Today the words "reality" and "realism" are frequently used. The expression, "We must face reality," is often employed by writers and speakers. Probably this expression arises as a rule from a desire to awaken men from apathy, from an unawareness of the apparent encroachment of evil upon our liberties, our individual right to freedom. Certainly, to protect our heritage we need to be ever alert. We cannot safely close our eyes to evil, or turn our backs upon it and ignore its seeming claims.
In the light of Christian Science, however, when we speak of facing reality we know that this does not mean facing evil or the seeming chaos resulting from evil, for reality is spiritual; it is never apart from good. Facing the spiritually real could not possibly cause panic or fear.
Were we to contemplate evil as real there might result great fear, but we must realize that this is not facing reality. Christian Science teaches that our great need is to know the reality. On page 129 of the textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," our beloved Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, has said, "We must look deep into realism instead of accepting only the outward sense of things." Never has there been a greater need than today for obeying this counsel, for if we were to accept "the outward sense of things" we should have no safe basis from which to work to overcome the testimony of material sense.
