The Two Worlds

The Two Worlds

From "The Teachings"
Tape 4

As we continue our work studying the Teachings, we will take up two worlds. Man exists in an environment which is the "man-made" world. We are not talking about the earth. The world is a society. It is a state of organization - the earth is a planet. So there are two Worlds--the "man-made" world and the "real world."

Real Living Beings

The real world is the world of "real living beings." No two of us have the same finger prints. No two of us have exactly the same tastes. No two of us see anything from exactly the same viewpoint because We cannot stand in the same tracks. So the real world is the world of living beings, no two of which are alike, no two of which are in the same environment at the same time.

You and I may be in a small room but you are in my environment,and I am in yours. That makes it very different for each of us, and so there can be no "standards" set. Each is an entity unto itself.

Each of us must know "self" for self. We cannot have someone else tell us what we are like. If they did, we wouldn't believe them. This is why we are observing the conditioned self within. While there are some general patterns, each of us must do the work for self, and we must understand the two worlds for self.

So we will observe all the people we know and their different tastes. One like coffee, another does not. One person wants sugar in his coffee, another wants it without. One wants coffee with cream,another wants it without. Some like their steaks cooked well done, some like them medium, some medium rare. There is no way you should like coffee. There is nothing that says you should like your steak cooked any certain way. It is what appeals to your taste,or maybe you don't like steak at all. Some people like certain colors, others do not. And this goes on for every conceivable thing. We are each a separate entity and there is no "standard" for anyone of us.

MAN-MADE WORLD

The "man-made" world is the world of ideals, ideas, standards, machines and games. We can have the "ideal" of how wide the streets should be. We can have the "ideal" of how fast the traffic should move. We can have the "ideal" of how many parking places there are for a given building. All of these are very useful and necessary for organized society on earth. The "man-made" world is very wonderful as long as it is confined to the "man-made" world--it is somewhat of a parable of the real world. So there are many kinds of ideas. Anyone can teach an idea and ask for an examination to see how well you agree with it. If you replay it, you are an excellent student. If you cannot replay it very well, you are a poor student.

You may be a success or a failure according to how well you did that.

In the "real world" there are ideas that give man an aid in knowing self, but there are not any "ideals" for you to live up to. As you have noticed, we have given ideas for study, but no ideas or "ideals" to live up to. We are only trying to find out what makes up the self. We haven't said you should "do this" or told you "what to do." These are ideas for study. The other "ideals" and ideas are for accomplishment in the "man-made" world.

STANDARDS

Then there are "standards." It is wonderful to have standards for spark-plugs, standards for sizes of shoes, dresses, suit sizes, etc. If a man wears a 42-Long, he can order a 42-Long coat, and all that will have to be altered is the length of the sleeves a little bit. If he wears a size 12-B shoe, he can order 12-B shoes and in all probability they will fit very accurately because there are standards set for these. There are standards for sizes of nuts and bolts? There are standards for drill sizes to drill a hole to put the bolt in. There are weights and measures. So all of these are of excellent use in the "man-made" world and are necessary for trade, commerce and exchange between one person and another.

But there are no standards set for the human being. In Washington D.C., and in every other major capital of the world, there is a bureau of standards. If you go there, you will find that all the standards are for "things," but there is no human being who has a standard set for him.

So machines are very useful. They perform great functions and take much of the physical burden from man. But when man begins to be a machine, it is a perversion because man was designed to operate machines--not be one.

A man can be controlled by a suggestion. You can find out from observing him that he has a certain very set opinion or viewpoint. If you challenge that opinion or viewpoint, you will find that he is suddenly in a state of being mechanical, and you can control or manipulate him.If you can get him very interested in "security," you can threaten him with lack of security and put him in a panic state.

If someone "sticks up for your rights" might you think he is your friend. If someone tells you "how different you are" from the common herd, aren't you inclined to be controlled. If someone "blames" for you, aren't you inclined to agree and be influenced by that person. It is obvious that machines are very useful but changing a man into machine may be a perversion.

We have been observing the "mechanical behavior" or the "conditioned self" and its "mechanical responses" which we could call "reaction." We are beginning to observe that while man is of the "real world"--a real living being, no two of which are alike--that there are many efforts to have him respond exactly according to conditioning.

GAMES

The other aspect of the man-made world is the world of games. Games are very essential. Not everything that we will refer to as a game is ordinarily referred to as a game in the "man-made" world. We recognize basketball, baseball, etc. as being games. Now for a game there must be players, there must be rules of the game, there must be an official of some sort, and there is a reward of winning the game according to the rules. If you do not play the game according to the rules in the "man-made" world, there are penalties to be paid.

So business is a game. It has players; it has rules of the game, there are officials of many kinds, there are severe penalties for not playing the game according to the rules, and there are decided advantages for playing the game according to the rules.

Marriage is a game. It requires players, it has rules, many of which are set by society, some of which are set as dealer's choice as one goes along like playing dealer's choice poker. There are officials. There are severe penalties for not playing the game according to the rules and possibly many rewards for playing the game according to the rules.

Traffic is a game. It has players, and thank goodness there are rules. There are officials; and there are penalties for not playing the game according to the rules. As the reward of playing the game according to the rules, we have a reasonable degree of safety in the immense traffic on the streets, highways and freeways.

There are four great games we seldom think of as being games, and they apply to man in the "real world." Let's consider these games and observe them over a period of time.

THEOLOGY

The first great game is "THEOLOGY." Theology sets up a standard for man as "good" and man as "bad."

There is no standard theology for the world. There are many different ones. Theology is not religion but man's ideas of building an organization around religion or building an institution. The institution sets standards of "good," such as:

It is not good to eat meat on Friday.
It is not good to eat pork at any time.
It is not good to drink coffee, in another one it's quite all right.
In one it is good and acceptable to get a divorce. In another, it is not good to get a divorce.

Thousands and thousands of infinite details are set up as "good." Any particular person who subscribes to any particular theology finds that he has difficulty maintaining the outward requirements of the theology and even more difficulty, if they are reasonably honest with observing self, of keeping the "inner state" free of not being angry, of not being gossipy, of not stretching the truth a wee bit when it puts one in a good light (which sometimes could be called lying), and it requires a considerable amount of justification in order to make one's behavior jibe with the idea of "good." Most everyone, then, feels in some way that they are "bad" and so they feel "guilty."

POWER POLICIES

The next great game is "POWER POLICIES". Power policies tell us what is "IN" and what is "OUT."

A few years ago it was "in" to hate the Japanese and love the Russians, among other things. Today it is very "in" to love the Japanese (most of everything we have comes from Japan, including the tape recorder we are recording these talks on) and we are not to approve too much of the Russians. A few years ago we were to "hate" the Italians and the Germans, today we "love" them. A little while ago it was very "in" to dislike China (before that, it was very "in" to like China. Now it is thawing--it is getting "in" to feel they are pretty well "all right," at least for some purposes. So we have what is "in" and what is "out," and few people can agree with all the "in," so most everyone feels that in some ways they are out. So they are now "bad" and "out,' and in many respects they are "out" of step with the general run of everything.

HEALING ARTS

Then comes the "HEALING ART" as a great game. The healing arts set up a standard for what is "normal" and "abnormal."

The speaker at one time studied some of the healing arts. At the opening day of enrollment for entering the freshman class, the dean of the school gave a talk in which he said that in the first two years this class would study the "normal" so that when in the third, fourth and fifth years and in clinics they would recognize the "abnormal." At that moment it sounded reasonable, logical and very sound. However, studying the normal consisted of studying mannequins, charts, books and listening to many lectures as to what "normal" was. So an "ideal" was established. That was a great number of years ago and until this day neither I, nor anyone I have ever seen, fits the "normal" all the way.

So everybody, then, is a patient--everybody is "abnormal." Of course, we are generally conditioned to feel that when we do not fit the "norm" we are in a very bad situation and that we need decided treatment to restore towards the "normal." There is usually a considerable bit of disappointment over not being "normal" and feeling unfortunate or hurt that one is not "normal." Then one looks for blame and comes up with fear which brings about chemical imbalance and neuromuscular tension from the various hormones in response to the fear. There is an adaptation and then we are firmly convinced that we are "abnormal."

BIG BUSINESS

Gradually there has emerged another great game, "BIG BUSINESS." Big business, through advertising, constantly suggests that we are "ugly" or "pretty."

Now, using the word "ugly," you may smell "ugly" so you will need endless amounts of deodorants. Your hair is probably "ugly," so you will need the proper shampoos, hair sprays, coloring and even a wig to cover it up, so you will then be "pretty." We are constantly bombarded with suggestions that our cars are "old" and, therefore, ugly, that our homes are "old" and "ugly," that our furniture is "ugly," that our appliances are "old" and "ugly" and that we should all be buying new ones. So everyone begins to feel that they are "ugly" in some way. You probably weigh too much. You are too fat so you are "ugly" and you should fit the "ideal" of a skinny one, or whatever. You must be the "pretty" one or you will feel embarrassed. You will be looked down on and disapproved of, ignored and rejected as unsuccessful. You will be inferior so, of course, we spend great sums of money, obligate ourselves with great amounts of debts in order to be "pretty" and "normal." We struggle mentally with being "good" and probably a little belligerent with being "in."

So we have the "four dual basic urges," that first basic decision [discussed in earlier tapes of this series] which describes the purpose as seeking non-disturbance. This beginning then becomes the source of suggestion for manipulation of man as a machine.

He wants to have pleasure and comfort, he wants to have attention and approval, and to feel important. BIG BUSINESS, THEOLOGY, the HEALING ARTS and POWER POLICIES all tell him that he is in terrific danger unless he extends himself to a great degree in order to try to gain what they tell him he is not at the moment--you are "bad," "ugly," and you are not "in" and you are "abnormal."

Now, if we go back and look again at the "real world," there are no two alike nor no two are in the same environment at the same time; therefore, there can be no "standard." When we begin to see this and observe it, we recognize that the "normal," "good," "in" and "pretty" are rather false, and that we have been "conditioned" with them since childhood.

So being conditioned, we are subject to "suggestion" that we are "bad," "abnormal,""ugly" and "out," and that by spending sums of money and performing certain rites or rituals, or that advocating and agreeing with certain political ideas, that we shall have a utopia where we are all "pretty," "good," "in" and "normal." Of course, to do this we are only required to give up that which is really human -- total independence.

The dependent person is mechanical and can be manipulated, and we see this happening all around. So we are studying the human being, "I," so that we will be aware of these situations, not that we condemn them or that we justify them. They simply do exist and possibly some of us do not prefer to be a machine.

We are aware of what belongs in the "real world" and what belongs in the "man-made world." We are not opposed to either one. We recognize the "man-made world" as being very necessary and we exist in it.

We also recognize that we are not of the "man-made world," that we are of the "real living world"; the world of real living beings.

We begin to observe the "man-made" world, without condemning it or justifying it. We see what belongs "in it" and that we are not "of the man-made world." We recognize games, and we would like to play many games. We play the game according to the rules to the best of our ability, but we do not play the great games that says that man has an "ideal" or "standard" and that he should "fit it."

You see, this is the beginning of the world that everyone is born into; a world of "ideals," a world of "self-improvement" to fit those "ideals" from many different directions, a world that has "signs and demonstrations" that one has "improved" and the world of "blaming" wherein if one does not find the "sign and the wonder," one looks for "blame." One has the anticipation that if one practices"self-improvement" that there will be "self-improvement." But frequently that anticipation or expectation is disappointment because there is no way that any human being can "fit" an "ideal" because we are ever-changing in an ever-changing environment, and situation.

One may be sitting in a living room very serene and peaceful. The phone or doorbell rings and there is a very unusual piece of news that one has been injured or is in great difficulty. Suddenly one's heart is beating wildly, etc. Is that normal? It is what is happening! There isn't anyone that says you should immediately have something that would slow the heartbeat down to 72 times per minute. If you go out and mow the lawn with a push mower, pull weeds, or do some violent physical exercise and your heart pounds hard, is there something wrong? It a normal adaptation? You see, everything is a "normal adaptation."

There is no such thing as an "abnormal human being;" there is such a thing as an "adapting human being." There is no such thing as a "bad human being;" there are "mechanically conditioned" people who can be stimulated to do almost anything by pushing a button either from within or without. There is no bad human being, only "unconscious ones" or "semiconscious ones," or shall we say, "conditionedones." There is no such thing as a "pretty" individual or an "ugly" individual, there is only the person who expresses outwardly they're inner state of being. There is no such thing as an "abnormal person," there is only the "adaptation" going on. There is no such thing as 'ugly," there is only the outward expression of the inner state. There is no such thing as "in" or "out", we each see from a different standpoint and obviously we will see it a little bit differently, and part of the understanding of man is to understand that.

As we do that, we will find that there are less disappointments because we did not expect them all to be like peas in a pod; and even the peas in the pod are different. We did not expect them to be turned out like spark plugs, etc.

HOMEWORK

Write down how many times I am caught by the suggestion that I am "abnormal,""ugly," that I am "out of step," and that I am "bad." How many times am I caught by the suggestion either from within or from without; whether I thought of it from an old suggestion or whether from a fresh suggestion coming in, that I got a senseof being something in the "man-made world" that had a "standard" of "normal,""pretty," "good" and "in," and that in some way or other I didn't fit the "standard."In other words, we are going to observe a different level of "mechanical being" this week.

We will not stop doing those things we have been checking up on because weare being acquainted with man and the world in which he lives; not with the idea of "improving" him to fit some "ideal" but of being conscious and being aware moment by moment of "what is" and we are being more observant of the fallacies of "what ought to be," which is the "ideal." Man's great conflict is trying to change "what is" into some idea of "what ought to be" in the "real world."

In the "man-made world" we can change cars, houses, etc. We can make themfit our purposes, but when we start trying to make man into what he "ought to be," we are fiddling in the wrong area.

So let's be aware of it when we are caught in the trap this week--not with condemning, not trying to justify it, but simply being aware of the state of "what is."
*See chart for the "two worlds" under "Illustrations on the Complete Site Map page.

Exercises:

Write down how many times I was caught by the suggestion from within or without:

That I am "abnormal" (doesn't fit normal in the healing arts.)
That I am "ugly" (doesn't fit the ideal of big business.)
That I am "out of step" (doesn't fit political ideologies.)
That I am "bad" (doesn't fit with religious organization ideologies either from years ago or now.)

These standards are "suggestions" which set up "ideals" and thereby result in struggle, conflict and resistance which is called "contrived resistance."

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