We are the dreamer of the world of dream. No other cause it has, nor ever will. - A Course in Miracles

Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg said "the more the universe seems comprehensible the more it also seems pointless." The only universe we can know is the one we perceive. So when I speak of the "objective" universe I am speaking of our interpretation or perception.There are many prominent scientists in the fields of physics, psychology and neuroscience who believe the world is immaterial, seeing consciousness and information as fundamental. However, with the exception of those who are religious, they generally do not believe the universe has a purpose. The world as we perceive it may seem pointless but we must still ask: is there empirical evidence for an observable universal teleology: one general orientation of the universe toward one single end?

One indication of  directionality or purpose is the fact that all pursuits of knowledge preclude the possibility of discerning absolute truth:

  • The Uncertainty Principle of Quantum Mechanics at the sub-atomic level.
  • The relativistic nature of space-time events at the macro level.
  • The subjective nature of perception based on interpretation not reality.

We can predict probabilities with great accuracy but never certainty.  A cognitive neuroscientist, Donald Hoffman, conducted thousands of simulated evolutionary scenarios and concluded that all  simulated species pursuing truth over fitness went extinct. Why should the basic laws governing the universe lead us to conclude that either there is no truth or it must forever remain inaccessible to us? Whatever the reason, it must be of paramount importance to the survival of our perceived identity in the world.

Although we can never, in principle, know the real world, we nevertheless have accepted the idea that we live in and are part of a real world. This brings me to another universal experience: the dominant fearful experiences of pain and suffering and the inevitability of death.  In fact belief in the world as we perceive it is dependent on these fearful experiences because they establish our relationship to the world and are the most powerful witness to its reality. There must be something outside of us that is the cause of our experience of pain, suffering, death and other negative emotions. These universal experiences have resulted in an a-priori acceptance of the idea the world is cause and we are its effect and, by implication, real. Once this belief was established in mind, a thought system arose that would support its survival.  And a key factor in accomplishing this goal is preventing the dissociated mind from remembering the truth of its reality. It's as if the purpose of the world was to cast a shadow or veil over reality/  truth, rendering it nonexistent and establishing a belief in an illusory perceptual world as a substitute.

In order to test this hypothesis we must be willing to experience a fundamental shift in our relationship to the world, from effect to cause. This means we will interpret ALL of our experiences from the perspective of cause not effect.  All meaning in the world is what we have projected onto it, it has no meaning of itself. Our perceptions of the world are our interpretations not the truth. There are important rules to follow for implementing this shift in perception. The biggest obstacle is our own resistance because the dissociated mind we identify with wants to protect the illusion.  In this sense we are the part of mind choosing between a false identity and our reality.  Since orienting my mind to the perspective of cause my experience has been transformed from conflict, controversy and confusion to absolute clarity about everything. From the perception of victimization to the experience of freedom.