Library of Christ Mind Teachings
ACIM Original Edition
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25 We have repeatedly stated that the basic concepts referred to in this
course are not matters of degree. Certain fundamental concepts cannot be
meaningfully understood in terms of coexisting polarities. It is
impossible to conceive of light and darkness, or everything and nothing,
as joint possibilities. They are all true or all false. It is essential
that you realize that behavior is erratic until a firm commitment to one
or the other is made.
26 A firm commitment to darkness or nothingness is impossible. No one
has ever lived who has not experienced some light and some [of
everything]. This makes everyone really unable to deny truth totally,
even if he generally deceives himself in this connection. That is why
those who live largely in darkness and emptiness never find any lasting
solace. Innocence is not a partial attribute. It is not a real defense
until it is total. When it is partial, it is characterized by the same
erratic nature that holds for other two-edged defenses.
27 The partly innocent are apt to be quite stupid at times. It is not
until their innocence becomes a genuine viewpoint which is universal in
its application that it becomes wisdom. Innocent (or true) perception
means that you never misperceive and always see truly. More simply, it
means that you never see what does not really exist. When you lack
confidence in what someone will do, you are attesting to your belief
that he is not in his right mind. This is hardly a miracle-based frame
of reference. It also has the disastrous effect of denying the creative
power of the miracle.
28 The miracle perceives everything as it is. If nothing but the truth
exists (and this is really a redundant statement, because what is not
true cannot exist) right-minded seeing cannot see anything but
perfection. We have said many times that only what God creates, or what
man creates with the same will, has any real existence. This, then, is
all the innocent can see. They do not suffer from the distortions of the
separated ones. The way to correct all such distortions is to withdraw
your faith from them and invest it only in what is true.
29 You cannot validate the invalid. I would suggest that you voluntarily
give up all such attempts because they can only be frantic. If you are
willing to validate what is true in everything you perceive, you will
make it true for you. Truth overcomes all error. This means that if you
perceive truly, you are canceling out misperceptions in yourself and in
others simultaneously. Because you see them as they are, you offer them
your own validation of their truth. This is the healing which the
miracle actively fosters.