makes the first attack. 4But every day a hundred little things make small assaults upon its innocence, provoking it to irritation, and at last to open insult and abuse.
4. The face of innocence the concept of the self so proudly wears can tolerate attack in self-defense, for is it not a well-known fact the world deals harshly with defenseless innocence? 2No one who makes a picture of himself omits this face, for he has need of it. 3The other side he does not want to see. 4Yet it is here the learning of the world has set its sights, for it is here the world’s “reality” is set, to see to it the idol lasts.
5. Beneath the face of innocence there is a lesson that the concept of the self was made to teach. 2It is a lesson in a terrible displacement, and a fear so devastating that the face that smiles above it must forever look away, lest it perceive the treachery it hides. 3The lesson teaches this: “I am the thing you made of me, and as you look on me, you stand condemned because of what I am.” 4On this conception of the self the world smiles with approval, for it guarantees the pathways of the world are safely kept, and those who walk on them will not escape.
6. Here is the central lesson that ensures your brother is condemned eternally. 2For what you are has now become his sin. 3For this is no forgiveness possible. 4No longer does it matter what he does, for your accusing finger points to him, unwavering and deadly in its aim. 5It points to you as well, but this is kept still deeper in the mists below the face of innocence. 6And in these shrouded vaults are all his sins and yours preserved and kept in darkness, where they cannot be perceived as errors, which the light would surely show. 7You can be neither blamed for what you are, nor can you change the things it makes you do. 8Your brother then is symbol of your sins to you who are but silently, and yet with ceaseless urgency, condemning still your brother for the hated thing you are.
7. Concepts are learned. 2They are not natural. 3Apart from learning they do not exist. 4They are not given, so they must be made. 5Not one of them is true, and many come from feverish imaginations, hot with hatred and distortions born of fear. 6What is a concept but a thought to which its maker gives a meaning of his own? 7Concepts maintain the world. 8But they can not be used to demonstrate the world is real. 9For all of them are made within the world, born in its shadow, growing in its ways and finally “maturing” in its thought. 10They are ideas of idols, painted with the brushes of the world, which cannot make a single picture representing truth.
8. A concept of the self is meaningless, for no one here can see what it is for, and therefore cannot picture what it is. 2Yet is all learning that the world directs begun and ended with the single aim of teaching you this concept of yourself, that you will choose to follow this world’s laws, and never seek to go beyond its roads nor realize the way you see yourself. 3Now must the Holy Spirit find a way to help you see this concept of the self must be undone, if any peace of mind is to be given you. 4Nor can it be unlearned except by lessons aimed to teach that you are something else. 5For otherwise, you would be asked to make exchange of what you now believe for total loss of self, and greater terror would arise in you.
9. Thus are the Holy Spirit’s lesson plans arranged in easy steps, that though there be some lack of ease at times and some distress, there is no shattering of what was learned, but just a re-translation of what seems to be the evidence on its behalf. 2Let us consider, then, what proof there is that you are what your brother made of you. 3For even though you do not yet perceive that this is what you think, you surely learned by now that you behave as if it were. 4Does he react for you? 5And does he know exactly what would happen? 6Can he see your future and ordain, before it comes, what you should do in every circumstance? 7He must have made the world as well as you to have such prescience in the things to come.
10. That you are what your brother made of you seems most unlikely. 2Even if he did, who gave the face of innocence to you? 3Is this your contribution? 4Who is, then, the “you” who made it? 5And who is deceived by all your goodness, and attacks it so? 6Let us forget the concept’s foolishness, and merely think of this; there are two parts to what you think yourself to be. 7If one were generated by your brother, who was there to make the other? 8And from whom must something be kept hidden? 9If the world be evil, there is still no need to hide what you are made of. 10Who is there to see? 11And what but is attacked could need defense?
11. Perhaps the reason why this concept must be kept in darkness is that, in the light, the one who would not think it true is you. 2And what would happen to the world you see, if all its underpinnings were removed? 3Your concept of the world depends upon this concept of the self. 4And both would go, if either one were ever raised to doubt. 5The Holy Spirit does not seek to throw you into panic. 6So He merely asks if just a little question might be raised.
12. There are alternatives about the thing that you must be. 2You might, for instance, be the thing you chose to have your brother be. 3This shifts the concept of the self from what is wholly passive, and at least makes way for active choice, and some acknowledgment that interaction must have entered in. 4There is some understanding that you chose for both of you, and what he represents has meaning that was given it by you. 5It also shows some glimmering of sight into perception’s law that what you see reflects the state of the perceiver’s mind. 6Yet who was it that did the choosing first? 7If you are what you chose your brother be, alternatives were there to choose among, and someone must have first decided on the one to choose, and let the other go.
13. Although this step has gains, it does not yet approach a basic question. 2Something must have gone before these concepts of the self. 3And something must have done the learning which gave rise to them. 4Nor can this be explained by either view. 5The main advantage of the shifting to the second from the first is that you somehow entered in the choice by your decision. 6But this gain is paid in almost equal loss, for now you stand accused of guilt for what your brother is. 7And you must share his guilt, because you chose it for him in the image of your own. 8While only he was treacherous before, now must you be condemned along with him.
14. The concept of the self has always been the great preoccupation of the world. 2And everyone believes that he must find the answer to the riddle of himself. 3Salvation can be seen as nothing more than the escape from concepts. 4It does not concern itself with content of the mind, but with the simple statement that it thinks. 5And what can think has choice, and can be shown that different thoughts have different consequence. 6So it can learn that everything it thinks reflects the deep confusion that it feels about how it was made and what it is. 7And vaguely does the concept of the self appear to answer what it does not know.
15. Seek not your Self in symbols. 2There can be no concept that can stand for what you are. 3What matters it which concept you accept while you perceive a self that interacts with evil, and reacts to wicked things? 4Your concept of yourself will still remain quite meaningless. 5And you will not perceive that you can interact but with yourself. 6To see a guilty world is but the sign your learning has been guided by the world, and you behold it as you see yourself. 7The concept of the self embraces all you look upon, and nothing is outside of this perception. 8If you can be hurt by anything, you see a picture of your secret wishes. 9Nothing more than this. 10And in your suffering of any kind you see your own concealed desire to kill.
16. You will make many concepts of the self as learning goes along. 2Each one will show the changes in your own relationships, as your perception of yourself is changed. 3There will be some confusion every time there is a shift, but be you thankful that the learning of the world is loosening its grasp upon your mind. 4And be you sure and happy in the confidence that it will go at last, and leave your mind at peace. 5The role of the accuser will appear in many places and in many forms. 6And each will seem to be accusing you. 7Yet have no fear it will not be undone.
17. The world can teach no images of you unless you want to learn them. 2There will come a time when images have all gone by, and you will see you know not what you are. 3It is to this unsealed and open mind that truth returns, unhindered and unbound. 4Where concepts of the self have been laid by is truth revealed exactly as it is. 5When every concept has been raised to doubt and question, and been recognized as made on no assumptions that would stand the light, then is the truth left free to enter in its sanctuary, clean and free of guilt. 6There is no statement that the world is more afraid to hear than this:
7I do not know the thing I am, and therefore do not know what I am doing, where I am, or how to look upon the world or on myself.
8Yet in this learning is salvation born. 9And What you are will tell you of Itself.