“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(Part of the session grew out of our recent reactions to the televised newscasts, as well as what we’ve been reading lately, concerning the mass suicide in Guyana, the shooting of the mayor of San Francisco, problems with inflation, the Middle East —any of what seemed to be an infinite number of ills the species has created for itself. I must remember that my own caustic reactions pass rather quickly—even if they do return—but that they have a considerable effect on Jane. In some fashion, in order to maintain sanity, I end up laughing at what goes on in the world—probably a last resort. But I’m afraid some of my responses affect Jane more deeply, aside from her problems with her own reactions.

(However, I do keep much of what Seth has said on such troubles in mind, even if it doesn’t show too well, often. In fact, I think his material and insights into the species’ behavior is the only sensible body of material on the subject that can stand questioning and understanding—no small achievement, as I often remind Jane. Yet she can respond deeply to my remarks, which I do curb much more than I used to; then she ends up blue and depressed, which I suppose is the last thing she should do.

The selected newscasts shown in theatres in the Second World War were quite censored, but the aggressive press and its corps do now indeed serve in their own way as an invisible “police force.” No country can really keep them out. There will be a television camera somewhere, and the most secret atrocities will find their way into the public eye. There is no longer any assurance of secrecy in the broadest terms, for nefarious acts of politics or government. Man’s inventiveness, often a partner to his duplicity, has also invented, then, a method to insure that no crimes can be hidden, and has taken steps to shine a spotlight upon those areas of life that blot man’s experience.

How do you solve the problems? Your culture says that you concentrate upon them. Look for evidence of them everywhere. Contrast man’s position with an ideal state. Curse your ignorance, and search for evidence of man’s sinful nature. And many who do not believe in religion per se certainly believe in man’s sinful nature—though perhaps giving it a more scientific name. So your culture believes that by publicizing crimes of whatever nature, you will somehow eradicate them.

Now to some extent, because of beliefs, because of the public’s new knowledge through television of new nefarious acts, some governments do refrain from the more spectacular crimes. Overall, however, the concentration upon any problem, upon its negative aspects, automatically increases the problem.

Mothers tell children to forget their troubles. The children, not realizing how dumb their poor mothers really are, often do just that—and discover that their problems do indeed disappear. If you worry about the world, you can somehow perhaps save it—or so many people think. If you don’t worry about the world, you are considered unfeeling, and it certainly seems ridiculous to imagine that the world can somehow take care of itself, and even remedy whatever damage it seems man has done to it.

You are used to thinking, however, that worry is an acceptable method of showing concern for private or public affairs. The best thing you can do for yourself, or your loved ones, or the world, is to stop worrying, and hence release all of the negative thoughts therein generated.

I have said, again, much of this before—but this is an update. Neither of you do yourselves service by worrying about Ruburt’s condition, worrying that it might worsen in the future, or in your old ages, or by stressing its negative aspects.

You might each secretly believe that such worrying will frighten Ruburt enough “to make him do something,” and that is hardly the case—for worrying always increases stress. Whenever possible, minimize the impediments in your minds. Now Ruburt has started doing that. At least keep in mind what I have said, for it is true. To the extent that you forget the problem, it will vanish. Physically, Ruburt is improving, as you can see—but he used a stimulus of fear —the fear that otherwise he might be bedridden.

Whenever he remembers Framework 2 there are sudden, significant improvements. I want him to imagine a box. And each day simply to imagine he puts into it a sheet of paper that says “Of course I walk normally.” Do it as a joke, or whatever.