Mary Baker Eddy states in her great textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," published seventy-five years ago (p. 479), "An image of mortal thought, reflected on the retina, is all that the eye beholds." Many modern optical scientists now accept this theory and further state that the retinal image is then projected by each individual, and that it is at this projected mental image we look, calling it a solid object. Thus it will be seen that humanly we each exist in a world of our own mental projection and that all the human vision we can ever have is from within. It has been said that there are as many worlds as there are individuals.
Christian Science comes to teach us that, whether we realize it or not, we are looking out upon the results of our own misconceptions, be they beautiful or ugly, light or dark, happy or sad. This looking outward is, in fact, our outlook upon that which we conceive to be our environment. Thus our outlook is vastly important in determining the quality of our human sight. Who has not had an experience that proves this fact? If our mental horizon is clouded by some worry, does not even the sunniest day seem dull? Conversely, the most drab surroundings can become bright, even charming, if our outlook is happy and carefree.
The writer has dwelt at some length upon the human theory of sight because it serves usefully to lead one to the correct concept of the spiritual and only fact of vision as revealed by Christian Science. Mrs. Eddy writes (ibid., p. 126), "Human thought never projected the least portion of true being." In the last analysis there is no mortal mind to formulate human thought.
