Article May 22, 2017 Issue

Don’t be fooled by matter’s illusion

Richard Biggs

On the route I used to take to work every day, building and landscaping projects were frequent, so it was not unusual to see construction vehicles along the way, a lane blocked, or sometimes even a road closure. On one occasion, after making a turn, I could see traffic cones up ahead that appeared to be blocking the way. My first reaction was an exasperated “What now?”

But as I got closer, I could clearly see that the road was not blocked at all, and what had at first seemed like traffic cones turned out to be a blooming bougainvillea bush that ran along a fence where the road curved. I was certainly relieved to realize my mistake, and it even made me laugh. You might say I had become conditioned through experience to see what I believed, but the truth turned out to be much different.

As a student of Christian Science, I appreciated this reminder to watch my thinking and not be fooled by what the material senses have conditioned us to believe is the reality. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer of Christian Science and author of its textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, writes, “We learn in Christian Science that all inharmony of mortal mind or body is illusion, possessing neither reality nor identity though seeming to be real and identical” (Science and Health, pp. 472–473).